London – Care homes across the UK will no longer be permitted to recruit staff from abroad under a sweeping set of immigration reforms aimed at cutting net migration, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed.
In a move likely to raise concerns across the care sector, Cooper revealed that overseas recruitment for care worker roles will be closed, with care providers encouraged instead to hire from the existing pool of foreign nationals already in the UK. These include individuals on extended visas or those who initially entered on care worker permits but have since been exploited by rogue employers.
The announcement is part of a broader migration strategy set to be unveiled in a government white paper on Monday, as Labour moves to deliver on public concerns following the local election gains by Reform UK, which campaigned heavily on reducing immigration levels.
Speaking on Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Cooper said:
“We’re going to introduce new restrictions on lower-skilled workers — new visa controls — because we think we should be focusing on higher-skilled migration and investing in domestic training.”
Cooper further clarified to the BBC that care providers should now “recruit from people who are already here,” noting that this includes extending existing care worker visas and considering candidates on other types of visas.
While the government will not set a numerical target for net migration, Cooper suggested the new restrictions could lead to a reduction of “up to 50,000 lower-skilled visas” in the next 12 months.
Tougher Measures for Foreign Offenders
The government also plans to implement stricter policies concerning foreign nationals convicted of crimes in the UK. Currently, only those sentenced to at least one year in prison are routinely considered for deportation. Under the new rules, any conviction, regardless of sentence, will trigger notification to the Home Office, enabling faster removals.
Officials will prioritise deporting those involved in violent offences, including knife crime, street crime, and violence against women and girls. The Home Office will also revoke asylum protection for any foreign national placed on the sex offender register, regardless of their sentence.
Employer Crackdown and Student Visa Tightening
Further plans include stricter oversight of companies sponsoring foreign workers. Businesses in sectors such as engineering and IT that fail to make sufficient efforts to hire UK-based staff could lose their sponsorship privileges.
Work visas will also become more limited in duration for jobs that do not require graduate-level skills. Meanwhile, international students graduating from UK universities will face tighter controls on their ability to stay in the country post-study.
Though there were earlier reports suggesting migrants would need A-level-level English, Cooper has denied this, though she confirmed that stronger language requirements will be introduced.
Labour Market Oversight and Domestic Skills Push
To help monitor sector reliance on overseas labour, the Home Office will establish a new Labour Market Evidence Group. Comprising experts from industry, government, and the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the group will assess workforce trends and promote domestic training to reduce dependency on foreign workers.
These proposals come amid mounting pressure on Cooper and the Labour Party to address public dissatisfaction with rising migration. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has surged in popularity with calls for a freeze on most forms of immigration.
However, industry leaders in care and hospitality warn that the planned changes could lead to staffing shortages, particularly as skilled visa numbers have already been cut in recent years.
The white paper is expected to set the tone for a major legislative push to redefine the UK’s immigration system while balancing economic demands and political pressures.
