Key Takeaways
• Since March 11, 2024, new overseas care workers in the UK cannot bring family members as dependants.
• Minimum salary for skilled visas has increased from £26,200 to £38,700 starting April 2025.
• Care providers must be Care Quality Commission registered to sponsor overseas care workers for UK visas.
The United Kingdom 🇬🇧 has made big changes to its immigration policy for overseas care workers. These changes, introduced in 2024 and early 2025, are now shaping who can come to the UK 🇬🇧 for work in health and social care, and whether their families can join them. Many people from countries like India 🇮🇳 and others outside the European Union are affected. The most important part of this new policy is a ban that stops new overseas care workers from bringing their family members, such as spouses or children, with them to the UK 🇬🇧. The changes are meant to lower the number of people moving to the UK 🇬🇧, but they create new worries for workers, their families, employers, and the wider health and care system.
Big Change: New Rules About Family Members
Since March 11, 2024, new rules mean that most overseas care workers who come to the UK 🇬🇧 using the Health and Care Worker visa can no longer bring their family members to live with them. Family members, or “dependants,” include spouses and children. For example, if you are a nurse or care worker from India 🇮🇳 offered a job in London, you now have to come alone, unless you were already in the UK 🇬🇧 with a valid visa before March 11. Anyone arriving after this date under the new rules cannot sponsor dependants.
According to government data, last year more than 120,000 dependants arrived in the UK 🇬🇧 with just over 100,000 care workers. The government says this was a “disproportionate” number—a lot more than expected—and that’s why they changed the policy. This move is expected to reduce the number of arrivals by up to 300,000 people per year. People already in the UK 🇬🇧 before March 11 can still bring their families under the old rules.
Why Did the UK 🇬🇧 Government Change the Rules?
Home Secretary James Cleverly explained that international care workers make an “incredible contribution” to the country. However, he also said that there was “clear abuse [and] manipulation” of the immigration system and that the situation was not fair or sustainable. He promised the British public that the government would act, aiming for a system that is “robust but fair – protecting British workers while ensuring the very best international talent can work here.”
Authorities also saw that some migrant care workers were offered jobs that did not really exist, or were paid less than the legal minimum wage. High numbers of dependants coming with workers sometimes made these problems worse, making it harder to keep track of job offers and protect workers from being taken advantage of.
How Indian Nationals and Other Main Groups Are Affected
People from India 🇮🇳 make up one of the biggest groups in this sector. In the past few years:
- Indians held more than one out of every three Health and Care Worker visas.
- By mid-2023, 35,091 Indian care workers had brought 47,432 family members to the UK 🇬🇧.
- Within NHS England, Indians made up over 10% of all full-time nurses and health visitors, and about 8% of doctors.
The chance to bring family has always been an important reason why Indian healthcare workers want to work in the UK 🇬🇧. This is especially true for people from states like Kerala, where nursing is a common career. With the new policy banning family sponsorship, many new applicants from India 🇮🇳 and elsewhere must now think again about coming to the UK 🇬🇧. This could make it harder for hospitals, care homes, and other employers to hire the right number of workers.
Other New Rules for Overseas Carers: Keeping Workplaces Honest and Fair
Another important change is that, from March-April 2024, any care provider in England wanting to hire overseas care workers must now be officially registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC is the group responsible for making sure care homes and other care services in England provide good and safe care.
This rule is meant to stop bad employers from hiring people for jobs that don’t exist, or from paying them less than what they are owed. Only care homes and agencies with proper CQC registration are allowed to hire overseas care workers. If your employer is not registered, they cannot legally sponsor your move to the UK 🇬🇧, no matter how much they might want to hire you.
Higher Pay Thresholds and More Checks
Starting April 2025, the UK 🇬🇧 government made more changes to who can get a care worker visa from overseas. These include:
- A much higher minimum salary for skilled worker visas—from £26,200 to £38,700.
- Pay for health and care roles must now follow the latest national pay scales. In other words, the pay has to match what local workers are paid.
- Many entry-level jobs (often called Band 3 roles) no longer qualify for sponsorship unless the pay is raised above the new minimum level.
- Care providers must now show they tried to hire people living in the UK 🇬🇧 before offering the job to someone from abroad. This rule is called a “labour market test.” It is meant to make sure local people get a chance at jobs first.
There are a few exceptions, for example, if the worker has a PhD in a needed subject or if the job is in a shortage occupation. In those cases, the minimum salary can be a little lower—but for most new hires, the requirements are strict.
Visa and Application Fee Increases
Fees for many types of UK 🇬🇧 visas have also gone up since April 9, 2025. Here is what that means for overseas care workers and others:
- The fee for a short-term visitor visa increased from £115 to £127.
- Fees for skilled worker and Health and Care Worker visas have also gone up, depending on your job and how senior you are.
All applicants need to double-check visa fees on the official GOV.UK website before applying. The government often updates these rates, so checking the latest is always best.
What Does It All Mean For the Care Sector?
Government leaders say these changes create a more “ethical” recruitment system. They want to help people who already live in the UK 🇬🇧 get jobs in care, instead of always hiring from overseas. Helen Whately, the Minister for Social Care, said, “International recruitment … is not [a] long-term solution … We are boosting our homegrown workforce by reforming social-care careers—including launching a national career path [and] new qualification.”
But not everyone agrees with the new policy. Some care sector leaders say that the ban on family sponsorship and tougher visa requirements might make it even harder to hire enough care workers in the UK 🇬🇧. They worry that good applicants will be put off by the idea of leaving their husband, wife, or children behind. This could make worker shortages worse, especially since a lot of care workers already come from overseas.
Even as recently as September 2021, one in five NHS England staff were born abroad. This shows just how much the UK 🇬🇧 health and care system relies on international professionals. Some experts say that, with an aging population and rising demand for care, the need for overseas care workers may actually go up, not down.
Different Views and Potential Problems
Supporters of the new policy say it will reduce abuse of the immigration system and help control the UK 🇬🇧 border. They believe it will push employers to invest in training and hiring local workers. They claim it’s right for people already living in the UK 🇬🇧 to get priority for jobs, and that only genuine, well-supported international recruits should be allowed in.
However, critics say the changes go too far. Stopping family sponsorship could mean skilled workers will choose other countries where they can bring their wife, husband, or children. This risk might hurt the care sector, as overseas care workers may feel they have little choice but to reject UK 🇬🇧 job offers. Critics say the policy could make staff shortages even worse, especially in care homes and the NHS where vacancies remain high.
Another worry is that raising salary thresholds for skilled and care workers might push out important entry-level staff. Many care roles are paid less than £38,700, so making this the new minimum may mean hundreds or even thousands of jobs are now out of reach for overseas applicants.
What Overseas Care Workers Should Do Now
If you are thinking about applying for a UK 🇬🇧 Health and Care Worker visa, here’s what you need to know:
- Only people whose visas were granted before March 11, 2024, can bring dependants under the old rules. If your visa was approved after this, you cannot bring your family unless there are rare exceptions.
- Make sure any care home or agency wanting to employ you is CQC registered. If they are not, they cannot sponsor your visa to the UK 🇬🇧.
- Check that the job offer meets the increased salary rules. If it doesn’t, you may not qualify for a visa.
- Always check current fees and requirements at the official GOV.UK site before starting your application.
- If your situation is complicated—for example, if you applied before the rules changed but haven’t arrived yet—speak to a qualified immigration advisor.
If you need to reference official immigration forms or need to see the exact rules, you can also visit the UK 🇬🇧 government’s Immigration Rules page to find the latest detailed information.
Looking Ahead: What Does the Future Hold?
The UK 🇬🇧 government hopes that these new rules will control the number of people moving to the UK 🇬🇧 and protect care workers from bad employers. They also want to build up the homegrown workforce to provide care for the country’s aging population. But at the same time, there are concerns about how these stricter rules might lead to more staff shortages. Many in the care sector worry about losing talented overseas care workers—especially from big sending countries like India 🇮🇳—at a time when demand for care is rising.
Analysis from VisaVerge.com suggests these changes mark a turning point for both employers and workers. Migrant carers now must decide if a UK 🇬🇧 job is worth moving alone, without their family, and meeting higher pay rules. Employers, meanwhile, must work harder to show they have tried to hire locally first, and pay competitive wages to stand out in a tight international labour market.
Key Points to Remember
Let’s recap the main points for anyone interested in working as a care worker in the UK 🇬🇧 or hiring overseas care workers:
- Since March 11, 2024, new overseas care workers are generally not allowed to bring their family with them. This change is expected to cut net migration by about 300,000 per year.
- Employers must be registered with the Care Quality Commission if they want to hire workers from abroad.
- It is now harder for entry-level workers to qualify for sponsorship, because of higher pay requirements and stricter checks that UK 🇬🇧 workers have not been found first.
- Indian nationals are among those most affected, both as workers and as families left behind.
- Visa fees have gone up again as of April 2025, so check the latest rates before applying.
- There are mixed opinions about whether the new rules will really solve the problems in the UK 🇬🇧 care sector, or if they will make it harder to fill important jobs.
If you are thinking about working as a care worker in the UK 🇬🇧, make sure you understand the new rules and check your eligibility carefully. Family reunification for most new recruits is now closed, CQC registration is a must, pay requirements are higher, and visa fees have increased. The UK 🇬🇧 government may make more changes after the next general election, so stay updated through reliable sources such as the GOV.UK newsroom.
The story of overseas care workers in the UK 🇬🇧 is changing quickly. By knowing the rules and planning ahead, you can make smart choices—whether you are an individual worker, an employer, or a family hoping for a life together in the UK 🇬🇧.
Learn Today
Health and Care Worker visa → A UK work visa allowing foreign professionals to work in health and social care roles, with specific eligibility requirements.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) → Official regulatory body overseeing care homes and social care services in England, ensuring safe and high-quality care standards.
Labour market test → A requirement for UK employers to demonstrate they tried to hire local workers before recruiting international candidates.
Band 3 roles → Entry-level health and care jobs within the UK pay scale, often requiring less experience and lower salaries.
Dependants → Family members, such as spouses or children, who accompany a main visa applicant to another country under immigration rules.
This Article in a Nutshell
The UK changed immigration policies in 2024-2025 for overseas care workers. Newcomers can’t bring family, stricter pay rules apply, and only Care Quality Commission registered employers may sponsor workers. These measures aim to reduce migration and abuse, but raise concerns about staffing shortages and impacts on international recruits, especially from India.
— By VisaVerge.com
