New rules prioritise recruitment of care workers in England
New rules
The government has announced new rules coming into force next month to prioritise the recruitment of workers from within England before looking to recruits from overseas.
From 9 April, care providers who want to recruit a new worker from overseas will have to first prove that they have attempted to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship. This ensures that those who came to the UK to pursue a career in adult social care can do so and will help end the reliance on overseas recruitment as we restore order to our immigration system through our Plan for Change.
- The minimum hourly rate for a sponsored care worker will increase to £12.82 per hour from 9 April 2025. The new hourly rate will NOT apply to existing sponsored staff
- A reminder for members who have a sponsorship licence: help prepare for your Home Office audit by downloading the Home Office Audit Checklist by Borderless.
Displaced worker sponsorship
With Care providers now needing to demonstrate efforts to recruit international care workers already in the UK, this also includes displaced workers—before hiring from overseas.
- SESCA are offering a unique opportunity to sponsor skilled overseas care workers already in the southeast. Click here for more on displaced worker sponsorship
The new requirements continue government action announced in November to crack down on employers who abuse the visa system; barring those who repeatedly break immigration or employment laws from hiring overseas workers and will help support those workers into new jobs. 
The changes announced last year also ban companies from charging workers for the cost of their sponsorship, which has never been intended and led to exploitation, unfair treatment of staff and unsustainable levels of debt in the care sector.
Between July 2022 and December 2024, the government has revoked more than 470 sponsor licences in the care sector to clamp down on abuse and exploitation. More than 39,000 workers have been associated with these sponsors since October 2020.
Salary thresholds
Changes announced today will also see the minimum salary thresholds updated to reflect the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This will ensure those working on the Skilled Worker visa, including care workers, are paid a minimum of £12.82 per hour. This hourly rate will not apply to existing sponsored staff, only new recruits coming from overseas.
In addition, the Government have also just published this guidance for displaced workers. Please consider sharing this to anyone that you are aware of being at risk of displacement.*gov.uk