Care workers from overseas who are applying to extend their visas to remain in the UK should be exempt from higher immigration fees, ministers have been told.
A quarter of care workers in the UK are foreign nationals, data has shown, and they will be subject to higher visa fees under the Government’s immigration reforms.
Companies providing care face “crippling” costs to maintain their current workforce, critics warned.
This week Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced she would be ending the recruitment of carers from overseas under plans to reduce the number of migrant workers in the UK.
But those already sponsored to work in the UK will be able to extend their stay until 2028.
The cost of employers seeking visas for overseas workers – known as the immigration skills charge – is set to rise by 32 per cent.
It will see the higher band of visa sponsorship increase from £1,000 to £1,320 per year for each worker.
As a result, a five-year extension for just one care worker would cost their employer £6,600.
The figures come adter The i Paper revealed that the stretched health budget is set to absorb millions of pounds more in migrant visa fees due to the changes.
NHS England currently covers the immigration skills charge for trainee medics and dentists hired overseas.
The higher fees will see the cost of this rise by around £5m under changes announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – enough to pay for 150 nurses for a year.
But there are thousands of other healthcare professionals hired overseas, including carers, who are paid for by their direct employers.
The Government has been urged to allow social care providers to extend these visas without facing the higher costs caused by the levy rising.
The Liberal Democrats said ministers should waive the higher visa fee for NHS and care staff.
And the GMB union warned that reducing the number of migrant workers in the system will worsen the staffing crisis in care.
Research by the House of Commons Library has revealed the number of care workers from overseas rose by two thirds – more than 150,000 – in two years, from 233,700 in 2021/22 to 387,900 in 2023/24.
One in four (27 per cent) of all care workers are now recruited from overseas, up from 17 per cent in 2021/22.
A recent report by the Health Foundation think tank found that, due to changes implemented by the previous government, there was a “significant decrease” in new work visas granted to care workers from 2023 onwards.
But, as a result, the biggest impact of the new visa rules on the care sector will be the cost of those already living and working in the UK who wish to renew their right to remain.
square POLITICS Why Starmer's Brexit reset won't bail out Rachel Reeves
Read More
“The latest data show that fewer than 2,000 care workers, home carers and senior care workers were granted Health and Care visas in the final quarter of 2024, compared with just over 20,000 for the same period in 2023,” the report said.
“Social care staff who arrived in 2022 and 2023 will often have been on multi-year visas, so many will still be working in the sector. But the staffing situation is precarious – we may start to see higher vacancies in social care again, affecting people who need care and support,” the report added.
The Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Social care is in crisis, with millions of people missing out on the care they need because there aren’t enough care workers.”
He added: “Imposing crippling Home Office fees on top of the Government’s misguided jobs tax will just make the crisis even worse, pushing many care homes to the brink and leaving our loved ones in the lurch.
“People who have moved to the UK to look after our elderly and disabled people are doing tough jobs and helping to keep our NHS on its feet. They should be thanked for their contribution, not demonised.”
The party is also calling for a new, higher Carer’s Minimum Wage – set at £2 an hour above the national living wage.
The Government has pledged to boost pay for care workers.
Will Dalton, GMB National Officer, told The i Paper: “Right now there are over 130,000 vacancies across the care sector. It is already struggling to recruit the staff it needs. This will get worse without migrant workers.
“Care work is difficult, often dangerous, yet very badly paid. GMB is working with the Government on Fair Pay Agreements in care, which are desperately needed to give these highly skilled professionals the wage rise they deserve and fix the recruitment and retention crisis.
“But they aren’t coming in overnight. In the meantime steps to ensure we have enough staff are vital.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Care homes face crippling Home Office fees with quarter of workers from overseas )
Also on site :
- Iraq's first filmmaker in Cannes says sanctions no piece of cake
- Andrea Fuder, Chief Purchasing Officer at Volvo Group has tragically passed away
- NYT Connections Sports Edition Today: Hints and Answers for May 18