The UK Government has announced new visa rules affecting foreign workers and students.
Starting April 9, employers looking to hire foreign care workers must first try to find someone already living in England before recruiting from overseas. They’ll need to prove they’ve made this effort.
The Government wants to reduce the UK’s dependence on workers from other countries and lower immigration numbers.
The minimum salary for Skilled Worker visas will also increase from £23,200 to £25,000 per year (or £12.82 per hour) starting in April. This matches the rise in minimum wage.
Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, said: “International care workers play a vital role in our social care workforce. We value their contribution and work supporting vulnerable people across the country every day.
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“As we crack down on shameful rogue operators exploiting overseas workers here in the UK, we must do all we can to get the victims back into rewarding careers in adult social care.
“Prioritising care workers who are already in the UK will get people back to work reducing our reliance on international recruitment, and make sure our social care sector has the care professionals it needs.”
The government is also cracking down on the misuse of student visas. Officials will have more power to reject applications they think aren’t genuine, especially for short-term English language courses.
Companies that repeatedly break immigration laws can now be banned from hiring foreign workers. The government has already cancelled more than 470 care sector licenses in the past year and a half.
Seema Malhotra, Minister for Migration and Citizenship, explained that these changes aim to protect international workers from exploitation while prioritizing those already in the UK.
These new rules are already having an effect. Applications for UK work or study visas dropped by 42% after strict immigration rules were introduced. Health and care worker visa applications fell even more dramatically, by 79%.
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