In a bold and controversial overhaul of its immigration policy, the United Kingdom government has officially banned international recruitment for social care roles and unveiled sweeping restrictions aimed at ending what it calls “low-skilled migration.” The announcement came on Monday through the release of an 82-page Immigration White Paper titled “Restoring Control over the Immigration System.”
The new policy marks the most dramatic reset of the UK’s immigration system in decades, with the Home Office declaring an immediate halt to all new visa applications for foreign social care workers.
Existing care workers already in the UK will be allowed to extend or switch their visas only until 2028, after which the government plans to implement a fully domestic workforce model.
“We will close social care visas to new overseas applications,” the Home Office stated, citing widespread abuse of the system and overdependence on foreign labour. “This route has been exploited and overused in ways that damage public confidence and do not support long-term workforce sustainability.”
The decision comes amid mounting pressure on the government to reduce net migration, which has quadrupled between 2019 and 2023.
According to the White Paper, the government is determined to eliminate perceived “loopholes” that have allowed low-paid work to be classified as skilled under the current points-based system.
“Skilled must mean skilled,” the document declares, outlining that visa eligibility will now require higher salary thresholds, stronger English language skills, and recognized qualifications.
The widely criticized Immigration Salary List, which previously allowed employers to recruit below the standard wage threshold, will also be scrapped.
“We will remove the Immigration Salary List to prevent undercutting of UK wages and to ensure that migration supports, rather than suppresses, the labour market,” the Home Office stated firmly.
Employers are also being put on notice. Going forward, they must prove they’ve made every effort to recruit from the domestic labour market before seeking foreign workers, especially in sectors that have historically relied on overseas labour like healthcare and hospitality.
“No employer should be allowed to default to migration,” the government warned. “We are rebalancing the system to reward training, not reliance.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the changes as “a bold, necessary reset” aimed at restoring the public’s trust in Britain’s borders and job market.
“We are acting to bring numbers down and restore control. We must rebuild public trust and end the perception that immigration is a substitute for skills planning,” she said.
The White Paper’s tone throughout is unapologetically firm, signalling that the UK’s era of liberal immigration policy is over. “We will not allow temporary migration routes to become permanent,” it read. “Our reforms will restore integrity and ensure immigration works for Britain — not the other way round.”
The dramatic policy shift is already drawing sharp reactions from human rights groups, employers, and migration experts, many of whom warn that the care sector could face critical staff shortages in the absence of foreign recruitment.
ConfirmNews will continue to monitor reactions and implications of this major immigration shift.