New UK visa laws are now in effect, aiming to limit care workers from bringing their relatives, while caregivers who are sponsoring migrants are asked to register.Â
New UK Visa Laws Tighten Restrictions on Care Worker Visas
The UK government's newly implemented rules aimed at stopping migration and addressing visa abuse are now officially in force due to concerns over the unsustainable influx of legal immigrants.
As of today, March 11th, 2024, senior care workers and overseas care workers coming to the United Kingdom will no longer be authorized to bring dependents as a part of their visa applications, in response to the disproportionate ratio of 120,000 dependents accompanying 100,000 workers on the route the previous year.
Care providers in England who act as sponsors for migrants will also be required to fulfil a registration with the Care Quality Commission, the industry's governor for Health and Social Care, in order to break the cycle of worker exploitation and abuse in the field.
It is a component of a wider range of measures that are being put into effect as quickly as possible, which implies that 300,000 individuals who were qualified to enter the UK the previous year will no longer be allowed to do so.
Home Secretary James Cleverly, MP, declared:
Care workers make an incredible contribution to our society, taking care of our loved ones in times of need. But we cannot justify inaction in the face of clear abuse, manipulation of our immigration system, and unsustainable migration numbers.
It is neither right nor fair to allow this unacceptable situation to continue. We promised the British people action, and we will not rest until we have delivered on our commitment to bring the numbers down substantially.
Our plan is robust but fair—protecting British workers while ensuring the very best international talent can work and study here—to add value to our society and grow the economy.
It's quite evident that care workers have been given visas on false pretenses, driven thousands of miles for jobs that don't exist or for pay far less than the minimum wage needed for the work they do, and exploited while British workers are underpaid.
These adjustments take effect as the government prepares to introduce legislation in Parliament later this week (March 14) to stop the undercutting of British workers. The legislation includes raising the salary requirement for skilled workers to obtain a visa and eliminating the 20% "going-rate" discount for migrant workers in shortage occupations.
UK Home Secretary Reviews Overseas Student Graduate Program Amid Concerns
Starting today, the Home Secretary will order a review of the graduate program for overseas students in order to guard against misuse, preserve the standards and integrity of UK higher education, and guarantee that the program serves the interests of the UK.
He will request that the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) make sure that the graduate route—which has issued 175,872 visas in total since its founding—is appropriate for its intended use and concentrates on drawing the most talented individuals to the UK.
This comes after the MAC's investigation indicated that between 2018 and 2022, the proportion of postgraduate students from other nations attending universities with the lowest UCAS admission requirements climbed by nearly 250%.
This comes after changes to student visas went into effect at the beginning of January, which prevented almost all postgraduate students from bringing dependents into the UK. This year, the government anticipates a sharp decline in applications from dependent students; early signs of this decline are already apparent.