The UK Home Office Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans to stop the recruitment of overseas care workers as part of its broader effort to reduce net migration, just two months after a BBC investigation uncovered large-scale visa fraud linked to Kerala, India.
The end was part of the immigration white paper released on Monday 12th May 2025.
According to UK Home Office figures, nearly 1,40,000 health and care visas were issued in 2023 to meet staffing shortages in Britain’s care sector. Of these, 39,000 were granted to Indian nationals.
The Home Office has suspended over 470 care providers from sponsoring foreign staff since 2022, citing irregularities and abuse of the system. Authorities say around 40,000 overseas workers have been displaced due to the crackdown, though most remain in the country and are now eligible to rejoin the workforce through verified employers.
According to the government, those who are already in the UK on valid sponsorships will still be allowed to extend their stay, switch employers, or apply for settlement—provided they remain compliant with immigration laws.
A long-term shift is also underway to reduce reliance on foreign workers by training more UK residents for roles in adult social care. “This government is committed to tackling these issues and has committed to establishing Fair Pay Agreements,” the statement said. These agreements will enable representatives from across the sector to negotiate better employment terms.
The clampdown follows revelations of large-scale visa scams affecting Indian workers. In March, a BBC report found that many aspiring care workers in Kerala had fallen prey to fake recruitment agents after the UK added care roles to its shortage occupation list during the pandemic.
This made it easier for care homes in Britain to sponsor foreign staff, triggering a rush of applications. In Ernakulam district, police said they now receive daily complaints from individuals who were promised jobs abroad but ended up defrauded. “This is not just about one or two isolated cases. There’s a pattern here,” a senior police officer told the BBC. “Fraudsters are swindling lakhs of rupees from unsuspecting people by falsely promising them jobs in countries such as Europe, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, Unions and care providers have accused the government of putting services at risk after it confirmed plans to shut down the overseas care worker visa route.
The long-awaited immigration white paper, to be published on Monday, includes measures to ban new recruitment from abroad for care roles, as part of a wider effort to reduce legal migration and prioritise UK-based workers.
The decision has triggered an angry backlash from industry leaders and trade unions, who say the sector is already stretched to breaking point and still relies heavily on international staff to keep services running.
Prof Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, said the government was “kicking us while we’re already down”
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