United Kingdom Set To Eliminate Care Worker Visa Route In Coming Months

The United Kingdom is set to phase out the care worker visa route in the coming months, according to an announcement by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

This policy shift is expected to affect thousands of foreign nationals—particularly from Ghana and Nigeria—who currently rely on this visa to secure employment in the UK’s health and social care sector.

Cooper stated that the decision aligns with the government’s broader strategy to reduce immigration, specifically targeting lower-skilled visa categories. Speaking to the BBC, she said the reforms are intended to cut annual migration by around 50,000, though she did not commit to a fixed net migration target.

The move comes amid soaring migration numbers, with net migration reaching a record 906,000 in June 2023 and 728,000 in 2024.

While the Home Office has yet to release its upcoming immigration White Paper, expected early next week, recent trends indicate a sharp drop in Health and Care Worker visa applications—from a peak of 18,300 in August 2023 to just 1,700 by April 2025. This decline follows the introduction of a ban on bringing dependents.

Further tightening took effect on April 9, when care firms were required to prove they had tried to hire domestically before seeking overseas workers.

Under the upcoming rules, care providers will need to rely on local recruitment or tap into a pool of over 10,000 care workers who entered the UK on visas but were never placed in actual jobs.