Herald Express: How the government's new immigration rules will impact social care

The government is “kicking us while we’re already down”. 

That was the CEO of Care England, Professor Martin Green’s verdict on the government’s plans to overhaul our immigration system.  

The long-awaited immigration white paper, released on Monday, included as part of its efforts to curb legal migration, and prioritise UK workers, a proposal to ban new recruitment from abroad for care roles.  

Announced alongside a speech where the PM warned the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” should the status quo persist, the new plans will, according to the Home Secretary, bring an end to “care worker recruitment from abroad”. 

While no one doubts the Conservative’s broken immigration system needs fixing, targeting a sector that is already stretched to breaking point and relies heavily on international staff to keep basic services running is clearly the wrong way to go.  

As Professor Green noted, international recruitment is a lifeline for the care sector, and “taking it away now, with no warning, no funding, and no alternative, is not just shortsighted – it’s cruel”. 

He’s not alone in this view. Jonathan Sabater, COO and Founder of Totnes-based CareYourWay Franchising told me they are baffled and deeply concerned by this decision. While their model means they are shielded from these changes, they feared this decision will force many providers to close their doors for good.  

If you look at the data, it’s hard to disagree with this assessment. Between 2022-24, 185,000 international workers covering 130 different nationalities joined the care sector, while the number of British workers declined by 70,000. 

Rather than targeting international workers, the government should address why British nationals are so reluctant to work in social care.  

Many of the problems faced by the social care workforce – such as low pay, job insecurity, and poor working conditions – existed long before COVID-19, but the pandemic turbocharged them.  

Today, the turnover rate is incredibly high – hovering at around 30%, compared to an average of 15% across all sectors. And job progression is next to non-existent – a report in March found experienced care workers earn just 4p per hour more on average than newcomers to the sector.  

The work itself is also very difficult. Social care workers are among the most stressed employees in the UK, with providers and carers alike battling heavy workloads, limited resources, financial strain and emotional demands.  

Repeated studies have shown this, yet the government appears ignorant to both the challenges and the value of this sector. Speaking before the publication of the immigration white paper, the PM accused industries, like social care, of being “addicted to importing cheap labour” instead of “investing…in their community”. 

According to Labour, the new immigration system will establish a new fast-track system for settling engineers, AI experts and others who “genuinely contribute to Britain’s growth and society”. 

I’m sure those words will be galling to anyone who works in social care. With the UK facing an ageing population, social care will be among our most important sectors, with the country’s growth and society at risk should it collapse.  

After the previous Conservative Government’s dire mismanagement, our immigration system has been left in tatters and public trust has been shattered. While it’s right that the government is taking steps to fix our broken immigration system, this must be done in conjunction with a plan to support any sectors impacted by the new tougher measures.  

The Liberal Democrats have long called for a Carer’s Minimum Wage to make it easier to recruit British workers to fill vacancies in the care sector.  

Implementing this must be part of the government’s plans – or else I’m worried we’ll end up with massive care worker shortages and no credible plan to fill them.  

If you wish to contact me about any issue raised here or another you are facing, please do so at: caroline.voaden.mp@parliament.uk