According to new rules presented before the parliament this week, employers in the care sector are now required to give priority to hiring workers from England.
Care providers will have to prove, starting on 9 April 2019, that they’ve already tried to hire someone in the country who needs a new visa sponsor.
The government claims that this will allow workers who have come to the UK for a career in social care to do so. It will also reduce providers’ dependence on overseas recruitment.
The Home Office stated that it will also assist in cracking down on employers who abuse visa systems. The government announced in November that employers who violate immigration and employment laws repeatedly will no longer be allowed to sponsor overseas workers.
The short-term student visa will be changed to allow students to study English in the UK between 6 and 11 months.
The government is concerned that this route has been abused by those who do not have a real intention to study in the UK or leave at the end. Caseworkers are to have more power to reject visa applications they do not believe to be genuine.
Stephen Kinnock, the Minister of Care, said that international care workers are an important part of our social care workforce. We appreciate their work and contribution to vulnerable people in the UK.
“We must take all possible measures to help the victims return to rewarding careers as adult social workers.
Prioritising the recruitment of care workers already living in the UK, will help people get back to work and reduce our dependence on international recruitment. It will also ensure that our social care sector is staffed with the professionals it requires.
The government said that between July 2022 to December 2024 it revoked over 470 sponsor licenses as part of its crackdown on visa abuse.
Oliver O’Sullivan is the director of Immigration at Migrate UK. He said that the changes are in response to the thousands of workers who were offered sponsorship by providers, but arrived in the UK without a position.
Other providers sponsored multiple workers for a future contract that did not go through.
He explained that “this means there are an unknown number” of Skilled Worker Health and Care Visa holders in the UK who do not have enough employment and are held in limbo.
Future sponsors will have to prove that they were unable to locate a suitable candidate from the pool of workers starting on 9 April.
“Amendments to the rules are being made regarding approval of a visa under this category. This means that a Visa can be denied if there is insufficient evidence that they attempted to recruit an employee under this provision.”
The Home Office announced this week the increase in the minimum wage for workers with the Skilled Worker Visa to PS25,000 annually from 9 April. This means that care workers who hold this visa will be paid a minimum of PS12.82 per hour.
Gavin Edwards is the head of social services at Unison which represents thousands care workers. He said: “Enabling visa holders to change sponsors more easily will protect them from exploitation.
Many migrant workers are at risk of deportation without their fault, due to dodgy employers and care providers going bankrupt.
Currently, overseas staff may lose their jobs and be forced to leave the country for simply raising concerns about care standards. It is not fair that overseas staff should pay more than poor providers.
Edwards said that the government can do more to protect caregivers.
He said that “this is a good step but more measures are needed due to the vulnerability of workers overseas.”
“The government should, in the end, remove visa sponsorship for individual employers and introduce a sector-wide program.”
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