Yo, check it out – the home secretary is all about changing up the immigration system in a big way. She’s talking about putting a stop to bringing in care workers from overseas. Yvette Cooper says it’s time to give British folks a chance and make companies hire locals instead of looking abroad.
The government is planning to drop some new rules on visas and recruitment laws to cut down on the number of lower-skilled workers coming into the UK. They’re aiming to slash up to 50,000 care workers from entering the country in the next year. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp thinks this plan is weak and wants to cap migration every year.
Over the years, different governments have tried and failed to lower net migration, which is basically the number of people coming in minus those leaving. The numbers have been going up, hitting a record high of 906,000 in June 2023. Last year, it was at 728,000.
The Home Office hasn’t spilled the beans on what exactly will be in the new immigration White Paper yet, but it’s coming soon. Cooper mentioned that they’re aiming for a big drop in net migration but don’t want to set specific targets because they think it messes with the credibility of what they’re doing.
They’re planning to ramp up the bar for skilled visas to a graduate level, which is a step up from the current A-level requirement. There’s also going to be a shorter list of exceptions for temporary visas in certain industries, but they haven’t given examples yet.
Right now, some jobs like carpenters, graphic designers, and pharmaceutical technicians can be put on the Immigration Salary List, which lets employers hire foreign workers for cheaper. Cooper thinks these changes will lead to way fewer lower-skilled visas in the next year.
Aside from visa tweaks, the home secretary is talking about making companies commit to training programs to get more people back into the UK job market. Philp is on board with ending care worker recruitment from abroad, but he wants to go even further with a strict yearly cap on migration.
Cooper is also hinting at some changes for international students and grads. She wants to keep them coming in and staying to work afterward. But she’s eyeing changes to make sure universities are up to snuff with their standards to avoid issues with students overstaying or not finishing their courses.
Things have already been tightening up in the care sector since last July. Health and Care Worker visa applications took a nosedive after the ban on bringing dependents and a new restriction on recruiting overseas workers. Now, care companies will have to look for workers within the UK or tap into a pool of over 10,000 care workers already in the country on unused visas.
Nadra Ahmed from the National Care Association isn’t too thrilled about the changes, saying it’s going to make things even tougher for care homes. She thinks the government needs to make care jobs more appealing to locals instead of relying on overseas workers.
The Liberal Democrats are calling out the government for not doing enough to fix the social care crisis. They want to see better pay for care workers and a clear plan for career growth. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage from Reform UK is taking credit for pushing the government to tighten up on immigration policies.
It looks like the government is gearing up for some major changes in the immigration system. Let’s see how this all plays out in the coming months. So, keep your eyes peeled for more updates on this front.
