Published: 13 March 2025
The Home Office has unveiled significant immigration rule changes set to take effect from 9 April 2025, reshaping how care and health sector workers are recruited in England. The announcement, made in Parliament on 12 March, introduces stricter criteria for international recruitment, revised salary thresholds, and tightened visa scrutiny.
Key Changes:
Recruitment Prioritisation: Care providers in England will now be required to prove that they have attempted to recruit workers already residing in England—particularly those impacted by sponsor licence revocations—before hiring from overseas or other visa routes.
Salary Threshold Increase: The minimum salary for Skilled Worker visa eligibility will rise from £23,200 to £25,000 per annum or £12.82 per hour. This increase affects a wide range of roles, including Band 3 health staff.
Impact on Band 3 Roles: Entry-level Band 3 positions will no longer qualify for sponsorship under the new Skilled Worker criteria unless they meet the top-step pay point of £25,674. NHS employers must wait for the 2025/26 Agenda for Change pay award to confirm whether these roles will meet the new threshold.
Health and Education Adjustments: Doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and teachers will also see their minimum salary requirements updated in line with national pay scales.
Student Visa Crackdown: Powers for caseworkers have been expanded, allowing them to refuse applications for short-term Student Visas if the applicant is suspected of lacking genuine study intentions.
What This Means for Employers:
NHS trusts and care providers will face new obligations when recruiting care workers. They must first engage with relevant regional partnerships and recruit from the domestic pool of affected care workers before pursuing overseas sponsorship. A list of regional contacts will be made available on the GOV.UK website.
Importantly, these new rules will not apply to international care workers already under sponsorship (SOC 6135 and 6136), or to those switching from another visa route who have already worked with their sponsoring employer for at least three months.
The government insists these changes are part of a broader effort to reduce dependency on international recruitment, crack down on exploitation, and offer fair employment opportunities to those already within the UK.
For further details, visit the official GOV.UK announcement.
Source: LIIE IMMIGRATION
