In May 2025, the UK Government published a new Immigration White Paper [1], setting out intended policies to restrict migration. Both specific and general provisions are likely to reduce migration of healthcare and social care workers. Migration has recently been a major or primary source of care staff in several fields.
Social care
The white paper specifically sets out an intention that new visas for social care workers coming from outside the UK are discontinued. “Social care” in the UK refers to all long-term care for disability, illness and old age, and this restriction applies to direct care workers who are not part of a more specialized groups such as nurses. Those who are already in the country working in these roles will be allowed to apply to extend visas or switch to another employer until 2028. This follows changes in 2023 and 2024 with greater enforced requirements for only registered providers directly hiring staff, which had already caused a collapse in visas issued [2].
The previous context was one of very high reliance on international recruitment from outside the UK and EU in a sector which has struggled to remain competitive domestically. In just two years from 2021/22 to 2023/24, the proportion of the total English care workforce from outside the EU had risen from 10% to 20% [3]. Social care in England remains under intense financial pressure, and is chronically failing to meet the level of need for support with daily activities [4].
Healthcare
The white paper commits to lifting the educational requirement for jobs eligible for skilled worker visas to a university degree. This would prevent recruitment into entry level direct care support roles within healthcare, which had previously been increasing.
Other provisions and changes are likely to be significant for clinical professional groups, though less directly. There is a commitment to raise the salary threshold for skilled worker visas. This is already set above certain pay bands for biomedical scientists in the English National Health Service [5]: further increases may affect nursing roles. The number of years required for permanent settlement and therefore citizenship is extended from 5 to 10, reducing attractiveness.
The UK has recently had a very high level of reliance on international migration for both doctors and nurses, with non-EU migrants accounting for half or more of all new joiners to the professional register. In England, two thirds of the significant nursing workforce expansion since 2020 has been accounted for by staff holding non-UK and non-EU nationalities [6].
Implementation
These changes can be implemented without legislation, through statements set before Parliament. This typically takes place quite rapidly following statements of policy change, but as of late May 2025, formal changes had not yet been published.