Adapting to Shrinking Overseas Recruitment in Social Care
International recruitment has been a vital lifeline for many UK social care services. From supported living to domiciliary care, overseas workers have helped fill critical staffing gaps where local recruitment has often struggled.
But with recent policy changes tightening visa routes, raising thresholds, and increasing costs, many providers are now finding overseas recruitment practically out of reach. The question for many is: what now?
🚫 What’s Changed?
Since late 2024, the UK government has significantly tightened immigration routes for health and care workers. Sponsorship options for small and medium providers have been restricted, visa costs have increased, eligibility criteria have tightened, and salary thresholds have risen beyond affordability for many care settings.
While technically still available to larger providers, these routes have become increasingly unviable for much of the sector.
📉 The Impact on Services
- Widening workforce gaps in home care, supported living, and residential services
- Increased pressure on existing staff due to rota gaps and recruitment delays
- Disrupted continuity of care for people with complex needs
- Rising agency costs and reduced profitability for smaller providers
🔄 Resilience Strategies for Providers
While these policy changes are beyond the sector’s control, there are proactive steps providers can take to adapt:
- Strengthen local recruitment pipelines — engage schools, colleges, and job centres
- Offer retention-focused incentives — bonuses, development plans, and clear career routes
- Streamline onboarding and compliance — reduce time to hire
- Focus on values-based recruitment — engage underrepresented communities in care
- Upskill existing staff — boost morale and capacity, not just headcount
📊 Communicate These Challenges Clearly
If you're submitting tenders or preparing for a CQC inspection, ensure your documents reflect these new recruitment challenges — and importantly, how you’re mitigating them.
Commissioners and regulators understand the pressure — demonstrating how you’re adapting is key.
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Updated for Procurement Act 2023 • CQC-aligned • BASE-aligned (where relevant)