UK says no to migrant care workers’ plus ones – bars family entry effective 11 March
During an interview, Cleverly revealed that the decision was in line with their strategy to “effectuate the most substantial reduction in migration ever” in the country.
Effective from March 11th, migrant care workers will be required to adhere to the updated laws, along with other adjustments. Additional changes, such as increasing the minimum salary that is necessary to sponsor one’s spouse or partner, will be enforced at a future date.
As noted by the UK government, approximately 120,000 children and partners accompanied 100,000 care and senior care workers in the country as of September 2023. However, according to Tom Pursglove, the minister for legal migration, these figures are “disproportionate” and a source of concern.
Migrant groups express opposition
Various organizations that help migrants are cautioning that prohibiting foreign care workers from bringing their loved ones with them is “dehumanizing” and could result in these workers experiencing destitution.
Following the release of the updated regulations, Dora-Olivia Vicol, the head of the Work Rights Center, expressed her views on the matter. She stated that migrant employees are already vulnerable to precarious living conditions and that this new rule would only lead to the separation of families and instill fear in workers, resulting in a decline of trust.
During this week’s UK Parliament meeting, critics argued that this decision could result in a negative impact on the economy, which is already grappling with a scarcity of labor in the care industry. A few ministers also voiced concerns that imposing a prohibition on companions of care workers could dissuade much-needed foreign workers from coming to the country.
According to The National, a Scottish newspaper, companies in the social care industry have openly admitted to depending on foreign labor. Unison’s public sector union head, Gavin Edwards, revealed that these firms would be incapable of operating without the contributions of migrant workers.
Colin Yeo, a barrister and immigration law blogger, does not believe that preventing care workers from bringing their dependents will cause staff shortages in the sector over the long term. “Plenty will still want to come here without family,” he wrote on the social platform X.
Yeo suggests the changes could instead lead to more people coming to the UK from countries with a tradition of emigration for work and sending remittances home to families. After five years, once they are eligible under UK immigration rules, they are likely to send for their children and partners, he wrote, adding:
“In the meantime, we’ll end up with a population of lonely, isolated ghost servants who we know are often exploited…
“There’s a good reason UK immigration policy has until now always been to allow workers to bring their families. It’s because it’s the right thing to do.”
Key Information to Keep in Mind
As per the updated guidelines, care and senior care workers will no longer be allowed to be accompanied by dependents when relocating to the UK beginning March 11, 2024. The amendments impact job codes SOC 6145 and 6146, and the specific positions that are covered can be found on the government’s official website.
The prohibition will not have an impact on the family members of care workers who are already residing in the UK.
Sponsors of Health and Care Visa applicants must be registered with the Care Quality Commission, the governing body that regulates health and adult social care, and be based in England.
The latest salary threshold rise for the Skilled Worker Visa category does not extend to the Health and Care Visa pathway.
-Afrogazette-
