Homecare providers stand with unions: do not move the goalposts for care workers already in the UK

The Homecare Association, which represents more than 2,100 homecare providers across the UK, is calling on the government to confirm that care workers already living and working in the UK will not be subject to the proposed 15-year route to settlement.

Ahead of UNISON's protest at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday, the Association says employers and unions agree that changing the rules retrospectively for care workers who came to Britain in good faith would be unfair. It would also put care for older and disabled people at risk.

Concern is growing across government and Parliament, and over 100 Labour MPs are reported to oppose the proposals. The Prime Minister is said to be considering an exemption for workers already in the UK, and the Home Secretary has said a decision is imminent.

Key facts

• Overseas recruitment has already ended. The government ended direct overseas recruitment into care in July 2025. Skills for Care data show international recruits entering the care sector fell from about 105,000 in 2023/24 to about 30,000 in 2025/26.
• Many experienced care workers are close to settlement. Skills for Care estimates that about 230,000 people arrived in Britain and started care roles in England's independent adult social care sector between 2022/23 and 2024/25. Under the current rules, many would become eligible for settlement over the next few years.
• Care workers are already leaving. In a January 2026 survey of 108 homecare providers, 28% said sponsored workers had already left because of uncertainty about settlement, and 50% said sponsored workers had told them they would leave if the qualifying period increased.
• Care will be lost. 48% of providers expected to hand back care packages or reduce the care they deliver because of the policy. In 59% of cases, sponsored workers deliver a higher share of care hours than their share of the workforce.
• Local recruitment cannot fill the gap. 28% of providers received no suitable applicants who did not need sponsorship, and a further 40% received only one or two.

Comment from Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive of the Homecare Association

“Employers and unions do not always see eye to eye, but on this we agree. Care workers came to Britain in good faith, at the government's invitation, to help address serious workforce shortages. Many have built their lives here and provide essential support to older and disabled people. Changing the rules years later would be unfair, and it would put care at risk.

“Overseas recruitment of care workers has effectively ended. This is no longer a question about new migration. It is about whether we keep the experienced care workers who are already here, and our evidence shows that some are already leaving.

“We welcome reports that the Prime Minister is considering an exemption for workers already in the UK. We urge the government to confirm it without delay, so that care workers, and the people who rely on them, can plan for the future with confidence.

“There is also a wider problem that immigration policy alone cannot solve. Government expects providers to guarantee workers an income that public commissioners will not guarantee to providers. Councils and NHS bodies frequently guarantee employers no work, pay only for contact time and buy care at rates below the cost of lawful delivery.

“We support strong action against exploitation, illegal recruitment fees and bogus sponsorship. But immigration policy, employment rights and public commissioning must work together. Otherwise, the government risks losing experienced care workers while making it harder for providers to offer the secure employment and continuity of care that everyone wants.”

The Homecare Association is calling on the government to

• Confirm that care workers already in the UK will not be subject to a longer route to settlement.
• Introduce a sector-wide sponsorship scheme, so care workers can move between compliant employers without putting their visa at risk.
• Reform commissioning, with fair prices, predictable volumes of work and payment arrangements that enable care workers to be paid for their whole working rounds.
• Ensure enforcement against exploitation is proportionate, with safeguards for workers and people receiving care when sponsor licences are revoked.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Earned settlement consultation. The Homecare Association submitted evidence to the government's earned settlement consultation in February 2026. Its recommendations include retaining the five-year route for care workers, protecting those already in the UK from retrospective changes and addressing the vulnerabilities associated with employer-tied sponsorship.

2. Provider survey. The Association surveyed 108 homecare providers, employing around 15,000 care workers, in January 2026. The findings were published in its supplementary evidence to the consultation. They represent the experiences and expectations of responding providers and should not be interpreted as nationally representative estimates.

3. Workforce figures. Skills for Care (2026), Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England. International recruits entering the care sector were estimated at about 75,000 in 2022/23, 105,000 in 2023/24, 50,000 in 2024/25 and 30,000 in 2025/26.

4. The cost of homecare. The Homecare Association's Minimum Price for Homecare in England for 2026/27 is £34.42 per hour, including £26.17 in direct care worker costs. Its Homecare Deficit 2025 research found that 29% of councils and Health and Social Care Trusts paid average rates below the direct employment costs of care workers at the National Living Wage.

5. Commissioning reform. The Association's September 2026 paper, Homecare: commissioning is the key to quality, fair work and better outcomes, explains how fragmented purchasing, insufficient fees and payment by the minute undermine workforce security and make it harder to comply with employment and immigration requirements. It proposes a National Contract for Care Services, fair prices, neighbourhood commissioning and a transition towards outcomes-based, consumer-directed care. 

6. About the Homecare Association. The Homecare Association is the UK's leading membership body for homecare providers. Its 2,100 members support older and disabled people to live independently in their own homes.

Contact
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