Addition of Social Care and Care Workers to Health and Care Visa & Shortage Occupation List

Policy effect

Adds care workers and home carers (SOC code 6145) to the Shortage Occupation List and makes them eligible under the Skilled Worker / Health and Care Visa route, lowering the salary threshold to £20,480 (or £10.10 per hour) to address severe adult social care sector shortages.

Conditions and exceptions

Validated condition or limit: Adds care workers and home carers (SOC code 6145) to the Shortage Occupation List and makes them eligible under the Skilled Worker / Health and Care Visa route, lowering the salary threshold to £20,480 (or £10.10 per hour) to address severe adult social care sector shortages.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

… stories, speeches, letters and notices Guidance and regulation Detailed guidance, regulations and rules Research and statistics Reports, analysis and official statistics Policy papers and consultations Consultations and strategy Transparency Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports Search GOV.UK × Search GOV.UK Search Search GOV.UK Search Home Government Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1019, 24 January 2022 Home Office UK Visas and Immigration Policy paper Explanatory memorandum to the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 1019 (accessible version) Published … Introduction 1.1 This Explanatory Memorandum has been prepared by the Home Office and is laid before Parliament by Command of Her Majesty. 2. Purpose of the instrument 2.1 This instrument amends the Immigration Rules, made under the provisions of Section 1(4) and Section 3(2) in the Immigration Act 1971, that are used to regulate people’s entry to, and stay in, the United Kingdom. 2.2 The changes being made add care workers to the Shortage Occupation List, and make the role eligible for the Skilled Worker route, disapplying the usual requirement that a role must be skilled to at least Regulated Qualification … List. These changes make care workers eligible to be sponsored in the Skilled Worker route and add them to the Shortage Occupation List, following a recommendation by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). 7.2 A key existing requirement of the Skilled Worker route is the job offer must be one which involves duties and responsibilities involving skills equivalent to RQF level 3, broadly equivalent to a level of skills obtained through A-levels or Scottish Highers. Applicants do not need to hold a formal qualification; it is the skill level of the job they will be doing which determines whether the threshold is met. These changes disapply this skills threshold for care workers, thus allowing them to qualify for the route. 7.3 These changes are aimed at helping to alleviate current pressures on the health and social care system as a result of Covid-19. 7.4 Sponsors offering jobs in shortage occupations must offer applicants a salary at least equal to whichever is the highest of: £20,480 per year £10.10 per hour 80% of the going rate for the occupation code, as listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations As the third requirement is lower than the other two requirements for care … , 1 November (HC 803) and 14 December 2021 (HC 913). Implementation The changes in this Statement shall take effect on 15 February 2022. However, if an application for entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay has been made before 15 February 2022, such applications will be decided in accordance with the Immigration Rules in force on 14 February 2022. Review Before the end of each review period, the Secretary of State undertakes to review all of the relevant Immigration Rules including any Relevant Rule amended or added by these changes. The Secretary of State will set out the …

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Other United Kingdom changes operative in 2022

• 2022-02-17Immediate Closure of the Tier 1 (Investor) Visa Route (CP 632)
• 2022-02-26United Kingdom removes European Social Charter work-visa fee concessions
• 2022-04-06Removal of No Time Limit (NTL) Application Fee
• 2022-04-06Use of Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) for Digital Right to Work Checks
• 2022-05-03Ukraine Extension Scheme opens for eligible people already in the UK
• 2022-05-11Imposition of Visitor Visa Regime on Nationals of El Salvador
• 2022-05-30Introduction of the High Potential Individual route
• 2022-06-01New Legal Advice Service for Immigration Detainees
• 2022-06-24Revision of UK Expansion Worker Guidance (Endorsement Streamlining)
• 2022-06-28Commencement of Core Nationality Reforms (Remedying Historical Injustices)
• 2022-06-28Implementation of Differentiated Refugee Status Regime (HC 17)
• 2022-06-30End of COVID-19 Student Sponsorship Concessions
• 2022-08-10Homes for Ukraine opens to new applications from children without parents or legal guardians
• 2022-08-22Introduction of the Scale-up route
• 2022-08-31Devolution of Immigration Bail Regulations for Scotland and Northern Ireland
• 2022-10-01Reinstatement of In-Person Right to Work Checks
• 2022-11-30Closure of the Afghan Ex-Gratia Scheme