Britain’s £15 billion care sector is facing mounting uncertainty as the government tightens immigration rules, putting pressure on an industry that has relied on overseas workers to fill staffing gaps.
- Britain's £15 billion care sector is under pressure due to tighter immigration rules affecting overseas workers.
- Nigeria and Zimbabwe are major sources of care workers, receiving over 120,000 visa extensions combined, though these are not new arrivals.
- The UK ended new overseas recruitment for care workers in July 2025, significantly reducing new Health and Care Worker visas.
- Existing overseas workers may soon need to switch to the Skilled Worker route, facing higher salary requirements and longer residency paths.
Nigeria and Zimbabwe are among the countries that have supplied workers to Britain’s adult social care sector. Home Office figures show that Nigerian nationals received 89,575 Health and Care Worker visa extensions in the year ending March 2026, while Zimbabwean nationals received 31,117, bringing the combined total to 120,692.
The figures do not represent new arrivals. Britain ended overseas recruitment of new care workers through the Health and Care Worker visa route in July 2025, but existing workers could still apply to extend their stay.
The two African countries recorded the second- and third-highest numbers of extensions, respectively, behind India’s 107,306. While the figures highlight their presence in the visa route, they do not establish how many workers will be directly affected by the government’s changes.
According to Bloomberg, care providers are concerned that tighter immigration rules could make it harder to recruit and retain overseas staff.
Proposed changes could require existing workers to switch to the Skilled Worker route from July 2028, potentially exposing them to higher salary requirements. Separate settlement reforms could extend the standard qualifying period for permanent residency from five to 10 years, adding to uncertainty for migrant workers and their employers.
Overseas recruitment restrictions deepen staffing concerns
The UK ended new overseas recruitment of care workers through the Health and Care Worker visa route in July 2025. The move followed a period of rapid growth in recruitment from abroad, particularly from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The Home Office’s immigration statistics for the year ending March 2026 show that Health and Care Worker visas issued to main applicants and dependants fell 38% year-on-year to 42,658. Visas granted to workers in caring personal service occupations dropped 82%, from 107,772 in the year ending December 2023 to 1,397 in the year ending March 2026.
The decline reflects both reduced applications and policy changes, including the end of overseas recruitment for care workers. Meanwhile, existing workers continue to apply to extend their permission to stay, helping explain why extension figures remain high even as new visa grants fall.
For care providers, the challenge is balancing staffing needs with tighter immigration rules and the financial limits of care contracts. For migrant workers, uncertainty over future visa arrangements and longer-term settlement prospects could complicate decisions about remaining in Britain.
The 120,692 extensions issued to Nigerian and Zimbabwean nationals therefore offer a measure of the two countries’ presence in the route, even though the number directly affected by the latest restrictions remains unclear.