The UK government has made a major announcement ending overseas recruitment for social care workers, thus closing social care visas to new applications from abroad.

In a statement on Monday, May 12, 2025, the UK announced that all immigrants seeking to join the social care workers sector would not be allowed.

The new order is part of its newly published Immigration White Paper. The paper sets out reforms to prioritise high-skilled migrants and reduce dependence on international recruitment.

The new measures include tougher graduate and worker standards and new obligations on employers to invest in domestic training, part of efforts to reverse a surge in net migration.

“The white paper sets out the government’s plans to create an immigration system which promotes growth but is controlled and managed,” it read in part.

How it will affect Kenya

Kenyans are among those who will be affected by the new order, as the UK did not spare any country from the ban. Kenyans have long benefited from the immigration policy.

They work in different sectors in the UK, ranging from skilled and semi-skilled jobs. In 2024, the Ministry of Health indicated that through the Kenya-UK Bilateral Agreement, 280 nurses had migrated to the UK, with 200 more awaiting placement.

However, since President William Ruto ascended to power, Kenya has majorly leaned towards the Middle East, where hundreds of semi-skilled and skilled workers have secured employments.

In the new order, the UK also indicated that it would raise the skilled worker threshold back to RQF 6 (graduate level) and above. Those seeking employment in the UK and meet the requirements will receive a higher salary.

“The crackdown on rogue care providers has seen around 40,000 workers displaced, many of whom are ready to rejoin the workforce. They will be given the opportunity to do the jobs they were promised, while long-term plans are drawn up to train homegrown talent into the care sector,” UK announced.

“International workers who are already sponsored to work legally in the sector will be able to continue to extend their stay, change sponsors and apply to settle, including those who need to switch employers following a sponsor licence revocation,” it added.

Under the Tories, nearly one million people came to the UK from overseas between 2019 and 2023.

My Labour government is taking back control of our borders. pic.twitter.com/A5Rf4InhNb

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 12, 2025

Other sets of rules

The new policy will not only affect Kenyans seeking care worker jobs in the UK but also expand to other sectors. According to the published Immigration White Paper, access to the points-based immigration system will be limited to occupations where there have been long-term shortages.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration is also strengthening the requirements that all sponsoring institutions must meet to recruit international students.

Additionally, the UK is further tightening its rules on the English language, which would push to ensure that those travelling to the UK have an appropriate level of English language skills, to be able to effectively integrate into local communities.

If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English. That’s common sense.

So we’re raising English language requirements across every main immigration route.

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 12, 2025

The new policy would also go down to families with the White Paper declaring that the family unit must have sufficient money financially to support any migrants without relying on the taxpayer by reviewing and extending the financial requirements to other dependent routes.

The orders from UK come months after US President Donald Trump enforced far-reaching reforms targeting illegal immigrants. Trump’s orders saw hundreds deported and some border areas blocked.