The United Kingdom has banned international health and care workers from bringing their dependants to the country on work visas.
The UK Home Office announced the development in a post on its X account on Monday, 11 March. It said:
From today, care workers entering the UK on Health and Care Worker visas can no longer bring dependants. This is part of our plan to deliver the biggest-ever cut in migration.
A graphic banner accompanying the post reads “Banned: Overseas care workers from bringing dependants. 120 000 people who arrived last year would no longer be eligible under our new rules.”
In December 2023, the UK Home Office announced the plan to reduce levels of legal migration to the UK which it described as “unprecedented” and “unsustainable”.
James Cleverly, home secretary, said apart from the ban on bringing dependents, workers would need to earn at least £38 700 to obtain a visa, up from £26 200. He said:
We will stop overseas care workers from bringing family, dependants and we will require firms in England to be regulated by the Health Care Quality Commission in order for them to sponsor visas.
Approximately, 120,000 dependants accompanied 100 000 care workers in the year ending September 2023, but only 25% of the dependants are estimated to be in work, meaning that a significant number are joining public services rather than helping to grow the economy.
We recognize that healthcare workers do great work in our NHIS and health sector, but it’s also important that immigrants make a big enough financial contribution.
Therefore, it will increase the annual immigration healthcare charge by 66% from £624 to £1035 to raise, on average, £1.3 billion for the health services of the country every year.
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