The International Workforce Has Changed. What Does That Mean for Care Providers?

International workers have become an important part of health and social care in the UK.

Over recent years, many providers have relied on people coming to the UK from overseas to help fill vacancies and keep services running. For those workers, moving to the UK has often meant building a new career, while for employers it has helped bring much-needed skills and experience into their teams.

The recruitment landscape has now changed considerably.

For care leaders, the challenge is no longer simply finding the next overseas recruit. It is also about retaining the experienced people already working in your service, understanding the recruitment options that remain and building a workforce that is less dependent on one source of candidates.

 

The Change Has Been Significant

The figures show just how quickly international recruitment has changed.

In December 2023, 145,823 Health and Care Worker visas were issued to main applicants, compared with 34,143 in the year June 2026. That’s a fall of around 77%.

The change is even more noticeable for care workers. Health and Care Worker visas issued to people in care service occupations fell from 107,772 in the year ending December 2023 to just 344 in the year ending June 2026, a fall of more than 99%. This follows the closure of overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers in July 2025.

For providers who became used to recruiting internationally, this represents a very different labour market.

 

International Workers Are Still a Major Part of Social Care

The end of overseas recruitment for care workers doesn’t mean international staff are no longer part of the workforce.

Skills for Care estimates that around 50,000 people were recruited internationally into direct care roles in England during 2024/25.

Of these, around 10,000 were recruited from outside the UK using the Health and Care Worker visa. The remaining estimated 40,000 entered the UK through other routes, including routes such as student visas and dependant or family visas.

This is important for care providers because many of these workers are already established within services.

They know the people they support, understand their routines and have built relationships with colleagues and families.

Losing that experience can create a much bigger gap than simply having another vacancy to fill.

 

The Rules Have Changed, But Some Recruitment Options Remain

Since 22 July 2025, employers have no longer been able to sponsor new care workers or senior care workers to come to the UK from overseas under the Health and Care Worker visa route.

There is, however, a transition period until July 2028. During this period, eligible people who are already in the UK and working in adult social care may be able to switch employers or move into care work from another eligible visa route. This can include people moving from routes such as the Student or Graduate visa.

For care leaders, that means the UK-based international workforce is still worth considering when recruiting.

The person you need may already be here.

 

Retention Becomes Even More Important

When recruitment options become narrower, keeping good staff becomes increasingly important.

Consider someone who has worked in your service for two years.

They know the people they support. They understand your systems. They know how the team works and may have developed specialist knowledge that isn’t easily replaced.

If that person leaves, the cost isn’t limited to advertising the vacancy.

There is time spent recruiting, completing checks and arranging induction. Existing staff may need to cover additional shifts, and new employees need time to become familiar with the service.

For care leaders, this makes retention part of workforce planning rather than simply an HR issue.

 

What Helps People Stay?

There isn’t one answer to staff retention.

Pay and working conditions matter, but people also want to feel that they have a future within an organisation.

For international workers in particular, practical support can make a difference when settling into a new workplace.

Clear induction, approachable managers, regular supervision and opportunities to develop can all help people feel part of the organisation rather than simply filling a vacancy.

It’s also worth looking at progression.

If an experienced support worker has the ability and ambition to become a senior, team leader or manager, what opportunities are available to them?

Training can be an important part of that conversation.

 

Don’t Forget the People Already in Your Workforce

The current recruitment landscape is a good reason to look again at the skills you already have.

You may have staff who could take on more responsibility with the right training.

Someone who has been a reliable support worker for several years may already have the experience needed to progress. They may simply need the opportunity to develop their leadership, communication or specialist skills.

This can benefit the individual and the service.

It also gives employees a reason to see their current organisation as somewhere they can build a career.

 

Recruitment Still Has a Role to Play

Retention and development don’t remove the need for recruitment.

Vacancies will still happen. People will move on, services will grow and additional staffing will sometimes be needed at short notice.

The difference is that providers now have to look at a wider range of recruitment options.

That includes UK-based candidates, people already working in care, eligible international workers already living in the UK and temporary staffing when permanent recruitment takes time.

Skills for Care itself advises providers to balance international recruitment with longer-term workforce planning, retention and domestic recruitment as the rules change.

 

Where Halo Staffing Can Help

At Halo Staffing, we understand that staffing requirements don’t always fit neatly into one recruitment route.

Our recruitment team works with care providers to supply healthcare professionals for temporary and ongoing staffing needs, helping services manage vacancies, sickness, annual leave and periods of increased demand.

We can also help organisations think beyond simply filling the next shift.

Alongside recruitment, our training service provides mandatory and specialist courses, as well as learning opportunities that can help existing staff develop their knowledge and progress within their careers.

That combination can be useful when you’re trying to strengthen a workforce from both sides: bringing in the right people when you need them and developing the people you already have.

 

A Different Workforce Requires a Different Approach

International recruitment played a major role in helping care providers manage staffing pressures over recent years.

The latest figures show that the scale of overseas recruitment has changed dramatically. At the same time, thousands of international workers remain an established part of the care workforce.

For providers, the focus now needs to include both.

Retain the experienced people already working in your services. Look at the talent available within the UK. Give existing employees opportunities to develop. And have reliable recruitment support available when gaps do arise.

The workforce may be changing, but the need for skilled, committed people to provide care hasn’t.

 

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