According to an online news report from the Home Office: “Measures unveiled in the immigration white paper published today [Monday 12 May 2025] will reshape our immigration system towards those who contribute most to economic growth, with higher skills standards for graduates and workers.

“New requirements on employers to boost domestic training will end the reliance on international recruitment, restoring order to a failed system that saw net migration quadruple between 2019 and 2023.”

The report states that the key policies in the 82-page blueprint, ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’, include the following:

• reversing the long-term trend of increasing international recruitment at the expense of skills and training
• the labour market evidence group will be established, drawing on the best data available in order to make informed decisions about the state of the labour market and the role that different policies should play, rather than always relying on migration
• departments across government will engage sector bodies as part of this approach.

The government says that it will raise the skilled worker threshold, lifting the level for skilled workers back to RQF 6 (Graduate level) and above.

With regards to adult social care, the government plans to “end overseas recruitment for social care visas. In line with our wider reforms to skills thresholds, we will close social care visas to new applications from abroad”.

However, for a transition period until 2028, “while the workforce strategy is being developed and rolled out, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already here. This will be kept under review”.

Danny Mortimer, co-chair of the Cavendish Coalition and CEO of NHS Employers (part of the NHS Confederation), said: “Social care and health leaders will be concerned about the risk that these proposed changes to immigration rules pose to vital social care provision. International workers play a crucial role in delivering these important services across the country.

“Whilst the government has set out improvements it intends to make to improve domestic supply and retention for the social care workforce, they are still some way from full implementation. The Cavendish Coalition of social care and health organisations would therefore urge caution and patience in any changes so that we can all work together to ensure that the social care sector is in as strong a place as possible for the longer term.”

Jonathan Beech, managing director of Migrate UK, a law firm specialising solely in immigration law for organisations and individuals believes the reforms “could decimate the care and hospitality industries”.

He said that for employers already suffering skills shortages, “these latest reforms will make it harder than ever to recruit much-needed staff in areas such as the care and hospitality industries”.

“Also key to employers is exactly when the rules are to be implemented, and whether those already on their immigration ‘journey’ in the UK are to be affected. The likelihood is that this will be the case, due to the vast number of migrants able to settle in the UK from next year under the current rules.” 

He added that closing the care worker visa for overseas recruitment will affect UK employers struggling to recruit: “We already know from our work with employers in the care sector that they are finding it extremely difficult to recruit sufficient staff. By closing the care worker visa to new overseas recruits, tens of thousands of care workers will be prevented from coming to the UK (based on current overseas hiring figures), which will have an immediate effect on employers trying to maintain sufficient staffing and make recruitment of much needed skills even harder.”

Commenting ahead of the PM’s statement, Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) CEO Neil Carberry said: “This major intervention in the labour market will leave many employers fearful that in tackling concerns about immigration, government goes after the wrong target. Being open to skilled workers supporting businesses investing here is essential. And we should remember that the private sector has not been the source of the recent growth in numbers.

“It is crucial that labour market experts from business have a regular voice in the new Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG). This group must remain open to a flexible immigration system that responds quickly to changing market needs. Employers are clear: boosting training in the UK is essential, but so is a controlled, affordable and responsive immigration system that keeps investment flowing to the UK.”

• See more on the immigration white paper later in the week at recruiter.co.uk

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