Visa reforms could ‘collapse’ London’s care sector, warns UNISON

London’s already-stretched social-care services are “at risk of collapse” if ministers press ahead with plans to treble the settlement-qualifying period for overseas care workers, the UNISON trade union warned on Friday. In a strongly worded statement, UNISON said new proposals to make health and social-care staff wait up to 15 years before applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) would push thousands to leave the UK just as vacancy rates hit record highs. The sector, which relies on some 58,000 non-UK nationals in London alone, was hit last summer when routes for new entrants were tightened. Employers filled the gap by sponsoring workers already in the country, many of whom accepted jobs on the understanding they could settle after five years. Retrospectively extending that waiting time, UNISON argues, “is morally wrong and will deepen the staffing crisis”. Case studies cited by the union include Ghanaian and Nigerian carers threatened with sponsorship withdrawal for complaining about unpaid hours. UNISON is lobbying MPs across the capital to vote down the measure when it reaches the Commons later this spring. The union also wants government to relax “tie-in” rules that prevent carers from switching employers without restarting the visa process—restrictions it says create fertile ground for exploitation.



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Employers’ groups, while wary of higher long-term visa costs, privately acknowledge that a 15-year wait would undermine recruitment drives launched only two years ago. For global-mobility professionals the message is two-fold: existing sponsored care workers may resign if their settlement horizon moves further away, and new recruits will demand higher salaries or relocation packages to compensate for the uncertainty. Organisations providing outsourced clinical services to the NHS face the prospect of paying agency rates or diverting staff from other regions unless the policy is softened. The episode also illustrates a broader shift in UK immigration strategy from time-served routes to contribution-based residency, with skilled-worker reforms and a forthcoming “Earned Settlement” model due later this year. Mobility teams should monitor parliamentary amendments and conduct scenario planning on staff retention, especially in sectors already battling skills shortages.