Home Office begins implementation of White Paper proposals: In-country carers’ transition till 22 July 2028

LONDON July 2: The UK government has begun to implement some of the immigration rule changes which were recommended through the Immigration White Paper published on May 11, 2025. The government presented the new changes to immigration rules in the parliament today (July 1).

It is now becoming evident that MPs will not be discussing or voting on those immigration rule changes as the government started to implement those some rules by publishing the Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules on 1 July 2025. Thus the Home Office has begun to implement some of the white paper proposals. The two changes Home Office has begun to implement from the white paper proposals, as of July 22 are:

An initial reduction to the list of jobs eligible for a Skilled Worker visa will take effect on 22 July 2025. This does not affect people who are already sponsored for their visa by that date. The revised list will be in place until the end of 2026, after which there will be further changes.

Employers will no longer be able to bring in care workers from overseas from 22 July 2025. Again, people already sponsored for a social care visa by then will not be affected.

According to Parliament Research Briefing, MPs are unlikely to be voting on the white paper changes in most cases. Revision of visa and settlement regulations is done through statements of changes to the immigration rules. A statement of changes takes effect automatically, without a vote being necessary.

To reject the changes, MPs must approve a motion expressing disapproval of the new rules within 40 days. Usually there is no opportunity for a vote and the government is not obliged to make time for one even if MPs do propose motions against the changes. There was no vote on the Conservative government’s significant changes to visa rules in 2024, although there were several non-binding debates.

Certain elements of the white paper proposals, such as the levy on international student fees and changes to naturalisation law, do require primary legislation (an act of Parliament) and therefore the endorsement of MPs.

Healthcare workers sponsored as care workers and senior care workers (occupation codes 6135 and 6136)

Skilled Worker entry clearance applications for care workers and senior care workers are being closed, while maintaining in-country switching applications for a transition period until 22 July 2028. The changes include transitional arrangements, allowing existing Skilled Worker visa holders to continue to extend their visas, bring dependants, change employment and take supplementary employment in occupations below RQF level 6, while applying the new rules to applicants from overseas and those applying to switch from other routes.

Care workers and senior care workers visa holders who have found themselves out of work due to employers over-estimating demand for their services or losing their ability to sponsor workers due to non-compliance, as well as significant concerns over abuse and exploitation of workers. As set out in the Immigration White Paper, these changes close entry clearance applications for Skilled Workers sponsored in these occupation codes. The changes also provide for in-country applications, for those switching from other visa routes, to continue for a transition period until 22 July 2028, at which point these occupations will be removed from the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List.

Workers must have been legally working for the provider that is sponsoring them for at least 3 months before the date their certificate of sponsorship was issued to them by their sponsor. This requirement supports continuity of employment, and provides assurance that workers are suitable to be sponsored to work in the sector, and that sponsors and workers have been in an employer-employee relationship for a reasonable period of time, allowing both parties to demonstrate compliance with basic employment law (including National Minimum Wage regulations) and mitigate risks relating to potential exploitation.

The requirement for sponsors to first try to recruit from the pool of Skilled Workers seeking new sponsorship is being removed. As a result of the above changes, all applications to which the requirement applied are being closed.

The transitional provision for workers switching from other visa routes will be kept under review, to respond flexibly to any further emerging compliance issues in the sector. These include deliberate non-compliance and exploitation and broader failure to guarantee long term sustainable employment. The Government will monitor sponsor licence revocations, expansion/contraction of the number of displaced workers and Regional Partnership feedback, including success in matching workers to new employment.

To prevent the occupation code “6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants” being misused to circumvent these changes, a clarification is being added to confirm this occupation code only applies to roles in environments where registered nurse roles also exist.

As with the increase to the skills threshold, this Statement of Changes applies transitional arrangements to exempt workers who are already in the Skilled Worker route (or have been sponsored for an application which is later successful) or who switch to the route before the closing date of 22 July 2028.

Will people already in the UK have to wait longer for indefinite leave to remain?

The government has not confirmed whether people already in the immigration routes affected will have to wait longer for settlement, as opposed to the change only applying to those arriving after the implementation date.

The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, was asked about this during a statement about the white paper on 12 May 2025. She replied: “We will set out further details of the earned settlement and citizenship reforms later this year, and we will consult on them. There will be plenty of opportunity for people to comment on and consider the detail, but it is important that we extend the sense of contributions and the points-based system to those reforms as well. We want the settlement rules to be amended as swiftly as possible and to apply widely, but we will consult on the detail, and it is right that we do so.

The white paper’s technical annex suggests that the Home Office does envisage the change affecting those already here: “a number of those currently in the UK are likely to leave due it taking longer to gain settled status”. MPs have been asking questions on this issue but the responses so far have reiterated that it will be addressed as part of the consultation process.