Home Office confirms dates for work visa, ban on care worker dependant visa changes

Home Office confirms dates for work visa, ban on care worker dependant visa changes

LONDON Jan 30: The Home Office has confirmed the dates for several changes to the UK’s work visa system, including a ban on dependants for certain care workers. Here are the Key changes.

Ban on care worker dependants: Starting from March 11, 2024, newly arriving care workers will not be able to bring their dependants (spouses, children) with them on a Health and Care Worker visa. This only applies to new applicants, not those already in the UK with visas.

Skilled Worker visa salary increase: The minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas will increase from £26,200 to £38,700, effective April 4, 2024.

Shortage Occupation List changes: The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) will be reformed into an Immigration Salary List (ISL) with higher salary thresholds. This will also take effect in April 2024.

Spouse/partner visa income requirement: The minimum income requirement for sponsoring a spouse or partner on a visa will be raised in stages. It will initially increase to £29,000 on April 11, 2024, and then rise further to around £38,700 by early 2025.

The Home Office has faced criticism for the ban on care worker dependants, with concerns that it will worsen staffing shortages in the sector and create hardship for families.

The Skilled Worker visa salary increase is intended to attract higher-skilled workers and reduce reliance on low-skilled immigration.

The changes to the SOL/ISL are aimed at ensuring that only occupations with genuine skill shortages are eligible for easier visa access.

The increase in the spouse/partner visa income requirement is intended to make it more difficult for people to sponsor partners who are not financially self-sufficient.

Click below for further details

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-01-30/hcws222

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9920/