The United Kingdom (UK) has announced a significant policy change, effective Monday, March 11, barring the migration of dependents of care workers to the country. Kenyan care workers are among those likely to be affected by this decision.
The UK government cited its plan to reduce overall migration to the country as the primary reason for implementing this policy, noting that dependents of care workers constitute a significant portion of migrant numbers.
In an official statement, the UK Home Office described this move as part of the largest migration cut in the country's history.
"As of today, individuals entering the UK on Health and Care Worker visas will no longer be permitted to bring their dependents," clarified the UK government.
The Home Secretary of the UK, James Cleverly, explained that this migration reduction initiative also involves increasing the minimum income requirement for families seeking visas in the UK.
Moreover, Cleverly highlighted that the UK has implemented various measures to limit migration, including prohibiting most overseas students from bringing their families to the country.
"We are executing our plan for the most significant migration reduction to date. Overseas care workers brought an estimated 120,000 dependents to the UK in the year ending September 2023. Today, we've halted this," stated James Cleverly.
The ban was approved by the UK parliament on February 19, 2024, following its announcement in December 2023.
According to data from Skills for Care, which oversees workforce development and planning for adult social care in England, there were approximately 1.64 million filled adult social care jobs in England in 2022/23, spread across 18,000 organizations.
Despite an increase in filled posts by March 2023, the sector remained approximately 45,000 jobs below its pre-pandemic peak in 2020/21.
The decision has been met with both criticism and praise, with detractors arguing that it may dissuade care worker migration at a time when the sector has yet to achieve optimal staffing levels.