Friday 24 April 2026
For immediate release
Care services across London are at risk of collapse if ministers proceed with changes to visa system says UNISON
Care services across London are at risk of collapse if the government proceeds with plans to make overseas care workers wait up to 15 years for settlement rights, warns UNISON today (Friday)
Severe shortages in the care workforce and poor wages have meant providers have increasingly turned to employing overseas workers to find the skilled staff needed to plug the gaps.
Changes to visa rules in July 2025 effectively closed off routes into social care for new overseas workers, and ministers have since proposed further restrictions, including trebling the qualifying period for them to make a long-term home (known as indefinite leave to remain) in the UK from five to 15 years.
Many workers took up jobs on the basis they would only need to wait five years before applying for indefinite leave to remain.
Applying these changes retrospectively to workers who are already here is morally wrong, says UNISON, and will hasten the staffing crisis in social care and leave people more vulnerable to exploitation from unscrupulous employers.
The union is calling on MPs across London to oppose government proposals to extend the qualifying period for settlement and support plans for migrant care staff to move more easily between employers.
Dozens of health and care workers who have migrated to the UK to fill essential jobs will be taking part in a day of action organised by the union today (Friday) to oppose the changes.
They are due to meet their MPs to enlist their support and will be posting online to highlight their individual situations.
A Ghanaian care worker living in Hayes said: “I never get given the hours I was promised when I came to the UK. I leave home at 5:30am and get back at 9pm and end up being paid for only two or three hours’ work. I’m not paid for the hours in between clients or for travel. At the end of the month, I receive less than £1,000, yet I’m not allowed to work elsewhere.
“If I or my colleagues complain about how we are treated, the employer will often threaten to cancel our sponsorship. Now the government says I need to be tied to this employer for another 10 years.”
A Nigerian care worker living in Erith and Thamesmead said: “I received an email from the Home Office informing me that I’d been reported by my employer for refusing to work. No one asked for my side of the story. There was no investigation, just a decision. I was given 60 days to find a new sponsor or leave the country. The emotional toll was devastating.”
UNISON London regional secretary Sara Gorton said: “These stories highlight the reality facing a workforce that London’s care system simply couldn’t operate without.
“Migrant care workers are essential to keeping services running across the capital. Policies that make it harder for them to stay will deepen an already critical staffing crisis.
“Ministers must recognise the vital contribution these workers make and abandon plans to extend settlement periods for those already here. They should also introduce fairer rules so care staff can change employers more easily, reducing exploitation and helping services meet rising demand.”
Notes to editors:
– Photos from the day of action are available on request
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members delivering public services in social care, education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy across the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media Contact:
Emma Davey E: e.davey@unison.co.uk M: 07432 733187
