The United Kingdom has permanently closed its care worker visa route and introduced a series of sweeping immigration reforms that significantly affect foreign labour, including Kenyan nationals.
On Monday, May 12, Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared that the UK was “taking back control” of its borders by ending what he described as “Britain’s open borders experiment.”
He criticised past administrations for depending too heavily on low-cost foreign labour at the expense of British citizens.
“We are permanently shutting down the care visa route. Overseas care workers have made valuable contributions, but too many have faced exploitation and abuse,” Starmer said.
“We’re reducing reliance on foreign workers to bring fairness and control back to our immigration system.”
The decision directly impacts Kenya, which signed a bilateral labour agreement with the UK in 2021 that allowed Kenyan healthcare workers to seek employment in Britain’s care sector.
Thousands of Kenyan care workers have migrated under this agreement, which now faces a major setback.
In addition to scrapping the care worker visa, the UK government is raising English language proficiency requirements across all major immigration channels.
For the first time, adult dependents of migrants will also need to demonstrate a basic level of English.
The reforms will also tighten the qualifications needed for work-based migration, requiring applicants to hold degree-level credentials, effectively phasing out opportunities for those with diplomas or lower-level certifications.
Settlement and citizenship requirements are also changing. Migrants will now need to reside in the UK for 10 years double the current period unless they make exceptional economic contributions. “Settlement is a privilege, not a right,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
Moreover, the government is increasing the Immigration Skills Charge for UK employers hiring from abroad, encouraging businesses to invest in training local workers.
“This fee hasn’t changed since 2017. Raising it will push companies to prioritise British talent,” Starmer said.
To improve enforcement, all foreign nationals will now receive Digital IDs and eVisas to help authorities track overstays and ensure compliance.
“These reforms are part of our Plan for Change: reducing net migration, boosting skills, and backing British workers,” concluded the Prime Minister.
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