Can UK Care Providers Still Sponsor Care Workers in 2026?

UK care providers have experienced significant disruptions since the government ended overseas recruitment for care workers last year. Recent Home Office data shows a sharp fall in Health and Care Worker visa applications following these changes, with main applications down 54% year-on-year and a staggering 92% below the November 2023 peak.

For many providers, the real concern isn’t just the policy headlines; it’s the practical reality of day-to-day operations. Questions keep coming up:

• Can we still sponsor existing staff?
• Can workers already in the UK switch into sponsored roles?
• What does this mean for our sponsor licence?
• Is sponsorship still a realistic option at all?

Below we examine what has changed, what remains possible in 2026, where the main risks lie now, and how care providers should be thinking about compliance going forward.

What changed for care worker sponsorship?

The sponsorship landscape for care workers (SOC 6135) and senior care workers (SOC 6136) shifted significantly following a series of policy announcements and changes to the Immigration Rules during 2025.

April 2025 changes: The “Displaced Worker” Rule

From April 2025 to July 2025, care providers in England were required to prioritise workers already in the UK before turning to overseas workforce. In practice, this meant demonstrating an attempt to recruit from a pool of displaced care workers – individuals who lost their sponsorship through no fault of their own (e.g. due to a previous sponsor unable to offer sufficient work or losing their licence). It’s important to note that this displaced worker rule is now no longer in force.

At the same time, the minimum salary thresholds for care worker sponsorships rose from £23,200 per year to £25,000 per year (or £12.82 per hour).

July 2025 Changes: The Overseas Ban

In July 2025, the Immigration Rules officially closed overseas recruitment altogether for frontline care roles

• Care workers and home carers (SOC 6135)
• Senior care workers (SOC 6136)

From this point new sponsorship for these roles became restricted to two groups:

• Displaced workers already in the UK on the care route
• In-country switchers – eligible individuals on other visa types such as Students, Graduates or Dependents, provided they have worked legally for the provider for at least three months.

Taken together these changes have fundamentally changed how sponsorship operates in adult social care. Overseas recruitment is no longer an option, and sponsors now operate under far tighter compliance expectations.

Why has adult social care been hit harder than other sectors?

Unlike other industries that had time to adjust to higher salary thresholds, adult social care lost an entire recruitment route overnight. For a sector reliant on overseas workers to fill persistent gaps, the impact was immediate. Many providers had to rebuild their recruitment strategies from scratch, relying solely on the in-country workforce while navigating far more complex compliance demands at the same time.

Can care providers still sponsor anyone at all?

Many employers still ask this because “care sponsorship” is discussed too broadly in the media. The answer is not a simple “no,” but it is highly conditional. It depends on the role, the worker’s current status, and whether the case falls within the remaining lawful routes or transitional arrangements. 

Although most Skilled Worker roles now need to meet RQF Level 6, care sponsorship continues to operate under a unique framework of exceptions: 

• In-Country Extensions and Changes of Employer: You can still sponsor existing Health and Care visa holders who need to extend their stay or are looking to switch into your sponsorship.

• In-Country Switching (The Three-Month Rule): Students, Graduates and Dependents, may be able to switch into the care route, provided the sponsor can evidence that they have legally employed the applicant for three months before assigning the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

• Immigration Salary List (ISL) or Temporary Shortage List (TSL): Care and Senior Care roles remain on the ISL, allowing sponsorship below RQF Level 6 until at least 22 July 2028, provided the worker is already in the UK. 

Other roles within care may still be eligible for sponsorship, including under transitional rules, but this is something which would require consideration on a case-by-case basis. 

What are the main risks for care businesses now?

The government has made clear that these reforms are driven by concerns about “rogue providers”. This is the point where every provider should pause and review their files against these five risks: 

• Weak Sponsor Licence: Holding a licence is no longer enough. It is about proving you deserve to keep it. The Home Office no longer treats administrative gaps in compliance as mere technicalities. Poor record-keeping or unclear recruitment trails can lead to licence suspension or, revocation, and serious consequences for sponsored staff.

• Role Inflation: There is a significant temptation to “promote” a care worker to a “Manager” or “Specialist” role that fits RQF Level 6 simply to meet the new skill threshold. The Home Office is actively targeting cases where the job description on paper doesn’t match the day-to-day reality of the staff member’s duties.

• Sponsorship without a Genuine Vacancy: You must prove that the role actually exists and is commercially needed. Speculative or forward-planning sponsorship is regularly challenged.

• Right-to-Work Checks and Reporting Failures: Missed reports, late updates, or inconsistent records can quickly escalate into audits under the tighter post-2025 regime.

• Outdated Recruitment Models: Treating sponsorship as a routine HR process rather than a regulated immigration function often leads to accidental non-compliance.

What should care providers do now?

Practicality is key here. To retain your care team and remain compliant, care providers should focus on a few core actions:

1. Audit compliance systems and reporting processes
2. Check existing workforce visa expiries to identify who needs an extension soon
3. Review recruitment plans against the ISL, TSL and rule change timelines
4. Restructure if necessary, rather than forcing roles into categories that no longer fit
5. Ensure HR teams understand the post-July 2025 rules, including which roles can and cannot be advertised overseas
6. Seek legal advice before assigning a CoS in complex or borderline cases

Ultimately, sponsorship remains a viable, although more restricted, option for adult social care providers. In 2026, the focus is whether your recruitment model still works comfortably under the current rules.