Hundreds of care workers are turning up the pressure on the home secretary by urging her to scrap plans that will punish migrants and worsen the sector’s staffing crisis, says UNISON today (Thursday).
The social care workforce is reliant on hundreds of thousands of employees from overseas, but proposed visa changes will slow down recruitment and force many to think about leaving, says the union.
UNISON is calling for the plans to be scrapped so millions of vulnerable people who rely on care won’t be left without vital help and staff are valued properly.
The issue is being highlighted in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham Ladywood constituency today with extensive leafleting, urging the community to raise their concerns directly with the home secretary. Care workers and other UNISON members will be going door to door to distribute 20,000 flyers calling for residents to write to their MP.
Dozens of health and care workers who have migrated to the UK to fill essential jobs will also take part in a day of action organised by the union tomorrow (Friday).
They are due to meet MPs to enlist their support and will be posting videos online to highlight their individual situations.
Under the government’s original proposals, migrant workers will need to have worked in the UK for 15 years to qualify for a more permanent right to settle (known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’). At present the period is five years, and many workers took jobs on that basis.
Moving the goalposts is morally wrong, says UNISON, but will also deepen the staffing crisis in social care and leave workers more vulnerable to exploitation.
International staff make up almost 30% of the care workforce but recruitment of migrant staff is down more than 80% according to latest figures*.
UNISON says the government’s wider plans to improve pay and standards in social care risk being undermined if migrant workers are forced into prolonged insecurity.
In addition to dropping the 15-year qualifying period, the union is urging the government to introduce measures to enable workers to move between employers more easily to reduce exploitation through a sector-wide visa, and speed up the new fair pay agreement to improve wages.
UNISON general secretary Andrea Egan said: “Social care is already under immense strain, with tens of thousands of vacancies. The sector’s been reliant on overseas staff willing to do this essential work, but the home secretary is closing the door on them.
“Extending the qualifying period risks driving experienced, committed staff out of the sector altogether.
“If the government’s serious about fixing social care, it must match its ambitions on pay and standards with fair treatment for the workforce. But the best way to start is by scrapping these cruel, unnecessary proposals.”
Notes to editors:
– *Figures can be found here and here
– In December 2025, 700 migrant workers lobbied MPs in and around Parliament calling for the plans to be reconsidered.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Dan Ashley M: 07508 080349 E: d.ashley@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07908 377215 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
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