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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Immigration: Skilled worker visas

Status: Closed Opened: 26 Mar 2025 Closed: 22 Sep 2025 6 recommendations 34 conclusions 1 report

In 2020, following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government introduced the skilled worker visa route, now the main route for people to apply to work in the UK. The Government aims to use the system to attract the skills the country needs and to support economic growth. The route was opened to care …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled worker visas HC 819 4 Jul 2025 40 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
13 Conclusion 37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work… Acknowledged

Home Office implements measures to address unintended consequences of Skilled Worker visa route usage.

We asked the Home Office what actions it was taking to address some of the unintended consequences of the higher than expected use of the route, such as an 80% increase in people staying permanently in the United Kingdom in 2024 compared to 2021 and the number of people claiming …

Government response. The government agrees with the observation and published an evaluation of the Skilled Worker route, noting migrant motivations and potential issues with salaries, but does not detail new specific actions to address increased permanent stays or asylum claims.
HM Treasury
19 Recommendation 37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work… Acknowledged

Liaise with DHSC to assess domestic workforce plans addressing social care skills shortages.

We highlighted that expanding the Skilled Worker visa route had helped the social care sector to reduce vacancy rates to around 131,000. We were concerned that the Home Office had now turned the tap off and asked what analysis it had undertaken on the impact of the Spring 2024 changes …

Government response. The government agrees with the committee's recommendation and commits to writing separately to the Committee regarding the impact of tightened entry requirements. It notes that DHSC already monitors trends in the care workforce and demographics, implicitly addressing the need to …
HM Treasury
20 Conclusion 37th Report - Immigration: Skilled work… Acknowledged

Government announces closure of care worker visas, ending overseas recruitment for social care.

In the Immigration White Paper, which was published shortly after our evidence session, the government announced that it would end overseas recruitment for social care, closing care worker visas to new applications 40 C&AG’s Report, para 3.19 41 Qq 40, 51 42 Q 62; C&AG’s Report, para 15 43 Q …

Government response. The government agrees with the committee's conclusion regarding the planned end of overseas recruitment for social care, stating it will write separately on the matter and reiterating that DHSC monitors care workforce trends.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
8 May 2025 Dame Antonia Romeo DCB · Ministry of Justice, Dan Hobbs · Home Office, Marc Owen CBE · Home Office, Simon Ridley · Home Office View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
1 Dec 2025 To cttee Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to recom…
1 Dec 2025 To cttee Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office and the Permanent…
24 Nov 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to…