Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 17
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled worker visas
Published 4 Jul 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Immigration: Skilled worker visas All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The Home Office acknowledged that it could have done more to understand the way the care sector is structured and assess the potential risks, given that it was extending a model designed for highly skilled workers to a different demographic.38 The Home Office said it quickly identified significant issues with Health and Care Worker visas, with some sponsors applying for volumes of visas that exceeded their capacity to employ workers.39 It increased its compliance activity in 2023 and refused 31 C&AG’s Report, para 8 32 Qq 6, 8 33 Home Office, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, May 2025 34 C&AG’s Report, para 6 35 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.9, 1.10 36 Qq 5, 9, 33 37 Q 9; C&AG’s Report, para 7 38 Qq 9, 11, 13, 35 39 Q 33; IMM0021 14 significantly more Health and Care Worker visa applications in 2023 and 2024, with the approval rate of 81% at the end of 2024, compared to over 99% in 2021.40 The Home Office also revoked the licences of 470 care providers over the period July 2022 to December 2024, out of 9,000 sponsors in the adult social care sector.41
From: Public Accounts Committee, 37th Report - Immigration: Skilled worker visas (HC 819), 4 July 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-seventh Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 4 September 2025).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-seventh report from Session 2024-26
Published 15 October 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with the Committee's recommendations on labour market evidence, evaluation, care workers, exploitation and compliance, but disagrees with the recommendation on customer service.
- On sector workforce analysis, it agrees that other departments should provide more rigorous analysis, with a target implementation date of July 2026, and says the Labour Market Evidence Group "will further strengthen collaboration" between the Home Office and departments leading on labour market and skills.
- It agrees to set out its evaluation of the Skilled Worker route, with a target date of October 2025, stating that the evaluation was published alongside the Immigration White Paper on 12 May.
- On exploitation, it agrees with the recommendation (target date April 2027) and says an update to the Committee is planned for April 2027, "one year after its creation" of the Fair Work Agency.
- It disagrees with the customer service recommendation, stating the Home Office "is committed to continuous improvement in customer service standards" and that it monitors key indicators.