Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled worker visas
Public Accounts Committee
HC 819
Published 4 July 2025
Recommendations
6
Rejected
Improve visa customer service, publishing performance scorecard for all applications and setting stretching targets.
Recommendation
The Home Office has not done enough to understand the experience of customers and improve the service they receive. The Home Office has achieved good performance in managing ‘straightforward’ applications – processing 94% of these within its service standards in …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation, explaining that complex cases are excluded from published service standards and that it already publishes customer satisfaction scores and uses KPIs. It does note the recent launch of a visa processing times tool and is testing a new sponsorship system, but these are not framed as fulfilling the specific requests of the recommendation.
HM Treasury
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8
Not Addressed
Home Office impact assessments for Skilled Worker visa route changes remain insufficient.
Recommendation
While changes to immigration rules are subject to collective government agreement, the Home Office is responsible for designing and implementing immigration policy.10 We asked the Home Office what work it had done to assess the impacts of changes to the …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's recommendation but its response focuses on strengthening cross-government collaboration on labour market and skills through the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) and the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). It does not directly address the specific recommendation to improve impact assessments by including success criteria, evaluation plans, and compliance risks.
HM Treasury
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10
Accepted
Develop formal cross-government processes to understand Skilled Worker route impacts and regional skill shortages.
Recommendation
Despite this, we were concerned that collaboration was not effective and that there had been insufficient consideration of the impacts of rule changes. In particular, we were not convinced that there had been sufficient collaboration between the Home Office and …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation to improve collaboration and understanding of the Skilled Worker route across the UK, setting a target date of December 2025. It will use the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) to strengthen cross-government collaboration and develop guidance for workforce strategies, with the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) contributing evidence on devolved and regional labour markets.
HM Treasury
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18
Accepted
Home Office fails to adequately tackle exploitation and unethical practices against migrant care workers.
Recommendation
We remain concerned, however, that the Home Office has not done enough to tackle unethical practices and the exploitation of migrant workers in the social care sector.42 Evidence provided by UNISON highlighted that some employers were exploiting workers’ vulnerability, making …
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Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's recommendation to tackle exploitation. It describes ongoing collaborations and a working group, which will continue as the Fair Work Agency is launched by April 2027, to address abuse and exploitation. UKVI has also taken specific steps to protect care workers affected by sponsor licence revocations.
HM Treasury
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19
Acknowledged
Liaise with DHSC to assess domestic workforce plans addressing social care skills shortages.
Recommendation
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 …
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Government Response Summary
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 understand skills shortages.
HM Treasury
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40
Rejected
Home Office significantly delayed sponsorship system transformation, necessitating IT operational issue resolution.
Recommendation
We asked the Home Office about progress with efforts to transform the sponsorship system, which include the development of IT systems. The Home Office has delayed replacement of the sponsorship system from 2023 to 2028 and accepted that its existing …
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Government Response Summary
The government explicitly disagrees with the committee's recommendation to address operational issues with the visa application IT system and make further changes. It states it is committed to continuous improvement, testing a partial version of a new sponsorship system, and investing in maintaining its existing system.
HM Treasury
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Conclusions (34)
2
Conclusion
Accepted
The Home Office has not had a full understanding of how immigration has helped to address skill shortages or the unintended consequences of the much higher than anticipated use of the Skilled Worker route. More people have used the Skilled Worker visa route than the Home Office anticipated in 2020. …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and has set out the results of its Skilled Worker route evaluation, detailing motivations for applicants and businesses, benefits to employers, and the importance of dependants. It also acknowledged a potential unintended consequence regarding some individuals' reported salaries not meeting sponsor thresholds.
3
Conclusion
Accepted
The Home Office opened the Skilled Worker visa route for social care workers quickly and failed to understand the risks. In 2022, the Home Office eased entry requirements for care workers to help the social care sector respond to vacancies created by the COVID-19 pandemic. It moved quickly to expand …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees, stating that DHSC uses monthly tracking and annual estimates of demographics to monitor trends in the adult social care workforce. However, the response does not provide detail on the decision to end overseas recruitment for care workers or its expected implications.
4
Conclusion
Accepted
The cross-government response to tackling the exploitation of migrant workers has been insufficient and, within this, the Home Office’s response has been slow and ineffective. Concerns about the exploitation of migrant workers are well understood and have been raised previously by the Committee. Tackling this exploitation needs a cross-government response …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and has established a working group on exploitation in the construction sector, committing to an update by April 2027 upon the Fair Work Agency's launch. UKVI has also taken specific steps to safeguard care workers impacted by sponsor licence revocations, directing them to regional partnerships, and DHSC has commissioned evaluations of these partnerships for 2025 and 2026.
5
Conclusion
Accepted
The Home Office does not understand the extent to which people are complying with the terms of their visa and leaving the United Kingdom when they should. The Home Office did not assess how the risks of non-compliance with visa rules would change when the Skilled Worker route was introduced …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and is forming a dedicated unit to leverage HMRC data for sponsorship checks, planning improvements for bulk processing, and testing new tools for organisational data and sponsor personnel checks, with a new tool launching Autumn 2025. It is also implementing eVisas/ETAs to improve data quality and developing a new digital service to monitor visa compliance and identify illegal working.
1
Conclusion
Accepted
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Home Office on its management and operation of the Skilled Worker visa route.1
Government Response Summary
The government agrees, outlining that key sectors reliant on overseas recruitment must produce workforce strategies, and the MAC will only recommend occupations for the TSL if effective plans are in place. The MAC's work on the TSL is expected to conclude by July 2026, and LMEG is developing guidance for government sector experts to create these strategies.
7
Conclusion
Since 2021, the government has made a series of changes to entry requirements for Skilled Worker visas. In 2022, it expanded the route to respond to the needs of the care sector.7 In Spring 2024, the government tightened entry requirements for Skilled Worker visas to help reduce net migration.8 The …
9
Conclusion
Accepted
When considering the design of the Skilled Worker visa route, the Home Office told us it is important to have the best sectoral workforce analysis and get the balance right between the domestic labour market and migration. It also acknowledged the need to reflect government policy on net migration.14 The …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and aims for implementation by December 2025, committing to strengthen collaboration on labour market and skills through the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) and developing guidance for sector experts to create workforce strategies.
11
Conclusion
Accepted
In July 2024, the government announced plans to develop closer links between immigration policy and sectoral labour market policies.21 The Home Office said this would lead to a better understanding of how to flex Skilled Worker visas.22 This includes bringing together bodies such as Skills England and equivalent organisations in …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and aims for implementation by December 2025, committing to strengthen collaboration on labour market and skills through the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) and developing guidance for sector experts to create workforce strategies.
12
Conclusion
Accepted
The number of people who have used the Skilled Worker visa route is much higher than the Home Office originally expected, driven by large increases in the number of Health and Care Worker visas.26 The Home Office forecast that it would issue 360,000 Skilled Worker visas to people entering the …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's observation and refers to its already published evaluation of the Skilled Worker visa route. This evaluation provides insights into visa holder motivations, business benefits, and potential unintended consequences regarding reported salaries.
13
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 Summary
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.
14
Conclusion
Accepted
The Home Office has not completed an evaluation of the use of Skilled Worker visas since 2022, which was too early to provide a full view of impacts and pre-dated the significant changes to the route in 2022 and 2024.30 As a result, it does not have a full understanding …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's implicit recommendation for an evaluation but states it has already published its evaluation of the Skilled Worker visa route on May 12th. The response summarises some findings regarding motivations for coming to the UK and potential issues with salary compensation.
15
Conclusion
Accepted
In 2022, the government eased entry requirements for care workers to help the social care sector address skill shortages and respond to the demands created by the COVID-19 pandemic.34 By the end of 2024, 648,100 people, including 389,600 dependants, had applied for a Health and Care Worker visa since the …
Government Response Summary
The government states it agrees with the committee's observation. It notes that DHSC already monitors trends in the size and demographics of the care workforce using various intelligence sources and commits to writing separately to the Committee on this point.
16
Conclusion
Deferred
The Home Office told us it had to respond quickly to the acute needs in the care sector workforce in the wake of the pandemic.36 Reflecting a report from the Migration Advisory Committee, which highlighted the need to temporarily develop the route to bring more care workers into the country, …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the observation and states it will write separately to the Committee on the specific point of the impact assessment, while also outlining DHSC's ongoing monitoring of the care workforce.
17
Conclusion
Accepted
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 …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's implicit recommendation for greater understanding of the care sector, committing to write separately to the committee by October 2025 and July 2028. It also notes that DHSC already monitors trends in the size and demographics of the care workforce.
20
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 Summary
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.
21
Conclusion
Accepted
The Skilled Worker visa system is based on a sponsorship model where a migrant’s right to remain in the United Kingdom is dependent on their employer.49 This reliance makes migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation, and there is widespread evidence of workers suffering debt bondage, working excessive hours and exploitative conditions.50 …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and aims for implementation by April 2027, outlining collaboration with various bodies, establishing a working group for the construction sector, launching the Fair Work Agency by April 2027, and taking steps to protect care workers from exploitation.
22
Conclusion
Accepted
We asked the Home Office what steps it was taking to reduce the risks of exploitation of migrant workers.53 The Home Office said exploitation was a systemic problem that cannot be tackled through enforcement of immigration rules alone, although it accepted that it had a role to play. The Home …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and aims for implementation by April 2027, detailing its collaboration with enforcement bodies, the establishment of a working group for the construction sector, the planned launch of the Fair Work Agency by April 2027, and steps taken to protect care workers.
23
Conclusion
Accepted
The Home Office seeks to identify sponsors not behaving appropriately. In 2023, it began to apply its genuine vacancy test more rigorously, scrutinising employers to ensure they had guaranteed work for applicants.56 The Home Office also said every employer is expected to do their own compliance checks when they are …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's concerns regarding sponsor compliance. It describes ongoing collaborations and a working group to address exploitation, which will continue as the Fair Work Agency is launched by April 2027. UKVI has also taken steps to protect care workers affected by sponsor revocations by directing them to regional partnerships.
24
Conclusion
Accepted
There is evidence that applicants have been charged extortionate fees for Skilled Worker visas in their home countries, before they come to the United Kingdom. UNISON provided us with details of its survey, which found that, of 3,000 people who came to work in the care sector, 15% had paid …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to combat exploitation by collaborating with various enforcement bodies, establishing a working group for the construction sector, and launching a Fair Work Agency by April 2027, alongside steps to protect care workers and support regional partnerships.
25
Conclusion
Accepted
If an applicant loses their employment with a sponsor, or their sponsor’s licence is revoked, their visa is limited to 60 days to find employment with a new sponsor.62 After this, they are not legally entitled to stay in the United Kingdom unless they find an alternative employer to sponsor …
Government Response Summary
UKVI has taken steps to protect care workers affected by sponsor licence revocations, using discretionary powers not to cancel leave and instead directing them to regional partnerships for alternative employment. This approach was adopted due to the high level of non-compliance in the adult social care sector.
26
Conclusion
Accepted
The Home Office has been working with 15 regional partnerships— established by DHSC—to support care workers who lose their employment if their sponsor’s licence is revoked.67 These arrangements seek to enable care workers to find new employers by matching them to genuine care providers with vacancies in their local area.68 …
Government Response Summary
The Home Office continues to support international recruitment regional partnerships and has commissioned evaluations of the regional fund for 2023-24 and 2024-25, with findings expected in 2025 and 2026, to assess their effectiveness.
27
Conclusion
Accepted
UNISON, Central England Law Centre, the Cavendish Coalition and FLEX provided written evidence which raised concerns about the risks of migrant workers becoming victims of modern slavery.73 The Home Office told us that it has modern slavery provisions in place to support affected people, and provides displaced workers with details …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to address risks of modern slavery by collaborating with various enforcement bodies, establishing a working group for the construction sector, and launching the Fair Work Agency by April 2027, to ensure individuals work for reputable sponsors.
28
Conclusion
Accepted
The Home Office did not conduct a thorough assessment of compliance risks when the Skilled Worker route was introduced in 2020 and did not re-assess risks when the route was expanded to include care workers in 2022.76 We asked why the Home Office seemed to have shown little curiosity about …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to improve compliance risk assessments, continuously updating sector-specific risks, using digital tools for alerts, forming a dedicated unit for salary checks with HMRC data, and introducing a new tool in Autumn 2025 to enhance checks on sponsor personnel.
29
Conclusion
Accepted
After the route’s expansion to include care workers in 2022, the Home Office began to identify concerns with the use of the route, including intelligence referrals from Border Force that people arriving in the UK with a Health and Care Worker visa didn’t speak English or were not aware where …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to continuously update sector-specific risk assessments, utilise digital tools for risk alerts, form a dedicated unit for salary and employment checks, and introduce new tools by Autumn 2025 to improve checks on sponsor personnel and enhance compliance.
30
Conclusion
Not Addressed
We were concerned, however, that the Home Office did not fully understand commissioning arrangements in the care sector, which means it can be difficult for care providers to prove that they have guaranteed vacancies. In written evidence, the Homecare Association said that the disconnect between commissioning practices and visa requirements …
Government Response Summary
The government response cuts off mid-sentence and does not engage with the committee's concern that the Home Office does not fully understand commissioning arrangements in the care sector.
31
Conclusion
Accepted
We asked the Home Office whether there was sufficient scrutiny to tackle the level of non-compliance with visa rules. In particular, we noted the decrease in the number of full-time equivalent compliance officers in the Home Office, which fell from 65.5 in 2021 to 46 in 2024, and asked whether …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and will implement several measures by March 2027, including continuously updating risk assessments, using digital tools for risk alerts, forming a dedicated unit for salary and employment checks, and introducing a new tool in Autumn 2025 to improve checks on sponsor personnel.
32
Conclusion
Accepted
We asked the Home Office whether it knows if people leave the country when their visa expires. The Home Office told us the only way that it can tell if people are still in the country is to match the data it holds on individuals with the passenger data it …
Government Response Summary
The government is implementing eVisas and Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) to improve data quality on arrivals and departures, and is developing a new digital service to track visa compliance and empower Immigration Enforcement to act against illegal overstayers and workers.
33
Conclusion
Rejected
The Home Office has performed well when processing ‘straightforward’ skilled worker visa applications.92 These are applications where the applicant has met all obligations and provided the necessary information.93 In 2023 and 2024, it processed 94% of these cases (970,200 out of 1,033,500) within its service standard times of three weeks …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the committee's conclusion on processing performance, explaining that complex cases are excluded from published service standards and outlining the reasons for such exclusions and where further details can be found.
34
Conclusion
Rejected
The Home Office marks cases as ‘complex’ for reasons such as the customer not supplying the correct information, third party checks being required or the applicant having a pending prosecution. The times taken to process these cases are not included in the Home Office’s published processing statistics.95 The Home Office …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the implied recommendation, stating that complex cases are excluded from published Service Standards, but service level agreements for Skilled Worker visas are published, and reasons for complex cases are available on GOV.UK.
35
Conclusion
Rejected
We asked the Home Office why the proportion of ‘complex’ cases increased during periods when it received large numbers of visa applications.98 Between the end of 2021 and 2024, it has marked 18% of applications (330,000 cases) as ‘complex’, but this increased to 31% between July and September 2023, which …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the implied recommendation, stating that complex cases are excluded from published Service Standards, but service level agreements for Skilled Worker visas are published, and reasons for complex cases are available on GOV.UK.
36
Conclusion
Rejected
We asked the Home Office whether there was a need for greater transparency and improvement targets, for ‘complex’ cases. This is important as the absence of a service level agreement for ‘complex’ cases creates a risk that the Home Office will prioritise ‘straightforward’ cases, which do have a public target. …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the implied recommendation, stating that complex cases are excluded from published Service Standards, but Skilled Worker visas have service level agreements and reasons for complexity are outlined on GOV.UK.
37
Conclusion
Not Addressed
The Home Office has met its service standards for processing sponsor licences within eight weeks, with the average processing time falling from 44 days in 2023 to 34 days in 2024.104 However, the Home Office does not have reliable data on the distribution of processing times, which means it does …
Government Response Summary
The government's response outlines its commitment to delivering an immigration system and testing a new sponsorship system, along with investing in the existing one. However, it does not directly address the committee's observation about the lack of reliable data on processing times for sponsor licences or understanding its performance.
38
Conclusion
Rejected
We were concerned that the Home Office lacked ambition in improving its customer service. Its target of 80% of customers being satisfied with the application process implies it is content with one in five of its customers being dissatisfied. The Home Office told us that it tries to exceed this …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the implied recommendation, stating that it publishes customer satisfaction scores, aims to maximise them, uses KPIs to benchmark performance, and embeds customer insight and experience to drive continuous improvement.
39
Conclusion
Accepted
Written evidence from the Homecare Association, ILPA, British Future and Kings College London, the Cavendish Coalition, the Confederation of British Industry, the Law Society and Care England sets out concerns with the application process. They highlighted issues such as complicated and lengthy guidance, the complex sponsorship system and poor customer …
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the implied recommendation but states it is committed to continuous improvement in customer service, is improving channels for customers to seek progress, and has recently launched a visa processing times tool for self-service updates.