Unions and care groups have called on the government to reject proposals to curb numbers of overseas care workers.

The calls follow reports last week the government was considering raising the salary threshold for skilled workers and reduce the number of dependents migrants can bring to the UK.

Mike Padgham, chair of The Independent Care Group (ICG), has written to home secretary James Cleverly urging him not to introduce measures that would hamper overseas recruitment, while UNISON has said the proposals would be disastrous for social care.

In his letter, Padgham said: “Providers fought to get the government to allow care workers to get visas to come to the country to try to alleviate the staffing crisis.

“The last thing we need is someone cutting that lifeline of overseas workers that we have been thrown.”

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The care system would implode without migrant care staff. Demonising these workers will do nothing to solve the social care crisis.”

The union has published a report, Expendable labour, calling on the government to end the exploitation of care workers.

McAnea said: “Overseas care workers have been encouraged to come here to support those most in need, only for some employers to treat them as expendable labour. Ministers must stop being complicit in allowing this abuse to happen. 

“The government needs to reform immigration rules, not make them more draconian. Minister’s attention would be far better focused on fixing care and boosting pay so careers in the sector are more attractive. 

“It’s time to stop scapegoating migrants and instead give councils greater funding to tackle those exploiting them.”

Responding to record net migration figures last week, home secretary James Cleverly said “we do need to reduce our overall numbers by eliminating the abuse and exploitation of our visa system by both companies and individuals”.

Cleverly highlighted government action on reducing the number of overseas student dependents coming to the UK, adding: “And we are working across government on further measures to prevent exploitation and manipulation of our visa system, including clamping down on those that take advantage of the flexibility of the immigration system. We will announce details of those measures in due course.”