Overseas care workers will no longer be able to bring dependants to the UK as of 11 March, the government has announced.

The news came as the government today rolled-out the timeline for measures designed to reduce net migration announced by home secretary James Cleverley in December.

Care providers will also be required to register with the CQC if they are sponsoring migrants by 11 March.

Helen Whately, minister of state for social care said: “We’re grateful to overseas care workers but I’m clear that immigration is not the long-term answer to our social care needs. That’s why alongside tightening visa rules we’re reforming social care careers to boost our homegrown care workforce.

“We have launched the first ever national career path for care workers and a new care qualification is on the way. These reforms, together with international recruitment under the new rules, will build on the progress made over the last year – of lower staff turnover, fewer vacancies and more people working in social care.”

The government said the package of measures was designed to crack down on rising migration and help curb the abuse of the Health and Care visa route where people have come to the UK for care worker jobs that do not exist or were paid significantly less than the required salary for a migrant worker on this route, and ensure British labour is not undercut by overseas workers. 

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England said: “If this new policy to stop social care workers from bringing dependents to the UK is the best way to streamline how we recruit overseas staff, why has the same set of measures not been applied to the NHS? 
 
“Yet again, we see the government singling out social care for negative treatment, whilst at the same time, talking endlessly about integration. The Department for Health and Social Care needs to fight for social care in the same way it fights for the NHS because we are not only neglected but we are constantly treated differently and detrimentally to the NHS.”

UNISON head of social Gavin Edwards said the ban on families meant overseas care staff would be much less likely to come to work in the UK.

“The few that do will be more isolated and at even greater risk of exploitation,” he said.