New research has revealed a sixfold rise in the number of international students coming into the care sector.

A report published by The Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford shows there were over 26,000 international students recruited into the care sector in the year ending June 2023 compared with around 3,900 in the year- earlier period.

Dr Ben Brindle, researcher at the Migration Observatory and co-author of the report, said: “Most international students graduate from Master’s programmes in subjects like business, engineering and computer science, so it is striking to see so many take roles in care, which requires few formal qualifications. Some workers who take care roles may genuinely want to work in the sector. Others will have made a pragmatic choice to take on care work despite being heavily overqualified for it, because it provides a route to remain in the UK.” 

The number of non-EU students holding long-terms Skill Workers visas within one to two years after arrival rose from less than 1% in 2019 to 8% of those admitted in 2021.  

Around 60% of the people who moved from the Graduate Route to the Skilled Worker Route in the year ending 2023 became care or senior care workers.

The Graduate Route, which was introduced in summer 2021 allows international students to stay on to work in the UK, usually for up to two years. People who want to stay beyond this point must typically get a long-term Skilled Work visa. In early 2022, the government added care workers to the list of jobs eligible for the Skilled Worker Route.  

The news came as the government announced their timeline for measures to curb net migration.

A government spokesperson said: “Our plan to reduce net migration strikes the right balance between cutting the number of migrants coming to the UK and ensuring businesses recruit from the domestic workforce, while ensuring our NHS, care and education sectors continue to have access to the workers they need.

“We will be asking the Migration Advisory Committee to review the graduate route to prevent abuse, protect the integrity and quality of UK higher education and ensure it works in the best interests of the UK.”