From 9 April 2025, care sector sponsors in England must follow a new process before sponsoring overseas care workers or senior care workers. The changes aim to prioritise workers already in the UK whose employment has ended through no fault of their own, known as the displaced worker pool, and encourage closer collaboration with the regional care partnership.
New steps for care worker sponsorship
Before sponsoring a care worker, employers must first engage with the regional care partnership operating in their area of operation or recruitment. The partnership will then supply contact details of any displaced workers they are aware of.
Employers must assess the suitability of these workers for the role. This might include reviewing their qualifications or experience, or interviewing them to determine whether they meet the role requirements.
The next steps will depend on whether a suitable worker is identified from the displaced worker pool.
If a suitable displaced worker is found
If an employer identifies a suitable worker and decides to sponsor them, they can issue an Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for the individual to apply for permission to stay in the UK. Importantly, the CoS must include the statement:
“Candidate has been recruited from the displaced worker pool.”
If the statement is missing, this may result in the candidate’s visa application being refused.
If no suitable displaced worker is found
Where no suitable worker is identified the displaced worker pool, the employer can still sponsor a worker from outside the pool, but two additional steps must be taken:
- Contact the regional care partnership
The employer must ask any regional care partnership they have engaged with to provide confirmation to UKVI that contact was made to obtain details of displaced workers. This confirmation will be recorded on a central database.
- Provide information when assigning or requesting a CoS
When assigning or requesting a CoS or applying for a Defined CoS, employers must include:
- the name of the regional partnership, or partnerships, they have engaged with
- confirmation that they were unable to identify a suitable worker from the displaced worker pool
For further details, including a list of the regional care partnerships, visit Gov.uk
Risks of non-compliance
If an employer is found to have provided false or misleading information about their efforts to recruit from the displaced worker pool, the Home Office may revoke their sponsor license. This would affect not only existing sponsored workers but also the organisation’s ability to sponsor workers in the future.
Key takeaways for care sector employers
The care sector remains under particular scrutiny, and understanding the updated rules around sponsorship is essential. Employers should ensure full compliance with their sponsorship duties, especially when recruiting from abroad.
