{
  "id": 16448404,
  "title": "UK immigration crackdown threatens £15 billion care sector - Bloomberg",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/uk-immigration-crackdown-threatens-15-billion-care-sector-bloomberg",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-25T07:23:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Investing.com",
    "slug": "investing-com",
    "url": "https://www.investing.com/news/economy-news/uk-immigration-crackdown-threatens-15-billion-care-sector--bloomberg-4971064"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Britain's strict immigration measures could deal a blow to its £15 billion care industry, with providers fearing business closures, Bloomberg stated on Sunday. Migrant workers make up about one-third of the adult care workforce in Britain, according to the Work Rights Centre. Between February 2022 and July 2025, around 280,000 workers entered the country under the Health and Care Visa scheme, before the Labour government halted the route due to abuse concerns. The proposed changes would require existing visa holders to move to the Skilled Worker route from July 2028, likely with significantly higher salary demands. Care providers claim that local authority funding is inadequate to cover these wages, threatening establishments already battling recruitment challenges. Additional ambiguity surrounds Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's suggested settlement reforms, which would lengthen the standard permanent residency qualifying period from five to 10 years. Such changes could prevent workers hired in 2022 and 2023 from obtaining settlement before their visas expire. Shweta Maulayah, managing director of care provider Maucare, warned that the restrictions could force her to scale down or sell the business. The sector supports over 650,000 vulnerable individuals daily, making staffing shortages a major concern for care providers and local authorities. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is reportedly weighing exemptions for care workers, though no final decision has been made. The proposals have also drawn criticism from Labour lawmakers, with over 100 MPs urging the government to reconsider the reforms. Some lawmakers want to safeguard existing migrants from retrospective changes and cap the maximum settlement period at seven years. Care operators say uncertainty is already influencing business decisions, with some contemplating sales or closures. The government is expected to unveil additional details next month, while providers continue to caution that domestic recruitment remains difficult at current wage levels.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}