Insight
The Care & Social Care Recruitment Playbook
Jenny Han
|
20 May 2026
The care sector remains one of the UK’s most active sponsored recruitment routes in 2026.
Most frontline care roles are sponsored under the Health and Care Worker visa.
This route offers lower visa fees and exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
Employers sponsoring care workers must usually be regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Most sponsored care workers can qualify for settlement after 5 years, if they remain compliant.
What Is the Social Care Sponsorship Route?
For most UK care providers, overseas recruitment is built around the Health and Care Worker visa — a specialist sub-route of Skilled Worker designed for eligible health and social care employers.
In practical terms, it is the UK’s main route for sponsoring overseas care professionals into frontline adult social care roles.
For employers, the route is attractive because it is usually faster, cheaper, and more practical than standard sponsorship. For workers, it offers a realistic path to long-term UK employment and settlement.
To use this route lawfully, employers must usually:
hold a valid sponsor licence
offer an eligible role under the correct occupation code
meet regulatory requirements, including CQC registration where required
Which Roles Can Be Sponsored?
Not every care role can be sponsored.
In most adult social care settings, the most commonly used occupation codes are:
6135 – Care workers and home carers
6136 – Senior care workers
These roles must reflect genuine sponsored work in practice. UKVI will assess the actual job being done — not just the title on paper.
That means HR should review:
job descriptions
day-to-day duties
reporting lines
salary structure
If the real role does not match the occupation code, sponsorship risk increases quickly.
What Are the Salary Rules in 2026?
Salary remains one of the biggest compliance risks in care sponsorship.
In 2026, most sponsored care roles must meet both:
the minimum salary threshold
the going rate for the occupation code
For many care roles, this usually means at least £25,000 per year or the occupation code’s going rate, whichever is higher.
But meeting the annual salary on paper is not enough.
UKVI is paying closer attention to how salary is handled in practice — especially in sectors with variable payroll.
HR should monitor:
unpaid leave
payroll deductions
reduced hours
inconsistent monthly pay
A compliant contract can still become a compliance problem if payroll drops below the required threshold in practice.
Why CQC Registration Matters
For care sector sponsorship, CQC compliance is not just a regulatory issue. It is an immigration issue.
If your organisation is sponsoring care workers to deliver regulated personal care in England, UKVI will usually expect the sponsor to be properly registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Without that, sponsorship risk increases significantly.
For care employers, immigration compliance and regulatory compliance now sit much closer together than many expect.
Special Rules & Critical Points
Requirement | What HR Teams Need to Know |
CQC regulation | Sponsors providing regulated personal care in England should usually be CQC-registered |
IHS fee | Health and Care Worker applicants are usually exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge |
Dependants | Care workers and senior care workers face significant dependant restrictions in most new cases |
English language | Applicants must usually prove English to at least CEFR B1 |
Settlement | Most eligible workers can qualify for ILR after 5 years |
How to Protect a Worker’s 5-Year Settlement Path
For care workers hoping to settle in the UK, continuous residence is one of the most important long-term issues.
To qualify for settlement, most workers must usually avoid spending more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period.
A worker may remain fully sponsored and employed, but still damage their settlement eligibility through unmanaged absences.
Example
A senior care worker travels home for 12 weeks during a family emergency, then takes another 5 weeks abroad later that year.
Their sponsorship may remain valid.
Their settlement timeline may not.
That is why HR should track travel patterns — not just visa expiry dates.
Checklist: Documents HR Should Audit
HR should regularly review:
passport and immigration status
right to work check
Certificate of Sponsorship
signed employment contract
job description aligned to the occupation code
payroll records and payslips
absence and travel records
proof of CQC registration
In care sponsorship, file quality is often the first sign of wider compliance quality.
FAQ: Common Social Care
Sponsorship Questions
Can we sponsor care workers for part-time roles?
Potentially, yes — but only where the role still meets salary and hourly pay requirements.
Can sponsored care workers bring dependants?
In most new cases, no. Dependant restrictions now apply to most new care worker sponsorship cases.
What if a worker exceeds the 180-day absence limit?
Discretion may be possible in limited cases, but strong evidence is essential.
Do care sponsors still pay the Immigration Skills Charge?
In many cases, yes. The worker pays less, but sponsor-side costs still need to be planned for.
Final Thoughts
International recruitment remains one of the most important workforce tools available to UK care providers.
But in 2026, care sponsorship is no longer just a recruitment function. It is a compliance system.
Done well, it creates workforce stability and long-term retention. Done carelessly, it creates regulatory risk.
Need support building a compliant care recruitment strategy? Speak to our UK immigration team.
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Disclaimer
The information provided in these articles is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration rules change frequently and individual circumstances vary, so you should always seek tailored advice from a qualified immigration lawyer before making any decisions. If you require professional support, our team would be pleased to assist you.
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