Introduction
April has arrived once more and brings a new round of rule changes that reshape how you recruit and sponsor care workers. Although the Home Office may not be making an April Fools joke, it can seem that way for care providers.
For the second year running, we’ve been handed an updated Statement of Changes (this time, it’s HC 733). The updates bring another salary increase, more examinations of pay deductions, and a significant rise in sponsor costs. Indeed, it’s another complex year.
This year, the focus has shifted from pay to recruitment. Now, employers must sponsor displaced care workers before bringing in new workers from other countries.
However, the sponsorship route still works, and for many providers, it’s the only way to meet urgent staffing needs. By staying on top of the changes and tightening your internal processes, it’s still possible to recruit successfully, sustainably, and fully within the rules.
If you’re a care provider trying to keep your doors open, your compliance tight, and your recruitment moving, we see you. This article aims to turn complex legal updates into simple steps for managing these changes and your sponsorship licence.
Here’s our updated 2025 guide to sponsoring care workers under the Health and Care Worker visa.
1. Recruiting Displaced Care Workers
From 9 April 2025, before you can assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to a care worker or senior care worker, you must generally first attempt to recruit someone already based in England and already trained.
This may mean sponsoring what is sometimes referred to as a ‘displaced care worker’ — someone who was previously sponsored but whose employment ended early, perhaps because their sponsor lost their licence, shut down, or no longer had enough hours to offer.
What do you need to do?
You are required to contact one of the government’s newly formed regional support partnerships to determine if any displaced care workers are available in your area.
If there aren’t any suitable candidates, you’ll need to retain evidence of this search before assigning a CoS to another worker.
Does this affect your business?
This requirement doesn’t apply if:
- The worker is already sponsored as a care worker or senior care worker under the Skilled Worker route; or
- They’ve been lawfully working for you for at least three months before their Skilled Worker visa application is submitted.
For all other new recruits, this is now a mandatory step. You can find more information about the regional partnerships here.
2. Salary Increases (Yes, Again)
Despite having increased the minimum salary in last year’s updates, they have increased again. From 9 April 2025, the minimum salary for carers and senior carers increases to:
- £25,000 per year (up from £23,200), and
- £12.82 per hour (up from £11.90)
This applies to anyone being sponsored from this date or to anyone switching into a care role under the Skilled Worker route for the first time.
This increase aligns with wider changes to salary thresholds across the Skilled Worker route, as the Home Office continues to push wages closer to UK median earnings.
3. Meeting the Salary Threshold
From 9 April 2025, you cannot count the following toward meeting the salary threshold:
- Any repayments made by the worker to you (such as loan repayments).
- Any investment the worker makes into your business.
- Any deductions from salary for immigration or business-related costs.
This is aimed at preventing practices such as “self-sponsorship”, where a worker effectively pays to meet their own minimum salary.
What’s still allowed?
Genuine optional benefits are allowed as long as they are not linked to immigration or sponsorship costs. This includes standard salary sacrifice arrangements such as pension contributions or childcare vouchers.
Review any deductions or repayment agreements in your salary structure now to make sure your business is compliant.
4. Increases in Sponsorship Costs
From 9 April 2025, a range of sponsorship costs will increase.
- The cost of a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is rising from £239 to £525. This is a substantial jump and will impact budgeting for recruitment.
Other fees and charges are also expected to increase. However, the CoS fee hike is the most notable and immediate cost to plan for.
5. Continuing Changes from 2024
The following key changes from 2024 are still in effect:
- No Dependants for New Carers
Care and Senior Care Workers sponsored after 11 March 2024 cannot bring dependants. That restriction remains in place.
- CQC Registration Still Required
Your business must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). You must be delivering regulated activities to sponsor carers under SOC codes 6135 and 6136.
A Few Final Thoughts
Once again, these changes are being introduced with little notice and clarity. The Sponsor Management System may go offline in early April, and guidance tends to arrive after the rules kick in.
But here’s what we know for sure: the rules are getting tighter, the costs are rising, and the margin for error is shrinking. This is the time to review how the displaced worker rule and updated salary requirements will affect your business.
As immigration lawyers, we’ve helped care providers like yourself through these changes before and we’ll be here to help you again. If you need support with these sponsor licence changes or with a sponsor licence application, contact us today.
FAQs on Sponsoring Care Workers in 2025
1. What is the new displaced worker requirement for sponsoring care workers?
From 9 April 2025, before assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to a care worker or senior care worker, you must first attempt to recruit someone already based in the UK. This includes displaced care workers, who are workers previously sponsored but whose employment ended prematurely. If no suitable candidates are found, you must provide evidence of this effort before proceeding.
2. How much will the salary thresholds increase for care workers in 2025?
The minimum salary thresholds for care workers and senior care workers will rise to:
- £25,000 per year (up from £23,200), or
- £12.82 per hour (up from £11.90).
This applies to all new recruits and anyone switching to a care role under the Skilled Worker route.
3. Can I still count salary deductions, loans, or investments towards the salary threshold?
No. From 9 April 2025, repayments made by workers to you (such as loans), any investments the worker makes into your business, or any deductions from their salary for business or immigration-related costs cannot be counted toward the salary threshold.
Only genuine optional benefits, such as pension contributions, will still be allowed.
4. How will the increase in sponsor-related costs impact my budget?
The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee will rise from £239 to £525 from 9 April 2025. This significant fee increase will affect your recruitment budgets, so it’s important to plan for the additional costs when hiring new care workers.
5. What is the current policy on bringing dependants for care workers?
Care workers sponsored under the Skilled Worker route after 11 March 2024 cannot bring dependants with them to the UK. This restriction remains in place for all new recruits.
6. Why is the Home Office clamping down on care providers?
Between July 2022 and December 2024, the Home Office revoked over 470 sponsor licences in the care sector. The crackdown aimed to target cases of abuse and exploitation. It affected over 39,000 workers. This shows that compliance with the updated immigration rules is crucial to protect your sponsor licence.
7. How can I ensure compliance with the new immigration rules for care workers?
Care providers must ensure they are fully up to date with the latest immigration rules. This includes meeting the displaced worker recruitment requirement, ensuring salaries meet the new thresholds, and adhering to the updated sponsorship costs and conditions. We recommend reviewing your internal processes and consulting with an immigration lawyer to stay compliant.
