Social care workers ‘displaced’ by UK immigration policy will now be supported to settle and work in Scotland.

The Scottish government has announced it will provide £500,000 to support international social care workers already in the UK impacted by visa changes to come to Scotland.

The funding will be used to meet the costs associated with moving and to and working in Scotland’s social care sector, for those who have found themselves without sponsored employment elsewhere in the UK.

The first care workers are expected to cross the border by the end of the year, to start their new care jobs before Christmas.

It comes after Home Office statistics from August show the number of Health and Care Worker Visas granted for those in care roles fell by 88% since March 2024 when visa restrictions were first put in place by the UK government.

Scottish Care has welcomed the Scottish government’s recognition of the vital role played by international social care workers, but says how exactly the fund will operate – and the impact it will have on the sector – is  still unclear.

A spokesperson said:

“While the intent is commendable, we will need to see the detail of any proposal before we can substantially comment on its potential impact.

“Key questions remain around how the fund will be administered, how many individuals and providers it is expected to support, and whether the scale of investment is proportionate to the sector’s current workforce challenges.”

Scottish Care has previously condemned the UK government’s decision to scrap care worker visas from July 2025 as reckless.

The organisation warned the move could push many of Scotland’s care services – some of which rely on workforces made up of up to nine in 10 overseas staff – to the brink of collapse.

Three months on, Scottish Care and other representative social care provider bodies say the sector remains at “near collapse”, with little clear way forward for long promised reform.

Recruitment shortfalls, rising operational costs, and the need for ethical and sustainable employment practices continue to plague the sector, according to the organisations.

A spokesperson from Scottish care said the £500,000 pot to support overseas care staff relocate must be part of broader measures to support all working in the sector:

“Any initiative aimed at supporting international recruitment must be part of a broader, long-term strategy that includes fair funding, safe staffing, and meaningful support for all care workers, regardless of origin.

“We look forward to engaging with the Scottish government to understand how this fund will operate in practice and to ensure it delivers real benefit to the sector and the individuals it seeks to support.”

The Scottish government is continuing to call on the Home Office to reverse its decision to close the Social Care Visa Route.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray MSP said:

“The UK government’s hostile and restrictive migration policies are damaging Scotland’s health and social care sector.

“In Scotland we need a migration system that works for our NHS, our social care sector, our businesses and third sector. Until we have the full powers over migration that will come with independence, we will do all we can within the devolved powers of the Scottish parliament to mitigate the UK government’s harmful approach to migration.”

Read more: Care worker visa changes ‘inhumane’ and risks services; “Critical” strain on care nursing workforce; The in-between: what’s happened to care reform?

 

 

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.