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The Carer Digital
THECARERUK
THECARERUK
Issue 80
Government Urged to Relax Immigration Rules for Care Workers
The government is being urged to relax rules for care worker jobs to alleviate “severe and increasing difficulties” the adult social care sector is facing with recruitment and retention. In its annual report, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which directs the Government on immigration, advised that the jobs be made eligible for the Health and Care Visa and placed on the shortage occupation list (SOL). The committee explained that making care workers eligible for the Health and
Care Workers Visa and placing them on the SOL would allow employers to sponsor care workers subject to a minimum salary of £20,480 per year, equivalent to £10.10 per hour for a full-time worker. It has also called on the government to consider making the immigration system more accessible for adult social care SMEs, who may not be registered as sponsors or for whom the cost of the immigration route is too high.
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