THE care sector would have collapsed long ago without overseas workers, Unison warned today, as government data showed a sharp decline in the granting of health and care worker visas. 

Home Office figures show that 27,174 of the visas were granted in 2024 – an 81 per cent decrease compared to 2023.

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea described the drop as “worrying.”

She said: “Without the support of workers from overseas, the social care sector would have collapsed long ago.

“Pay rates remain low so care employers are struggling to fill many thousands of vacancies.

“Hostile words and actions from the previous government, notably the ban on dependants, undoubtedly put off many overseas care staff from coming to work in the UK.

“Other care workers will have been deterred by the many horror stories of the abuse and exploitation of migrants at the hands of cowboy care operators.” 

It comes after the previous Tory government banned overseas care workers and students from bringing family dependants, and increased the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,700.

Ms McAnea urged ministers to change the system so that sponsorship is run by the government rather than employers, who can threaten workers with deportation if they speak out against ill-treatment.

The drop in health and care worker visas was steeper than the overall decline in work-related visas, which fell 40 per cent to 369,419 last year.

The number of study visas also fell by 31 per cent, from 604,253 to 419,312.

The government was contacted for comment.