‘Reckless and Inhumane’: Scottish Care Condemns Plans to Scrap Social Care Visas

Scottish Care has expressed deep concern over reports that the UK Government is considering ending overseas recruitment for social care workers entirely. Such a move would be profoundly damaging to Scotland’s social care sector and fails to recognise the country’s distinct demographic and workforce challenges.

Scotland faces a unique context, with an ageing population, a shrinking working-age population, and one of the lowest birth rates in the UK. Our social care sector is already under immense strain, and international recruitment is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

Over 66% of Scottish Care members surveyed are actively recruiting from overseas. In several parts of Scotland, particularly rural and island communities, internationally recruited care workers make up more than 25%, and in some cases nearly 100%, of the workforce. This reliance reflects not policy failure, but the demographic reality of a nation that urgently needs to attract working-age people to deliver essential care and support services.

There is a dangerous assumption that the skilled work of care can be undertaken by anyone – this is not true. Care work requires people who want to care and, who have the compassionate skills and right altitudes to do so.

The biggest impact of these immigration changes will be felt by people who depend on care and support every day. In effect, these proposed changes are a direct assault on thousands of our citizens who rely on care and support to live their lives.

The current UK immigration policies, including the ban on dependents, the increased salary thresholds, and the sharp rise in sponsorship costs, are already undermining the ability of providers to recruit and retain care staff. The proposed removal of the visa route entirely would only exacerbate this crisis, putting vital services at risk and directly harming those who rely on them.

What is needed is an immigration approach that is non-party political, evidence-based, and tailored to Scotland’s demographic needs. The political weaponisation of migration must end. Social care workers are not statistics or burdens, they are skilled professionals who deserve dignity, the right to family life, and the respect of the country they serve.

Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care, said: 

“The UK Government’s direction of travel on immigration continues to reflect a hostile and dehumanising culture that fundamentally contradicts the values of compassion and care that underpin our sector in Scotland. 

The potential ending of the social care visa route would not only be irresponsible, but it would also be reckless. It would put lives, services, and whole communities at risk. 

Scotland needs a workforce immigration policy that is fair, humane, and rooted in the needs of our population, not driven by political headlines or populist sentiment. Anything less fails the people of Scotland.” 

Scottish Care urges the UK Government to urgently reconsider these proposals and engage with Scotland’s social care sector to create a sustainable, rights-based immigration system that truly supports those who care for others.