From 15 February 2022, Care Workers will be added to the Shortage Occupation List, and therefore makes the role eligible for the Skilled Worker route.
The Skilled Worker route is for applicants with a specific job offer from an approved sponsoring employer. Lower salary requirements and application fees apply where a job is on the Shortage Occupation List. These changes make care workers eligible to be sponsored in the Skilled Worker route and add them to the Shortage Occupation List, following a recommendation by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).
Sponsors offering jobs in shortage occupations must offer applicants a salary at least equal to whichever is the highest of:
• £20,480 per year
• £10.10 per hour
• 80% of the going rate for the occupation code, as listed in Appendix Skilled Occupations
As the third requirement is lower than the other two requirements for care workers, only the first two requirements will apply to this occupation.
In line with other care-related occupations, care workers are being added to the list of occupations where applicants must provide criminal record certificates from countries they have been present in for 12 months or more in the previous 10 years, and while aged 18 or over.
While home carers are included in the same occupation code, these changes are not designed to enable home carers to be sponsored as Skilled Workers, unless they are working for an organisation that is able to meet the sponsorship requirements.
Private households or individuals (other than sole traders sponsoring someone to work for their business) cannot sponsor Skilled Workers.