Scotland could lose hundreds of skilled foreign carers as new visa rules mean they must be paid £1,800 more.
From Tuesday April 9, the UK Government is raising the absolute minimum an organisation can pay Skilled Worker visa holders, including care workers, from £23,200 per year (£11.90 per hour) to £25,000 per year (£12.82 per hour).
This means they will be paid £430 more than their British colleagues.
It will increase the costs associated with sponsoring new international care workers, and a Scottish care home manager has warned that it could have a “detrimental impact” on residents and the care they receive.
“I think raising the rate is going to have an effect because legally we can’t pay carers at different rates – they all have to be paid the same,” Heather Campbell-Hanretty from Parkhouse Manor Care in Barrhead told STV News.
She said the changes would have a “major impact” on care homes both financially and for recruitment.
“The bulk of applications we get are from overseas staff looking for sponsorship, so I think on the whole it will have a major impact financially and on recruitment in the industry,” Ms Campbell-Hanretty said.
“We’re getting some very, very good carers [through the skill workers programme], and we’d be losing a lot of the good care that we get.”
Scottish Care, a membership organisation representing the independent social care sector in Scotland, previously agreed that the “unexpected” visa changes are a “cause for concern” for the industry.
The organisation said the minimum salary is “not compatible” with the current minimum wage (£12.21) or the Scottish Living Wage (£12.60) currently paid to care staff.
“The recent changes to the immigration rules introduce significant changes for the recruitment of care workers across the UK. This change is part of the UK Government’s strategy to reduce net migration,” Scottish Care said.
“These changes place social care employers in a really challenging position both in terms of how they continue to recruit, how they manage existing international staff, and what it means regarding a substantial differentiation between home based and international colleagues.”
On the ground, Ms Campbell-Hanretty said the changes are “very concerning” especially for smaller care homes and care providers in rural areas.
Without overseas staff, she said care homes like hers wouldn’t be able to recruit enough carers.
“We’d be short-staffed which would have a detrimental on residents and the care we’re able to give,” Ms Campbell-Hanretty said.
She added that it’s “unrealistic” for Westminster to expect the posts to be taken up by local workers due to the low pay rates in the industry.
“People can go to Tesco’s and get a better paid job these days,” she said.
“It’s a very stressful job and if you can get paid somewhere else with less stress, people are going to do that – unless they’re absolutely dedicated to care.”
Jennifer Oshorenua Aniemeka, is currently working as senior care assistant at Parkhouse Manor on a Skilled Worker visa.
STV NewsShe loves her job and working as a carer, but she said the changes are a “very big worry” for overseas staff and care homes alike.
“I don’t know if they’ll be able to meet the requirement,” Mrs Oshorenua Aniemeka said.
“And it puts a lot of worry on us coming from different parts of the world coming here to work because we rely on getting sponsorship to remain in this country to do our work.”
She added: “If companies are not able to meet the new [pay] thresholds, I don’t know what’s going to happen to us and I’m afraid it may not be good for us.”
Social care minister Maree Todd said: “International workers make a vital contribution to our economy, our public services and to communities across Scotland.
“Immigration restrictions, such as the UK Government’s decision to stop care workers from bringing dependents to the UK, has already had a negative impact on the social care sector.
“It’s very concerning that the number of health and care worker visa applications has fallen since these restrictions were introduced. It is also disappointing that the UK Government did not notify us, in advance, of the immigration rule changes.
“We are working across the social care sector to understand the impact these changes could have and to ensure high-quality care is delivered across Scotland.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Under this government’s Plan for Change, our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system, linking immigration, skills and visa systems to grow our domestic workforce, end reliance on overseas labour and boost economic growth.
“We have always set the skilled worker salary requirement to above the National Living Wage, reflecting the nature of the route and preventing overseas labour being a cheaper option for employers.”
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