Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Kenyans.co.ke
Published on 2024-03-11 15:18:33
Kenyan care workers in the United Kingdom (UK) are facing a new challenge as the UK government announced a ban on the migration of care workers’ dependants to the country, effective Monday, March 11. This policy decision is part of the UK government’s plan to reduce the overall number of migrants to the country, with care workers’ dependants accounting for a significant portion of these migrants.
The UK Home Office stated that this measure is a part of the biggest-ever cut in migration and will impact care workers entering the UK on Health and Care Worker visas, who will no longer be able to bring their dependants with them. The decision to implement this ban comes after care worker dependants accounted for 120,000 migrations in the year ended September 2023.
James Cleverly, the UK’s Home Secretary, explained that in addition to the ban on care workers’ dependants, the government will also be raising the minimum income requirement for families to be granted visas in the UK. Furthermore, the Secretary noted that most overseas students will also be banned from bringing their families to the UK as part of the series of migration cuts.
The ban on care workers’ dependants was authorized by the UK parliament on February 19, 2024, following its announcement in December 2023. Data from Skills for Care, a workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, revealed that there were 1.64 million adult social care jobs filled in England in 2022/23, across 18,000 organizations. Despite an increase in filled posts by March 2023, the sector was still estimated to be 45,000 below its pre-pandemic peak in 2020/21.
The move to ban care workers’ dependants has garnered mixed reactions, with critics expressing concerns that it may discourage migration of care workers at a time when the sector is still striving to achieve ideal staffing levels. However, supporters of the ban argue that it is necessary to reduce overall migration numbers and prioritize certain categories of migrants.
Overall, the ban on care workers’ dependants represents a significant change in UK migration policy and will have a direct impact on Kenyan care workers who are currently working in the country. It remains to be seen how this decision will affect the care sector and the individuals who rely on the services provided by these workers.
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