In September 2026, the Home Office announced a significant change to visa rules affecting thousands of overseas care workers in the UK. For those who have been exploited by rogue employers, the change offers a crucial lifeline — and it shines a light on why ethical, responsible care employment matters so deeply.
At SD Care, we believe every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect — not just those receiving care, but the dedicated people who provide it. This update is an important moment for our sector, and we want to help families and workers understand what it means.
What Has Changed?
Under post-Brexit skilled worker visa rules introduced in 2021, an overseas worker’s immigration status was tied directly to their sponsoring employer. If they left that employer — for any reason — they risked losing their right to remain in the UK.
Campaigners and unions had long warned this arrangement left workers dangerously vulnerable. Rogue employers were reportedly using workers’ precarious status to underpay them, impose excessive hours, or force them into zero-hour conditions — a textbook environment for exploitation.
From 3 September 2026, this restriction is lifted for workers who receive a positive “conclusive grounds” decision through the National Referral Mechanism — the UK’s official framework for identifying victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. If formally recognised as a victim, a worker may now change employer and continue working for the remainder of their visa term.
What Is Modern Slavery in a Care Work Context?
Modern slavery is not always immediately visible. In the care sector, it may take the form of withheld wages, controlled movement, confiscated passports, threats, deception, or unsafe and abusive living and working conditions.
The Guardian reported in August 2026 that more than 6,600 care sponsors had been stripped of their licences to employ overseas workers since Labour came to power — with over 4,400 of those in the year to June 2026 alone, a 140% rise on the previous year. These are not small numbers. They represent thousands of real people, many of them dedicated care workers who came to the UK in good faith.
Why This Matters for Families Choosing Care
If you are looking for home care or specialist care support for a loved one, you may not immediately think of your care provider’s employment practices as your concern. But they are — deeply so.
The welfare of care workers is directly connected to the quality of care your family member receives. Workers who feel safe, fairly paid, and respected are better placed to deliver the compassionate, consistent support that vulnerable people need. Exploitation and instability in a care workforce creates risk for everyone.
When you choose a provider, asking about how they recruit, support, and retain their staff is not just reasonable — it is important. Reputable providers welcome that scrutiny.
SD Care’s Commitment to Ethical Employment
At SD Care, our values are rooted in the Franciscan tradition of holistic, compassionate care — a tradition that extends to every member of our team, not only those we support. We are committed to fair, transparent, and ethical employment practices for all our care professionals.
Our carers are recruited carefully, supported continuously, and treated as the skilled professionals they are. Whether they are providing home care, dementia care, end-of-life care, or complex and specialist nursing, the people delivering that care deserve a workplace that upholds their dignity as much as we uphold the dignity of those they serve.
What Experts Are Saying
“Allowing survivors to work for another sponsor for the remainder of their visa is a crucial way to help them rebuild their lives safely and with dignity.” — Maj Heather Grinsted, Deputy Director of Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery, The Salvation Army
Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, welcomed the change but noted its impact will depend on how accessible the modern slavery framework is in practice. She has previously described the post-Brexit sponsorship system as “a recipe for labour exploitation.”
Migration and Citizenship Minister Jo White stated: “No victim of modern slavery should be trapped with an exploitative employer because of their immigration status.”
Limitations and What Still Needs to Change
It is important to note that the new protections apply only to workers who receive a formal positive decision through the National Referral Mechanism — a process that can be lengthy, complex, and difficult to access. The real-world impact of this change will depend heavily on how well that mechanism is resourced and made available to vulnerable workers.
New overseas applications for care worker visas were also stopped after July 2025, meaning the pipeline of international care workers entering the UK has significantly contracted. The longer-term implications for care sector staffing remain to be seen, and sector leaders continue to call for a sustainable workforce strategy.
Choosing Care You Can Trust
For families navigating care decisions, this moment is a reminder that the values of a care provider matter — not just in how they treat your loved one, but in how they treat their entire team.
Compassionate care cannot exist in an environment of exploitation. It grows where there is trust, safety, and genuine respect — for everyone involved.
If you are looking for care support for a family member in Surrey, Guildford, or London, we would be glad to speak with you. At SD Care, we provide home care, dementia care, end-of-life and palliative care, complex and specialist nursing, and holistic pain management — all delivered by a team we are proud to stand behind.
Get in touch with us today to learn more about how SD Care can support your family — with the transparency, ethics, and compassion you deserve.