Why Restricting Overseas Care Workers Could Deepen the Crisis in Huddersfield’s Social Care Sector

As the Labour Party sets out its proposals to reduce net migration, care providers across the UK, and particularly in Central Huddersfield and Kirklees — are sounding the alarm. Among Keir Starmer’s plans is a commitment to tighten legal migration routes, including significantly cutting the number of care workers recruited from overseas.

While the policy may aim to address voter concerns over immigration numbers, it risks devastating consequences for the health and social care sector, a sector already struggling to survive.

A Sector Built on Legal Migration

The uncomfortable truth is this: the UK has relied heavily on legal migration to sustain its care workforce. Recruiting British nationals into frontline care roles has long been a challenge due to low pay, long hours, and the emotionally demanding nature of the work.

At Bespoke Care and Support Services, which has been delivering award-winning care in Huddersfield for over a decade, we know this all too well. Despite tireless efforts to attract local staff, the reality is that many UK nationals are choosing other sectors where they can earn similar wages without the same levels of responsibility.

This recruitment gap has been partially filled by skilled and compassionate workers from overseas, many of whom bring excellent training, language skills, and a strong work ethic to their roles. They are not an alternative, they are essential.

The Local Cost of a National Problem

In a letter to local MP Harpreet Uppal earlier this year, we highlighted how the funding shortfall in Homecare in Kirklees is already threatening service quality. The current council-funded rate of £24.14 per hour falls significantly below the Homecare Association’s recommended minimum of £32.14. This underfunding limits our ability to pay competitive wages, invest in staff training, and offer consistent care, all of which make it harder to recruit and retain workers, both local and international.

Add to this the financial burden of sponsoring overseas staff, including Home Office fees and compliance costs, and the landscape becomes even tougher. Removing the ability to hire overseas workers entirely would tip many providers over the edge.

What Will Happen If Recruitment is Restricted?

Reducing access to migrant care workers without a credible plan to replace them with UK nationals will lead to:

• Longer wait times for personal care in Huddersfield

• Overstretched local services in Kirklees

• Burnout among remaining staff

• Increased pressure on families and hospitals

  
  

This isn’t speculation, it’s already happening. Nationally, vacancy rates in adult social care remain among the highest of any sector. Without urgent action to make care roles more appealing to UK nationals (through fair pay, training, and long-term career progression), limiting migration will only worsen the crisis.

The Way Forward

We support responsible immigration reform. But reforms must be paired with investment. The government, of any party, must first ensure that the sector is funded properly, that care is seen as a valued profession, and that local authorities can pay sustainable rates.

Until that happens, cutting off the overseas pipeline that has sustained the care sector through its most difficult years is not just risky, it’s dangerous.