In November 2023, The Guardian reported the UK government is planning to ban care workers from bringing dependents into the country. Migrant rights groups have condemned the ban as 'cruel'.

The chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, Professor Brian Bell, argued this would worsen staffing shortages in the care sector. Professor Bell also highlighted ‘very serious evidence of exploitation on the care worker visa route, amid widespread reports of human rights violations including unfair recruitment fees, wage theft, and unreasonable working hours'.

A later article in The Guardian released in December includes interviews with care workers who will be impacted by the proposed rule. Workers state they will likely move elsewhere, particularly in light of the negative psychological impact separation from family members will have.

In December, i released an article outlining other proposals made by the Government alongside the ban on care worker dependents, including to increase the skilled worker visa salary threshold to £38,700 and to change the salary threshold for a family visa to £38,700 too, both of which will impact workers in other sectors outside of health care. The Government plans to implement these measures to reduce the number of people migrating to the country. This has raised concerns on how labour shortages will be filled.

The Financial Times reported in December that the proposed rules will likely impact women and small, regional businesses the most. The article also comments on the care worker dependents ban, with the Migration Advisory Committee arguing it could make care workers more isolated and therefore make it more difficult for them to escape exploitation.