The United Kingdom’s decision to permanently close its care worker visa scheme has left some Ugandans disgruntled especially those who relied on these types of visas to afford life abroad.
This follows an announcement was made by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on May 12, 2025 during a speech outlining what he called a “plan for change.”
The care worker visa, which had allowed foreign workers, including many from Uganda, to fill critical gaps in the UK’s aging health and social care sectors, has been shut down as the government tightens immigration controls. The closure is expected to limit job prospects for Ugandans who had hoped to migrate legally for work in the UK.
Muhangi Roni, a Ugandan healthcare worker who returned home at the start of this month to visit his family, now finds himself stranded.
He left for the UK two years ago on a work visa and has been stationed in Birmingham working as a caregiver.
“It’s been expected that something of this nature was coming up. I had been hoping to bring my wife on a healthcare job so we could live together as a family with our children, but this has now been hindered,” he said.
“I’ve spent thousands of pounds my life savings doing paperwork for her, but now it has all gone down the drain. I feel like I’ve failed to unite my family, which is very difficult,” he added.
Muhangi explained that many of his friends in the UK, whose work visas have now expired, are also left in limbo. “They have no income, no employer, and no idea what comes next,” he shared.
What are the terms of Starmers immigration policy?
According to Starmer, businesses will now be required to invest in training local workers before turning to foreign labour.
“If a business wants to bring in people from abroad, it must first invest in Britain,” he said. “We will build a system that is controlled, selective, and fair.”
The Prime Minister announced tighter rules across the board. “We are raising the skills threshold to degree-level jobs to make sure we attract people who can grow our economy,” he said.
He added that English language requirements would now apply to both main visa applicants and their adult dependents.
In another major shift, the time required to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK has been extended.
“People will now need to live in the UK for 10 years instead of five. Settlement is a privilege, not a right,” he explained.
Digital IDs and eVisas will also be introduced to help authorities track immigration status and enforce the new rules.
“We are taking back control of our borders through our Plan for Change, lower net migration, higher skills, and backing British workers,” Starmer said.
However, some experts have expressed doubt about the effectiveness of these changes.
Data journalist Anthony Reuben pointed out that although net migration was high in 2023 and 2024, economic growth remained low.
“It’s hard to say if migration is the cause,” he said, noting that other global challenges such as the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 aftermath also affected the economy.
Reuben added that the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility believes immigration usually helps boost growth. “But it’s difficult to measure how much it improves the standard of living for each person,” he noted.
For many Ugandans who had planned to work in the UK’s care industry, the policy change is a major setback, and a reminder of the changing landscape of global migration with most of the countries in the world including USA tightening their immigration policies.
