This inspection adopted a broad thematic approach and looked at how the immigration system relates to the social care sector. It examined the quality of communication and engagement between the Home Office and the social care sector, the efficiency and effectiveness of the sponsor licensing process, including the provisions in place to safeguard employees from exploitation, and the quality of services provided by the compliance teams….

To facilitate the quick launch of the route in February 2022, the Home Office used the existing Skilled Worker framework, which allocates points based on the role and salary offered, and English language capabilities. Policy officials considered that the Skilled Worker route was appropriate as it had “sufficient controls” in place. However, concerns were raised by senior operational leaders…

The significant increase in licensed sponsors, particularly in the social care sector, had placed considerable pressure on Home Office compliance teams. One senior leader considered the addition of care workers to the Health and Care Worker visa route to have turned the “most compliant route to the least compliant overnight”. There was also an acknowledgement by the Home Office that the existing compliance approach had worked well for high-skill and highsalary routes, but had become increasingly difficult to monitor with the greater levels of abuse at the lower end of the skill threshold….