UK Inquiry Tracker

Immigration: Skilled worker visas

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 26 Mar 2025 Closed: 22 Sep 2025 Parliament page

In 2020, following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government introduced the skilled worker visa route, now the main route for people to apply to work in the UK. The Government aims to use the system to attract the skills the country needs and to support economic growth. The … Read more In 2020, following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government introduced the skilled worker visa route, now the main route for people to apply to work in the UK. The Government aims to use the system to attract the skills the country needs and to support economic growth. The route was opened to care workers in 2022 following the pandemic, and eligibility requirements were implemented in Spring 2024 as part of attempts to reduce net migration. In 2023-24, 230,500 people applied to enter the UK as skilled workers, raising around £438m for the Government through visa fees. The PAC’s 2011 report on the points-based system designed to manage migration of workers from outside the European Economic Area warned that not enough was being done to protect resident workers and ensure that migrant workers and sponsoring employers complied with immigration rules. The National Audit Office reported on the skilled worker visa route in 2025 . Its report found that the route continues to support employers in recruiting overseas workers, though changes to the route in spring 2024 tightening entry requirements have been made without their impacts on different industries and parts of the country being fully assessed. Based on the NAO’s report, the PAC will hear from senior Home Office officials on subjects including the impact of the spring 2024 changes to the route, progress in bringing the digital elements of the system up-to-date, and how the Home Office ensures compliance within the system. If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 24 April 2025. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues . Show less

6 Recommendations

34 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

3 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 7 events

1 Dec
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to recommendation 6 of the Committee’s Report on Skilled worker visa…

1 Dec
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Health and Social Care rela…

24 Nov
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Chair to the Permanent Secretary at the Home Office relating to Immigration: Skilled Worker visas – Treasury Minute, 17 Nov…

15 Oct
2025

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty-seventh report from Session 2024-26

4 Jul
2025

Report published

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled worker visas

8 May
2025

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

8 May
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Committee event

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

8 May 2025

View on parliament.uk

Dame Antonia Romeo DCB · Ministry of Justice Dan Hobbs · Home Office Marc Owen CBE · Home Office Simon Ridley · Home Office

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
37th Report - Immigration: Skilled worker visas	HC 819	4 Jul 2025	40	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

25 results

2 Conclusion Accepted

37th Report - Immigration: Skilled…

Publish comprehensive evaluation of Skilled Worker visa route’s costs, benefits, and impact on skill shortages.

The Home Office has not had a full understanding of how immigration has helped to address skill shortages or the unintended consequences of the much higher than anticipated use of the Skilled Worker route. More people have used the Skilled … Read more The Home Office has not had a full understanding of how immigration has helped to address skill shortages or the unintended consequences of the much higher than anticipated use of the Skilled Worker route. More people have used the Skilled Worker visa route than the Home Office anticipated in 2020. It forecast that it would issue 360,000 Skilled Worker visas to overseas applicants (including dependants) over the three years to April 2024, but it issued 931,000. From when the government opened the Skilled Worker visa route in December 2020 up to the end of 2024, 1.18 million people applied to enter the United Kingdom via this route, including, 630,000 as dependants of the main applicant. The route has brought benefits and enabled employers to recruit internationally to help address skill shortages. However, there have also been consequences, such as an 80% increase in people staying permanently in the United Kingdom in 2024 compared to 2021, and the number of people claiming asylum after entering on a Skilled Worker visa rising from 53 in 2022 to 5,300 in 2024. The Home Office reviewed the use of the route in 2022—before its expansion to include care workers—and the recent White Paper sets out the occupations making use of Skilled Worker visas. However, the Home Office has not yet published its evaluation of the route, including whether it is meeting its objectives, the impact on skills shortages across different sectors of the labour market or regions of the United Kingdom, and whether the route has operated as intended. recommendation Alongside its Treasury minute response to this report, the Home Office should write to the Committee setting out the results of its evaluation of the Skilled Worker visa route, including: • the costs and benefits of the route; • the extent to which the route is helping employers across sectors/regions to address skill shortages; and • any unintended consequences of the higher than expected use of the route including the impact of the Show less

Government Response

The government agrees and has set out the results of its Skilled Worker route evaluation, detailing motivations for applicants and businesses, benefits to employers, and the importance of dependants. It also acknowledged a potential unintended consequence regarding some individuals' reported salaries not meeting sponsor thresholds.

HM Treasury

Immigration: Skilled worker visas

Activity timeline 7 events

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Recommendations & Conclusions

Publish comprehensive evaluation of Skilled Worker visa route’s costs, benefits, and impact on skill shortages.

Detail implications of ending overseas care worker recruitment and monitor sectoral impacts during transition.

Establish cross-government response to tackle migrant worker exploitation, including safeguarding and reporting mechanisms.

Assess compliance risks of visa routes, developing sector-specific risk assessments and improving departure data.

Committee took evidence on the Home Office’s Skilled Worker visa route management.

Home Office draws on independent labour market analysis for Skilled Worker visa design.

Develop formal cross-government processes to understand Skilled Worker route impacts and regional skill shortages.

Government established Labour Market Evidence Group to link immigration and sectoral labour policies.

Skilled Worker visa uptake, particularly for care workers, significantly exceeded Home Office forecasts.

Home Office lacks comprehensive evaluation of Skilled Worker visa route impacts and contributions since 2022.

Government eased entry for care workers, significantly increasing Health and Care Worker visa applications.

Home Office addressed identified compliance and sponsorship capacity issues in Health and Care Worker visas.

Home Office fails to adequately tackle exploitation and unethical practices against migrant care workers.

Skilled Worker visa sponsorship model leaves migrant workers vulnerable to widespread exploitation.

Home Office employs multi-agency approach to address systemic migrant worker exploitation.

Home Office's compliance checks for sponsors remain insufficient, lacking data on pre-existing licences.

Applicants face extortionate visa fees abroad; Home Office relies on sponsor self-compliance for agents.

Migrant workers face visa curtailment and uncertainty after losing employment sponsorship.

Regional partnerships for displaced care workers prove ineffective, with low re-employment rates.

Migrant workers risk modern slavery due to inadequate data and enforcement hindering support.

Home Office failed to assess compliance risks for Skilled Worker route and care workers.

Home Office identified care worker exploitation and strengthened compliance activities in response.

Home Office compliance scrutiny remains insufficient, only reacting to systemic problems.

Home Office lacks data on visa overstays and effectiveness of regional matching hubs.

Stakeholders raise concerns over complex application processes and poor customer service.

Government Response AI assessment · 39 of 6 classified

Correspondence 3 letters