Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2021 to Question 155387, how private individuals or households can employ skilled childcare workers from overseas since they are unable to register as approved UK employers.

It is possible for skilled professional childcare workers to be employed through the Skilled Worker route. This would require the salary to reach a sufficient threshold, along with the employment structure of such roles to be facilitated through a registered company, whom holds a valid sponsor licence.

In addition, there are other immigration routes which lead to general work rights in the UK, such as those who arrive under our family routes or our Youth Mobility Schemes (YMS). Although it should be noted our YMS is primarily an exchange system based on reciprocal arrangements, it is not intended as a one-way route to sourcing labour overseas.

While I recognise the importance of childcare for many people, immigration cannot be the first recourse for employers, especially at a time when many UK based workers are facing uncertainty due to the economic impact of the global pandemic. There are many childcare options available from within the resident labour market which should be considered in the first instance.