Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of proposed changes to the level of the certificate of sponsorship fee per worker on the adequacy of the funding settlement for adult social care announced in the Autumn Budget 2024.

The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025, laid on 21 January 2025, sets out increases to the fee maxima that applies to the Certificate of Sponsorship from £300 to £525. These changes were agreed via collective agreement. If fees increase as set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to this Order, an Impact Assessment will be produced by the Home Office.

International recruitment has played a valuable role in helping to grow the adult social care workforce. The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the retention of the domestic workforce. The Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.