UK closes overseas care-worker recruitment route

In July 2025 the UK closed overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers, ending a route that had brought many international workers into the social care sector. Employers can now only sponsor care workers already in the UK.

For clinical professionals the picture is very different. Doctors, nurses and allied health professionals remain in high demand across the NHS and private sector, with clear registration and visa routes still open.

Ava Medical continues to place clinicians into permanent roles across the UK and internationally — and we always advise candidates honestly on which routes are open and which are not.