Yorkshire and Humber International Recruitment Project

Newsletter for Care Sector Leaders

June 2026 edition

Yorkshire and Humber International

Recruitment Programme (YHIR)

Newsletter for Care Sector Leaders JUNE 2026 EDITION

In this edition:

Sponsorship rules explained

Salary thresholds clarified

What happens if licences are revoked?

Support for displaced workers

Supporting Ethical and Sustainable International Recruitment in Care

As pressures across the care sector continue, sponsoring migrants remains a vital and legitimate route to building a resilient workforce. This edition focuses on sponsorship of migrant care workers, providing clear, practical insights to help you stay compliant while maximising the benefits for your organisation and the people you support.

Why Sponsor International Care Workers?

Sponsoring skilled workers continues to offer significant advantages:

Workforce stability: Sponsored workers typically remain in-role longer, supporting continuity of care.

Access to skills and commitment: Many sponsored recruits bring valuable qualifications and strong vocational motivation.

Reduced vacancy pressures: Sponsorship can help fill persistent and hard-to-recruit roles.

Positive outcomes for people who draw on care: Consistency of staff improves service quality and relationships.

When done ethically and in line with immigration requirements, sponsorship is a powerful workforce solution.

Understanding Sponsorship Compliance

Holding a sponsor licence comes with clear responsibilities. Employers must:

Ensure roles meet genuine eligible vacancy requirements

Pay at least the minimum salary threshold £25,000 /annum and at least £12.82 for each hour worked

Keep accurate records and reporting on sponsored workers

Monitor attendance, job role, and pay compliance

Failure to meet these expectations can result in licence suspension or revocation, which can have serious consequences for both employers and employees.

Minimum Salary Requirements

Care providers must ensure sponsored roles meet the minimum salary threshold set by immigration rules. While thresholds can change, employers should:

Pay at least the minimum hourly rate AND annual salary requirement (whichever applies)

Ensure pay aligns with job role eligibility under the Skilled Worker route

Avoid reliance on allowances that do not count toward base salary

Never deduct sponsorship costs nor recruitment costs from the workers pay

Regularly reviewing Home Office guidance is essential to stay compliant.

Remember the programme offers Bursaries to help cover the cost of sponsorship.

Working Additional Hours: What Are the Rules?

Sponsored workers can undertake additional work, but restrictions apply:

Extra work must usually be in the same occupation code or be on the Shortage Occupation List

There are limits on the maximum number of weekly additional hours worked which is a max. of 20 hours per week

Work must not interfere with the main sponsored role and the employer must ensure that the sponsored work is still the reality

Employers should carefully check conditions before offering overtime or secondary roles to avoid breaching immigration rules.

If the organisation engages workers that are sponsored by an alternative employer – you can only do this if you are have ensured that the sponsorship is in place (you would do this through references to ensure that the sponsorship still exists they are currently and remain employed by their named sponsor), you have checked Right to Work, through the Home Office share code and the offered work meets the restrictions stated. In the event that the worker no longer works for their named sponsor, additional hours cannot be worked when the sponsored employment is no longer in place. Through monthly supervision meeting organisations should monitor sponsorship status.

Licence Revocation: What Happens Next?

If a sponsor licence is revoked:

The organisation can no longer sponsor workers (new sponsorships)

Sponsored employees may have their visas curtailed (ended), although typically this has been temporarily paused for care workers.

The organisation can continue to temporarily employ existing sponsored workers (those sponsored ahead of revocation), until either a curtailment notice is served, the existing certificate of sponsorship expires, or a Judicial review outcome requires the employment/sponsorship to cease.

There are important nuances for you to understand:

Judicial Review and Ongoing Employment

If an employer challenges a revocation through judicial review, sponsored workers may be able to continue working temporarily, depending on the legal position and Home Office decisions. In the event that the Home Office believe the workers to be significantly disadvantaged or at risk this might influence their decision.

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)

Workers may also continue working until:

Their Certificate of Sponsorship expires, or

A formal curtailment decision is made

This creates a critical window where workers may need support to find alternative sponsors.

It is recommended that workers are encouraged to contact YHIR programme via the website Help for workers whose employer has had their sponsorship licence revoked > NY Resourcing; it is important that they secure long term sponsorship to retain their legal ability to work in the UK.

Support for Displaced Workers

The Yorkshire and Humber International Recruitment Programme (YHIR) is currently funded to provide a matching service for displaced workers—supporting individuals affected by sponsorship issues to connect with new employers.

This service is available until March 2027

It aims to retain skilled workers within the region’s care sector

We encourage employers to engage with this service to support continuity of care and minimise workforce disruption. Contact us: Help for Adult Social Care Employers – Sponsoring Workers > NY Resourcing

As a Home Office Approved Sponsor if you have vacancies that are eligible for sponsorship, the programme can introduce displaced worker to you and provide you with bursaries please get in touch.

Strengthening Practice Through Guidance and Resources

We strongly encourage all care providers to visit:
👉 https://www.yhir.co.uk

The website offers:

Employer guidance on sponsorship and compliance

Best practice resources for ethical international recruitment and sponsorship

Updates on immigration rules and sector developments

Importantly:

The website will be maintained after the programme closes

We welcome your feedback and suggestions to improve and expand the resources available

Your input will help ensure the sector continues to benefit from practical, relevant guidance.

Help for Adult Social Care Employers – Sponsoring Workers > NY Resourcing

Capacity Tracker Update

Workforce resilience is essential for us all, therefore additional questions to identify how sponsorship and wider international workforce routes shapes our Care Sector have been added to the capacity tracker. We encourage employers to complete these, thank you.

Final Thoughts

Sponsorship remains a valuable and viable route to strengthening the adult social care workforce. However, it requires careful management, strong governance, and up-to-date knowledge of immigration rules.

By staying informed and working collaboratively across the sector, we can:

Protect sponsored workers

Maintain high-quality care services

Build a sustainable workforce for the future

Interested in becoming a new Home Office Approved Sponsor? The programme can help you understand what to do, how to meet your sponsorship responsibilities and benefit from a resilient sponsored workforce to help your business retention and growth. The programme provides support and bursaries to help cover the cost too.

If you would like further support or to access the matching service, please connect with YHIR via the website: Yorkshire and Humber Regional International Recruitment Hub > NY Resourcing

Or contact us, we are here to help:

York and North Yorkshire: Makecarematter@northyorks.gov.uk

South Yorkshire including Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, & Sheffield; yhirsouthyorkshire@sheffield.gov.uk

West Yorkshire including Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, & Wakefield; Makecarematter@northyorks.gov.uk

Humber including East Riding, Hull, North Lincs, & North-East Lincs Makecarematter@northyorks.gov.uk