Question
I welcome the change for care workers, but may I ask more about those whose five years have not worked out, for one reason or another? The Home Secretary says there will be another five-year route, but I met a care worker the other day who has injured her back because her employer did not respect health and safety rules, and she now cannot do that job. She has a master’s degree in financial management and is a specialist in AI. She knows that she has to work as a care worker, but will she really have to start again once her back has healed?
Answer
The position for those who arrived on the care visa was that they needed to work within the care sector, and I think it is fair to expect those who were unable to meet the terms of that visa to have a second shot at working in the care sector again. A number of jobs are available in the care sector, not all of which require heavy lifting, and I am sure that can be taken into account. The Government will assist care workers who have been unable to meet the terms of their visa to have that second chance at finding appropriate work with a legitimate provider.
Verdict: AMBER (45/100)
The reply sets out the visa's work requirement and says the Government will help care workers who cannot meet it find suitable work with a legitimate provider, so the first part of the question is answered directly. It does not say whether a worker who fails the requirement must restart the five-year route to settlement, which was the specific point asked, and it only implies a response on the injury or ill-health context. Because the central procedural question is left unresolved, the person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Government's policy for care workers whose progress towards the five-year route has not been completed, for reasons such as injury or ill health, and what additional information can be provided about this group? | Addressed | Direct | The reply states the visa's work requirement, explicitly addresses care workers who could not meet its terms, and commits to assisting them to find appropriate work with a legitimate provider, which together set out a policy position for this group. It also notes that some care-sector roles do not involve heavy lifting, which speaks to the injury/ill-health context, though it gives no further data on the group as the item asked. |
| Will a care worker who cannot continue in care work because of a workplace injury have to start the five-year route again once they have recovered? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply says those unable to meet the visa terms should have a 'second shot' and that the Government will help them regain work, but it never says whether such a worker must restart the five-year route, which was the specific question. The reply also does not mention injury, so the answer to the literal question is only implied. |