King's College London

Today the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce publishes the findings from an evaluation of the International Recruitment Fund 2024-25.

This is the third report the Unit has published in relation to international recruitment since the Government added care workers to the Health & Care Worker Visa and Shortage Occupation List (now known as Immigration Salary List) in February 2022. This step was taken in response to significant workforce pressure following the Covid-19 pandemic and allowed service providers to recruit care workers directly from other countries. This recruitment option was ended in July 2025.

Following the introduction of the Health and Care Worker visa the Department for Health and Social Care established the International Recruitment Fund (IRF) through which it allocated funding to regional partnerships across England to support international recruitment. However, following reports of exploitative and unethical recruitment and employment practices, increased legal enforcement activity led to some employers having their sponsorship licences revoked. In response, the focus of the IRF for 2024-25 was on providing support to international workers who became ‘displaced’ and who needed to find new employment and visa sponsorship. This evaluation draws on interviews with regional partnerships, care providers (employers) and international workers and reports key findings relating to: (1) partnership challenges; (2) the success of efforts to find new employment for displaced workers; and (3) ongoing exploitation and wider systemic issues relating to the employment of international workers.

This publication, March 2026

Kharicha, K., & Purcell, C. (2026) Evaluation of the International Recruitment Fund for adult social care for 2024-25, London: NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London. https://doi.org/10.18742/pub01-247

Discussing these findings

Kalpa Kharicha discusses these findings at a webinar on Wednesday 29 April 2026.

Earlier studies in this series

Phase 2 report, January 2025

Kharicha, K., Kessler, I., Steils, N., Samsi, K., & Brown, J. (2025) Evaluation of the International Recruitment Fund for adult social care for 2023-24, London: NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London. https://doi.org/10.18742/pub01-202 News item | Project page

Phase 1 report, October 2023

Kharicha, K., Manthorpe, J., Kessler, I., & Moriarty, J. (2023) Understanding the impact of changes to the UK Health and Care Visa System on the adult social care workforce in England, Phase 1: The Visa Study. London: NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King's College London. https://doi.org/10.18742/pub01-145 News item | Project page.