Sponsor records · Official guidance · Checked 22 September 2026
Care-worker route: current status for sponsors (2026)
Overseas recruitment for care worker and senior care worker roles closed on 22 July 2025. The route did not disappear: in-country switching and extensions continue until 22 July 2028, which makes this a transitional population with a planning boundary rather than a closed file. Checked 22 September 2026.
Last updated .
Route status register
What is closed, what remains open
On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Position | Status and date | Source | Record question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment from overseas, SOC 6135 and 6136 | Closed from 22 July 2025 | No new certificate of sponsorship may be assigned for these codes to a recruit outside the UK. Check the code and the applicant’s location before assigning, not afterwards. | |
| Switching and extensions inside the UK | Open until 22 July 2028 | Identify which of your sponsored workers depend on this transitional route. Treat 22 July 2028 as a planning boundary for the route, never as an expiry date on any individual’s permission. | |
| English language level | B2 for new Skilled Worker applicants from 8 January 2026; existing care workers renewing continue at B1 | A difference between new applicants and renewals is easy to get wrong in a spreadsheet. Record which basis an application was made on rather than applying one rule across the whole group. | |
| CQC registration for the sponsor | Standing requirement | Sponsorship in these codes depends on the sponsor being registered with the relevant regulator. Keep the registration evidence current; it is a licence-level record, not a worker-level one. |
Checked 22 September 2026. This page describes the position for employers holding or seeking a licence in these occupation codes. It does not assess any individual’s eligibility, and transitional arrangements carry conditions not reproduced here. The dates are route dates; a worker’s permission runs on the dates in that worker’s own documents.
The mistake to avoid
A route date is not a permission date
July 2028 is when a transitional arrangement is currently expected to end, not when anyone’s visa expires.
The practical risk is a review date generated from a policy boundary and then treated as a personal deadline, which produces both false urgency and a record that contradicts the worker’s documents. For what a worker record should actually hold, see visa expiry tracking, and for the wider picture the white paper tracker.
- Keep each worker’s permission expiry from that worker’s own evidence, not from the route boundary.
- Flag which workers rely on transitional switching, so the planning question has a population attached to it.
- Record the basis and date of each application rather than assuming the group is uniform.
- Recheck the route guidance before planning around 2028; transitional arrangements have moved before.
How to use this page
This is a dated, manually checked summary of published official sources, not a live feed and not a complete statement of immigration law. Figures, deadlines and paragraph references were correct against the sources cited on 22 September 2026 and change without notice. Always open the primary source before acting, and refer questions about an individual worker to a solicitor or a regulated immigration adviser. Soteriaa sells document and record-tracking software and makes no compliance determination. Soteriaa provides document and workflow tools, not legal assistance or compliance advice. It helps organise records, evidence and deadlines; it does not determine compliance, certify records or submit official reports on your behalf. You review the information and remain responsible for required checks and submissions.