Immigration rule changes could impact social care and horticulture in Lincolnshire

Care for older and vulnerable people and food production could be impacted by proposed changes to immigration rules, say local experts.

Lincolnshire Care Association chairman Melanie Weatherley is calling on the Government to think carefully on its planned changes to ensure that it does not place further strain on the already under pressure social care and the NHS.

Mrs Weatherley wants to challenge the ‘cheap labour’ perception of overseas workers but added that years of under-investment has resulted in low wages which do not attract UK-based workers.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his Government’s plans on how to cut immigration which includes altering the rules around work visas - including axing care worker visa - along with tough language requirements.

Immigration has been placed under the national spotlight since the rise of Reform in the local elections. New Greater Lincolnshire mayor Andrea Jenkyns called for illegal immigrants to be housed in tents moments after her win was announced.

Social care is another important issue - which contributes to long waits in our hospitals as clinicians are unable to discharge patients safely - but has failed to capture the national imagination.

Speaking on the new white paper, Mrs Weatherley said: “In Lincolnshire we are especially aware of the sensitivities around this issue, and we recognise the need to properly control immigration numbers. But we urge the government to implement changes in a carefully planned and managed way; if these changes are rushed through, there is a risk that social care services that are already under enormous stress will be forced to close, causing harm to the NHS and family carers.

“We wish to challenge the notion that overseas carers are brought in as ‘cheap labour’. In Lincolnshire we are fortunate to have a great many international colleagues working in our care system who are highly skilled, and who have high levels of compassion and commitment. We sincerely hope that the announcements do not make them feel undervalued.

“The Prime Minister says if you can work, you should work, and we support him in this. We would like to be able to employ more UK-based care workers, but at present the level of pay is unattractive following long years of under-investment in our sector.

“To make a career in care more attractive to British workers, we need to recognise the importance of carers by giving them the right pay, conditions and training. Improving the pay of care workers will of course require an increase in funding via local authorities and the NHS.”

Horticulture is another Lincolnshire industry which has a requirement for seasonal workers with local leaders previously stating that it would not operate without migrant labour.

Gabriella Gregory, NFU county adviser and regional horticulture lead, said: "Access to a skilled and motivated workforce has been a major concern for many of our South Lincolnshire farmers and growers and has led to significant challenges for family farms here and across the country.

"The NFU lobbied to secure 43,000 visas for the horticulture sector to do this temporary, seasonal work this year with another 2,000 visas for the poultry sector and we await further details on the number of visas available for 2026 to 2029.

"We will scrutinise the Government's Immigration White Paper to see if there will be any impact for our family farms going forward."

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