Health and Care Worker extensions keep rising despite fewer new visas
22 May 2026
If you are already in the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa, you are part of a large and growing group extending their stay.
The Home Office published quarterly immigration statistics on 21 May 2026, covering the year ending March 2026. The figures show 328,232 extension grants on the Health and Care Worker route, up 25% compared to the year ending March 2025. The report confirms that "extension grants for both the Health and Care Worker...routes continued to increase over the latest year." At the same time, new entry clearance visas on the route fell 38% to 42,658 overall, with main applicants down 53%.
The rise in extensions reflects people who came to the UK during the peak recruitment years of 2022 and 2023 now renewing their visas, while new overseas recruitment has slowed sharply following policy changes from 2024 and the end of overseas care worker recruitment in July 2025.
If your current visa is approaching its end date, check when you need to apply for an extension and confirm your employer's sponsor licence is still active. Extensions must be applied for before your existing visa expires.
Sources: