From 9 April, care providers who want to recruit a new worker from overseas will first have to prove that they have attempted to recruit a worker from within England who needs new sponsorship.

The change is designed to ensure that those who came to the UK to pursue a career in adult social care can do so and will help end the reliance on overseas recruitment.

The government has been working with the care sector to ensure high standards across the immigration system, and to support care workers into alternative jobs when their sponsor has had their licence removed

Seema Malhotra, minister for migration and citizenship, said: "Those who have come to the UK to support our adult care sector should have the opportunity to do so, free from abuse and exploitation.

"We have already taken action to ensure employers are not able to flout the rules with little consequence or exploit international workers for costs they were always supposed to pay.

"We are now going further, requiring employers in England to prioritise recruiting international care workers who are already here and seeking new sponsorship, before recruiting from overseas."

Stephen Kinnock, minister of state for care, said: "International care workers play a vital role in our social care workforce. We value their contribution and work supporting vulnerable people across the country every day.

"As we crack down on shameful rogue operators exploiting overseas workers here in the UK, we must do all we can to get the victims back into rewarding careers in adult social care.

"Prioritising care workers who are already in the UK will get people back to work reducing our reliance on international recruitment, and make sure our social care sector has the care professionals it needs."