Economy
UK Introduces New Visa Rules For Care Workers, Raises Salary To £25,000 Per Year

UK Introduces New Visa Rules For Care Workers, Raises Salary To £25,000 Per Year
UK introduces new Visa rules for care workers, raises salary to £25,000 per year. The UK government has announced new visa regulations affecting care workers, employers, and international students as part of efforts to curb immigration and promote local hiring.
Starting April 9, care providers must first attempt to recruit foreign workers already residing in the UK who require new visa sponsorship before hiring from abroad, according to measures introduced in Parliament on Wednesday.
Additionally, the salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas will rise from £23,200 to £25,000 per year (£12.82 per hour) to match the increasing minimum wage.
Prioritizing Existing Care Workers in the UK
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, emphasized the importance of international care workers while highlighting the need to crack down on exploitative recruitment practices.
“We must ensure victims of exploitation can rebuild their careers in adult social care while reducing reliance on international recruitment,” he stated.
Tighter Rules on Short-Term Student Visas
The UK government is also tightening regulations on short-term student visas amid concerns of system abuse. Foreign students taking English language courses for six to 11 months will face stricter scrutiny, with caseworkers granted more power to reject applications suspected of misuse.
Crackdown on Immigration Violations
These changes follow tougher enforcement against businesses breaching immigration laws.
Between July 2022 and December 2024, the UK revoked over 470 sponsor licenses in the care sector due to repeated violations. Employers failing to comply now face bans on hiring foreign workers.

UK Introduces New Visa Rules
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting international workers from exploitation and ensuring fair recruitment practices.
Drop in Visa Applications
The new restrictions have led to a sharp decline in foreign worker and student visa applications. Between April and December 2024, applications fell by 42%, from 942,500 in 2023 to 547,000.
Health and care worker visas saw the biggest drop, plummeting by 79% from 299,800 in 2023 to 63,800 in 2024.
Economy
Kaduna State Government Urges Residents To Obtain Building Approvals

Kaduna State Government Urges Residents To Obtain Building Approvals
Kaduna State Government urges residents to obtain building approvals. Mr Yahya said the engagement was to sensitise the traditional leaders to the need to encourage their communities to secure development permits.
The Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KASUPDA) has urged the residents of Kujama District in Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) to obtain proper building approvals in compliance with the extant urban development regulations.
Abdurrahman Yahya, director-general of the KASUPDA, gave the advice during a stakeholders’ engagement held at the palace of the Kujama District Head.
Mr Yahya said the engagement was to sensitise the traditional leaders to the need to encourage their communities to secure development permits.
He stressed that the state government remained committed to assisting the residents in the process.
Mr Yahya bemoaned that some areas in the district, including Byagi Villa, Romi, Sabon Tasha and Gwanin-Gora, had been approved for regularisation. Yet, the turnout for obtaining approvals remained low.
“We are appealing to the traditional and religious leaders to extend this message to their people so that everyone can secure their development approvals.
“This will enhance proper planning, safety and security in the district and across the state,” he said.

Kaduna State Government
Responding, Stephen Ibrahim, the district head of Kujama, pledged to mobilise his people for compliance.
He announced plans to hold a meeting with the community members and other stakeholders to discuss the issue.
Mr Ibrahim also commended Governor Uba Sani for his inclusive approach to governance and praised KASUPDA for its open-door policy in engaging with the communities.
Economy
NERC Transfers Plateau State Electricity Oversight To State Regulator

NERC Transfers Plateau State Electricity Oversight To State Regulator
NERC transfers Plateau state electricity oversight to state regulator. Plateau is the 11th state that has obtained NERC’s order of transfer of regulatory oversight.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued an order to transfer regulatory oversight of the electricity market in Plateau to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC).
In a statement on its X handle on Friday, the commission said the transfer was in compliance with the amended constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFN) and the Electricity Act (EA) 2023 as Amended.
The commission said that with the EA 2023, it retained the role of a central regulator overseeing interstate/international generation, transmission, supply, trading and system operations.
”The EA also mandates any state that intends to establish and regulate intrastate electricity markets to deliver a formal notification of its processes and requests to NERC.
“The request is to transfer regulatory authority over electricity operations to the state regulator.
”Based on this, the government of Plateau complied with the conditions precedent in the laws, duly notified NERC and requested the transfer of regulatory oversight of the intrastate electricity market,” it said.
According to the commission, the transfer order has certain provisions.
“It directed Jos Electricity Distribution (JED) to incorporate a subsidiary (JED SubCo) to assume responsibilities for intrastate supply and distribution of electricity in Plateau from JED. It said that JED shall complete the incorporation of JED SubCo within 60 days from March 12.
“The sub-company shall apply for and obtain a licence for the intrastate supply and distribution of electricity from PSERC, among other directives.

NERC
”All transfers envisaged by this order shall be completed by September 12,” it said.
Plateau is the 11th state that has obtained NERC’s order of transfer of regulatory oversight.
The other 10 states include Enugu, Ekiti, Ondo, Imo, Oyo, Edo, Kogi, Lagos, Ogun, and Niger.
Economy
Kaduna Government Unveils Electric Vehicle Initiative For Workers

Kaduna Government Unveils Electric Vehicle Initiative For Workers
Kaduna Government unveils electric vehicle initiative for workers. He said, additionally, the civil servants would enjoy a 50 per cent discount on the charging costs.
Kaduna State Government has launched an electric vehicle (EV) initiative aimed at providing civil servants in the state with affordable and eco-friendly transportation.
The scheme was unveiled at Murtala Square, Kaduna, on Friday by Governor Uba Sani, represented by his deputy, Hadiza Balarabe.
Mr Sani said that the scheme offered tricycles and electric motorcycles through subsidised loans, with repayments deducted instalmentally from the workers’ salaries.
He emphasised the state government’s commitment to easing the recurring transportation challenges for civil servants while promoting eco-friendly mobility.
He said that the scheme was a partnership between the state government, the Nigerian Labour Congress, Paynacle Digital Services Limited, and Optimus Bank.
According to Mr Sani, the initiative seeks to ease the transportation challenges of the workers while promoting clean energy.
The managing director, Bashir Ibrahim, said to ensure the project’s sustainability, Paynacle Digital Services planned to establish EV charging stations and maintenance hubs across Kaduna’s three senatorial districts.

Government Unveils Electric Vehicle
He also revealed that 10,000 electric motorcycles would be made available for the workers, while over 2,000 jobs would be created in assembly, maintenance, and technical support.
He said, additionally, the civil servants would enjoy a 50 per cent discount on the charging costs.
The official hailed Mr Sani’s administration for making Kaduna the first state to implement a large-scale electric mobility project for the workers.
He said that this aligned with the efforts to improve transportation, create jobs, and reduce carbon emissions.
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