CARE workers will not be eligible for the UK government’s new post-Brexit health visas, the Home Office has confirmed. 

The government said that this was because they wanted to try and encourage more UK based workers into care jobs. 

"We want employers to invest more in training and development for care workers in this country," the prime minister's official spokesman said.

"On care workers specifically, our independent migration advisers have said that immigration is not the sole answer here, which is why we have provided councils with an additional £1.5bn of funding for social care in 2021-22, as well as launching a new recruitment campaign."

Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds posted on Twitter: "What does this government have against care workers?

"The latest papers on the proposed immigration system confirm that the Tories do not consider carers as skilled workers.

"Have they learned nothing from this crisis? We will be seeking urgent clarification on this."

Donald Macaskill, the head of Scottish Care tweeted: "What an utter slap in the face for the #care sector from @pritipatel who thought care workers were #lowskilled in February and clearly their #COVID19 professionalism hasn’t changed her mind. Shameful lack of value of #socialcare."

The row came as the Home Office published further details of the new points based immigration system, which will kick in on January 1 next year when the UK’s transition period out of the EU ends.

It sets out a number of requirements from overseas nationals from both EU and non-EU countries seeking to come and work in the UK, including strict English-language conditions, and a minimum threshold for salary.

All applicants will need to be coming to the UK to work on a job that pays at least £25,600 for a skilled workers, although this falls to £20,480 both for people near the start of their careers, and for some people in the health and education sectors.

In a written ministerial statement to the House of Commons, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "At a time where an increased number of people across the UK are looking for work, the new points-based system will encourage employers to invest in the domestic UK workforce, rather than simply relying on labour from abroad.

"But we are also making necessary changes, so it is simpler for employers to attract the best and brightest from around the world to come to the UK to complement the skills we already have."

The new rules also mean that anyone sentenced to more than a year in jail could be banned from entering Britain under new immigration rules.

Those who are already in the UK could now be targeted for deportation.

The change would mean criminals from the European Union are treated the same as those from non-EU countries.

Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie said the policy would be “devastating for Scotland." 

He added: “This idiotic tory immigration plan will come as a hammer blow to the Scottish economy at a time when the coronavirus crisis and the impact of Brexit are already causing so much damage. 

“From the NHS to social care, and agriculture to tourism immigrants play a fundamental role in Scotland’s economy. 

“But more importantly the social and cultural benefits of welcoming people from around the world is clear. Immigrants are our friends, our neighbours and our families. And the message the UK Government is sending them – that they are not welcome - is shameful.

“It’s becoming clearer every week that most people in Scotland believe that we must take our future into our own hands. Scotland can do so much better, and I look forward to the day soon when we build a welcoming immigration system in an independent Scotland.” 

The SNP’s immigration spokesman, Stuart McDonald said the the new system would lead to families being “ripped apart”. 

He described it as a “totally ludicrous proposal.”