or more if the going rate for theirjob is higher than that. now, from next spring, as we ve been hearing, that minimum salary threshold will rise to £38,700. but there are exceptions in what are called shortage occupations, jobs where there are lots of vacancies which can t be filled by local people. well, not easily, anyway. and since last year, the sector which has seen the most workers come in by that route is, of course, health and social care. the numbers are remarkable. in the year to september, 66,000 people got a conventional skilled worker visa, but in the same period, 144,000 people got a health and care visa, mostly to work in care homes. but many of the foreign workers bring close family with them, too. so if you add dependents to the skilled workers, and the numbers rises to 117,000. but in health and care, the combined figure goes up to 318,000. now that s an additional 174,000 dependants who d no longer be able to come unless the worker earns more than £38,70