Up to 50,000 nurses, many of them Romanian, could leave the UK because of the government's immigration proposals, plunging the NHS into the biggest workforce crisis in history, writes The Guardian.
Nurses, in danger of losing their jobs PHOTO: X
Union leaders say the proposed changes are immoral and could jeopardize patient safety in the event of a staff exodus.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to reduce net migration, with plans to make migrants wait up to 10 years to apply to settle in the UK, instead of automatically gaining resident status after five years.
The measures, which also include plans to raise qualifications requirements for foreign workers to the level of a university degree and raise the English language standards required for all types of visas, including dependents, are seen as an attempt to combat the rise of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Sources close to the matter said a public consultation on the plans is expected soon.
Healthcare leaders told the Guardian the plans are “immoral” and treat highly skilled migrants as “political footballsThey said a mass exodus of nurses would jeopardize patient safety and thwart government efforts to reduce waiting times.
All sectors of the economy are affected
Under the proposals, migrant workers in all sectors of the economy would be affected. However, the worst impact would be in the health services sector, which is already facing the pressure of increasing demand for medical care amid staff shortages.
A survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), consulted by the Guardian, found that the plans have caused deep unease among foreign staff in the NHS and social services.
There are more than 200,000 foreign nurses, around 25% of the total UK workforce of 794,000. The government's proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) have sparked concern, with many considering leaving the UK permanently, the survey suggests.
Almost one in ten healthcare staff working in the UK could be affected by the proposed changes. According to government data, 76,876 people have obtained visas since 2021 and would currently be eligible for permanent resident status after five years. However, plans to double this period to ten years have put their future in jeopardy.
In the survey of over 5,000 migrant healthcare workers, 60% of those without ILRs said that this change could “very likely” affect their plans to stay in the UK. The results suggest that more than 46,000 people could leave the UK permanently.
Prof. Nicola Ranger, General Secretary and Executive Director of the RCN, said: “These proposals are not only immoral, they would be dangerous to our patients. No minister who has any interest in the success of our health and social care system would go ahead with extending the ILR qualifying period.”
She called for the plans to be scrapped and said they risked worsening the NHS workforce crisis, threatening patient safety and thwarting efforts to reduce waiting times for treatment. “At a time when the government is failing to boost the domestic healthcare workforce, it risks driving tens of thousands of highly skilled nurses out of the UK”she said.
The proposals also represent a “betrayal” of migrant health workers, Ranger said, with many without an ILR coming to the UK to support the response to the Covid-19 crisis and help in its aftermath, and now face uncertainty.
Worry in the system
“Many of those who will soon be applying for ILR have come to the UK during the pandemic at great personal sacrifice. This is no way to reward their efforts and is tantamount to betrayal. Our international colleagues deserve clarity about their futures, not to be used as a political football by politicians and unable to benefit from state support despite working in the public service and paying tax.“
Without ILR, migrant medical staff cannot easily change jobs, with their visas tying them to their employers, which Ranger says has led to exploitation in the welfare system.
The proposals would also bar them from accessing social benefits such as child benefit and disability benefits for ten years, despite paying tax. “If the government continues to show medical staff that they are not welcome here, they should not be surprised when they decide to leave.”
According to the survey, the proposals caused great concern among migrant nurses. It was found that 53% were “extremely concerned” regarding their financial security, 52% were extremely concerned about the impact on their family and 49% were extremely concerned about the impact on their career.
The survey suggests these plans could reduce the number of foreign workers willing to come to the UK in the future. Only 11% of respondents said they would have migrated further if the settlement period had been 10 years.
The RCN is also calling on the government to reduce application fees for ILR, which remain at £3,029 per person despite an estimated processing cost of £523. In 2003 the fee was just £155. The government spokesman said: “We are grateful to our overseas health workers who bring compassion, deliver high-quality care and strengthen our health services, but net migration must fall. As the Home Secretary has set out, under the new settlement model we are proposing, people will have the opportunity to reduce the qualifying period for settlement and citizenship based on their contribution to the UK economy and society. We will soon launch the consultation and encourage health and care workers to participate in it.”
