Royal College of Nursing says non-EEA nurses face deportation under immigration rules requirements
Changes to immigration rules will risk intensifying the severe shortage of nurses in the UK, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said yesterday.
Image credit: UK GovernmentThe RCN research, available here, says that the majority of non-EEA nurses would not reach the immigration rules' required earnings of £35,000 after six years and, therefore, will have to leave the UK.
The RCN report notes: "As of 6 April 2012, the immigration rules were amended by the Statement of Changes HC1888 on 15 March 2012. These changes state that any nurse who entered the UK after 6 April 2011 on a tier 2 visa will need to earn £35,000 to apply for indefinite leave to remain. Under the new rules a nurse may only remain in the UK for a maximum of 6 years if the high income threshold is not satisfied."
Under the previous immigration rules (Rule 245HF), there was no income threshold and a nurse simply needed to be paid the relevant salary for the position.
According to the RCN, up to 3,365 nurses currently working in the UK will potentially be affected. The RCN estimates that it will have cost the NHS over £20 million to recruit them. By 2020, the number of nurses affected by the threshold will be almost 7,000.
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN said: "The immigration rules for health care workers will cause chaos for the NHS and other care services. At a time when demand is increasing, the UK is perversely making it harder to employ staff from overseas. The NHS has spent millions hiring nurses from overseas in order to provide safe staffing levels. These rules will mean that money has just been thrown down the drain."
He continued: "The UK will be sending away nurses who have contributed to the health service for six years. Losing their skills and knowledge and then having to start the cycle again and recruit to replace them is completely illogical. NHS trusts are being asked to provide safe staffing with both hands tied behind their backs. Without a change to these immigration rules the NHS will continue to pay millions of pounds to temporarily rent nurses from overseas."
In response, a Home Office spokesman told the Guardian: "As the prime minister has made clear, the government wants to reduce the demand for migrant labour. There are exemptions to this threshold for occupations where the UK has a shortage – but the independent Migration Advisory Committee recommended against adding nurses to the shortage occupation list after taking evidence from groups, including the RCN."
"Employers have had since 2011 to prepare for the possibility their non-EEA workers may not meet the required salary threshold to remain in the UK permanently."