New visa rules dubbed ‘cruel’ and a risk to health and care

Nursing leaders have accused the UK Government of cruelty and endangering health and social care services, after it announced a host of measures to curb the number of immigrant workers.

Home secretary James Cleverly has this week confirmed plans to cut immigration by reducing the number of people who can bring dependents to the country, “tighten” requirements for the Health and Care Visa, change the shortage occupation list and hike salary requirements.

It follows earlier rumours that such proposals were coming, as reported by Nursing Times.

Royal College of Nursing chief nurse Professor Nicola Ranger accused Mr Cleverly of “tearing apart families to score political points”, and dubbed the policy proposals “cruel”.

"This cruel sanction will deter care workers from coming to the UK, adding to dire workforce shortages in social care and ultimately piling even more pressure on an overburdened NHS"

Nicola Ranger

“This cruel sanction will deter care workers from coming to the UK, adding to dire workforce shortages in social care and ultimately piling even more pressure on an overburdened NHS,” Professor Ranger continued.

“The home secretary admitted in his own announcement in the [House of Commons] that health workers with families will be put off joining our short-staffed health and care services.”

Mr Cleverly acknowledged that “perhaps” someone with a family “might be dissuaded” because of the new restrictions, after a question from another MP.  

The home secretary’s proposed measures would also mean that, in England, only care providers that are regulated by the Care Quality Commission will be allowed to sponsor migrant workers.

Mr Cleverly announced the replacement of the shortage occupation list – which lowers some entry criteria for professions listed – with a new 'immigration salary list' which would, the Home Office said, “retain a general threshold discount”.

He said the Migration Advisory Committee would be asked to reduce the number of occupations on the new list.

Currently, nurses and nursing auxiliaries and assistants are included in the shortage occupation list.

Meanwhile, Mr Cleverly also announced an increase of the immigration health surcharge, a fee paid yearly by migrants to the UK to pay for the NHS, from £624 to £1,035.

Mr Cleverly would, further, increase the earning threshold for overseas workers – or a sponsor bringing someone over – from £26,200 to £38,700 and ask the Migration Advisory Committee to “review” the graduate visa route.

Those on a Health and Care Visa are exempted from the salary threshold change, under the current proposals.

All these together, the home secretary said, would mean 300,000 fewer people being able to enter the country per year.

Professor Ranger continued: “Anything that limits or deters nursing staff from coming to the UK – including any changes to the shortage occupations list – will only add to the dire workforce crisis in the health and care sector.

“The new salary threshold is higher than an average nurse's wage. If they change nursing's place on the exemption list, this will hit hard on the NHS.

“Faced with such significant staff shortages, we must be open to ethical international recruitment while significantly increasing investment in domestic nursing education.”

Christina McAnea, general secretary of public services union Unison, also accused the government of cruelty with its new plans, and said: “They benefit no one.”

Ms McAnea, whose union represents care workers and nursing staff, added: “Migrant workers were encouraged to come here because both [health and social care] sectors are critically short of staff. Hospitals and care homes simply couldn't function without them.

"There’s also a global shortage of healthcare staff. Migrants will now head to more-welcoming countries, rather than be forced to live without their families.”

She further accused Mr Cleverly of playing politics, and in particular attempting to “placate” the right-wing of his party.

“If ministers stopped ducking the difficult issues, and reformed social care as they've long promised, there wouldn't be such a shortage of workers,” Ms McAnea added.

"None of this is rocket science. Fund care properly and raise wages, and the sector becomes a more attractive place to work. But take away the migrant workers currently stopping care from going under and it collapses."

A Unison spokesperson said it was waiting on further clarity from the government on whether internationally-trained nurses would be impacted by the new rules.

Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers added: “It’s vital that overseas health and care staff continue to view the UK as a viable place to work and live.

“With over 120,000 staff shortages in the NHS and over 150,000 in social care, measures that deter people from joining these professions are deeply concerning.

“The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is clear that international recruitment will continue to play a key role in the NHS’s future, alongside domestic training.”

Ms Deakin said that it was important the UK remained “attractive” to health and care workers trained overseas, and added: “The contributions of overseas staff are vital, and recently helped the government reach its target to recruit 50,000 extra nurses earlier than expected.

“But we can’t rely on overseas workers alone to plug the staffing gaps. More must also be done to recruit, develop and retain a sustainable UK workforce.

“For this to happen, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan must be fully funded by the government.”

In his announcement, Mr Cleverly claimed that net migration "remains far too high".

He added: "By leaving the European Union we gained control over who can come to the UK, but far more must be done to bring those numbers down so British workers are not undercut and our public services put under less strain.

“My plan will deliver the biggest ever reduction in net migration and will mean around 300,000 people who came to the UK last year would not have been able to do so.

"I am taking decisive action to halt the drastic rise in our work visa routes and crack down on those who seek to take advantage of our hospitality.”