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This resolution was passed by voting members at Congress 2024.

150,000 Health and Care Worker visas were granted in 2023 (UK Government, 2024). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2023) reports that 50% of all new registrants in 2022-23 were internationally educated. Over 70,000 care workers were also internationally recruited in the same period (Skills for Care, 2023). 

Despite the vital contributions internationally recruited staff make to the health and care sector, the UK Government (2024) has introduced new immigration rules that will separate families and make the UK an unattractive place to live and work. Immigration policy is held by central government and not devolved across the 4 countries. 

From 11 March 2024, care workers will be unable to bring partners and children with them to the UK. Nurses and other health workers with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or British citizenship will also need to meet a new salary threshold of £38,700 to bring family to the UK (NHS Employers, 2024). 

The Cavendish Coalition, a group of health and social care organisations, has called for the government to reverse these changes, warning they will be ‘ruinous’ to staff recruitment and retention and lead to falling care standards across the UK (NHS Employers, 2023). 

These changes will also add to the pressures already placed on internationally recruited staff and their families: 

• application fees for the Health and Care Worker visa were increased by 15% in October 2023, while applications for ILR rose by 20% to £2,885 per person 
• obtaining family visas is already challenging. Members who are single parents often report difficulties in bringing their children to the UK through the ‘sole responsibility’ rule due to the high burden of evidence that is required 
• health workers on temporary visas have a ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition applied to their visa, meaning they cannot access certain benefits, including child support. 

The RCN should continue to lobby the government to abandon these changes. The UK immigration system must value and respect the contribution of internationally educated nursing staff, not separate them from their loved ones.

The reading list for this debate is available .

References

NHS Employers (2024) Impacts of the changes to the UK immigration policy. Available at: https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/impacts-changes-uk-immigration-policy 

NHS Employers (2023) Tightening visa requirements for social care and health workers could be ‘ruinous’ to services, leaders warn. Available at: https://www.nhsemployers.org/news/tightening-visa-requirements-social-care-and-health-workers-could-be-ruinous-services-0 

Nursing and Midwifery Council (2023) Registration data reports. Available at: https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/

Skills for Care (2023) The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England. Available at: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx 

UK Government (2024) Home secretary underlines commitment to cut net migration. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-underlines-commitment-to-cut-net-migration

UK Government (2024) Summary of latest statistics. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2023/summary-of-latest-statistics#why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-to-work