Up to 50,000 nurses could quit UK over immigration plans, survey suggests | Nursing

Research suggests up to 50,000 nurses could leave England over government immigration proposals, plunging the NHS into its biggest ever workforce crisis.

Keir Starmer has vowed to curb net migration by planning to force immigrants to wait up to 10 years to apply to settle in the UK, rather than automatically gaining settled status after five years.

The measures, which also include plans to raise skill requirements for foreign workers to degree level and raise English language standards required for all types of visas, including for dependents, are seen as an attempt to combat the rise of Nigel Farage’s UK Reform party. Sources said a public consultation on the plans is expected soon.

Nursing leaders told the Guardian the plans were “immoral” and treated highly skilled migrants like a “political football”. They said a mass exodus of nurses would threaten patient safety and derail government efforts to reduce waiting times.

Under the proposals, migrant workers in every sector of the economy will be affected. But the most serious impact will be on the health service, which is already strained under the pressure of increasing demand for care due to staff shortages.

A survey conducted by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and reviewed by the Guardian found that the plans have caused deep distress among foreign NHS and social care staff.

There are more than 200,000 internationally trained nursing staff; this accounts for around 25% of the UK’s total workforce of 794,000 people. The government’s proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) have triggered alarm and many people are now considering leaving the UK altogether, according to the survey.

Almost one in 10 of all nursing staff working in the UK could be affected by the proposed changes. Government figures show 76,876 people have received visas since 2021 and will now qualify for settled status after five years. However, plans to double this period to ten years put their future in jeopardy.

In the RCN’s survey of more than 5,000 expat nursing staff, 60% of those without an ILR said it was “very likely” that the change would affect their plans to stay in the UK. The findings suggest more than 46,000 could leave the UK permanently.

RCN general secretary and chief executive Prof Nicola Ranger said: “These proposals are not only immoral, they are also dangerous for our patients. No minister concerned with the success of our health and social care system would push for an extension of the time period for qualifying for ILR.”

He called for the plans to be scrapped, saying they otherwise risk deepening the NHS workforce crisis, threatening patient safety and derailing efforts to cut treatment waiting times. “At a time when the government is failing to grow the domestic nursing workforce, there is a risk of pushing tens of thousands of highly skilled nurses out of the UK,” he said.

Ranger said the proposals also amounted to a “betrayal” of migrant care staff, with many of those without ILR coming to the UK to support the response to the Covid-19 crisis and its aftermath and now facing uncertainty.

“Many of the soon-to-be ILR applicants came to the UK at great personal sacrifice during the pandemic. This is no way to repay them and amounts to treason. Our international colleagues deserve clarity about their future, not to be used as a political football by politicians and left unable to access government support despite working in public services and paying taxes.”

Without ILR, migrant nursing staff cannot move between jobs easily because their visas tie them to their employers, and Ranger says this leads to exploitation in the social care system.

The proposals would also prevent them from receiving government support such as child benefit and disability alimony for ten years, despite paying taxes. “If the government continues to show nurses that they are not welcome here, they should not be surprised when they decide to leave.”

The proposals have caused serious distress among immigrant nurses, according to the survey. According to the survey, 53 percent of respondents are “extremely concerned” about their financial security, 52 percent are extremely concerned about the damage to their families, and 49 percent are extremely concerned about the impact on their careers.

The survey suggests the plans could reduce the pool of foreign workers wanting to come to the UK in the future. Only 11% of those surveyed said they would still migrate if the road to settlement took 10 years.

The RCN is also calling on the government to cut ILR application fees, which remain at £3,029 per person despite the estimated processing cost being £523. In 2003 the fee was just £155.

A government spokesman said: “We are grateful to our frontline overseas healthcare workers who bring compassion, deliver high-quality care and strengthen our health service, but net migration needs to reduce.

“As the Home Secretary has stated, under our proposed new settlement model, individuals will have the opportunity to shorten the time to settlement and citizenship based on their contribution to the UK economy and society. We will launch the consultation shortly and encourage health and care workers to participate once it is launched.”