"Our international colleagues deserve clarity over their futures, not to be used as political footballs by politicians"
The General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Professor Nicola Ranger, has called Labour’s plans to make it harder for migrants to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain “immoral” and “a betrayal” of international NHS staff.
In May, Labour announced plans to extend the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain from five to ten years.
The government has also said that claiming benefits will affect applicants’ eligibility. The changes appear to be an attempt to address concerns about immigration stirred by Reform.
RCN research published today shows that 50,000 nurses could leave the NHS due to the changes.
The RCN surveyed over 5,000 migrant nursing staff. The majority (60%) of those who don’t have ILR said that increasing the qualifying period for ILR to 10 years would ‘very likely’ affect their decision to remain in the UK.
The finding suggests more than 46,000 nursing staff could leave the UK.
Ranger, who is also the chief executive of RCN, said: “These proposals are not just immoral; they would be dangerous for our patients. No Minister who has any interest in the success of our health and social care system would press ahead with extending the qualifying period for ILR.”
She added that as the UK fails to grow its domestic nursing workforce, the policy risks losing tens of thousands of highly-skilled nurses.
“Many of those who will soon be applying for ILR came to the UK during the pandemic, at great personal sacrifice. This is no way to repay them and amounts to a betrayal.
“Our international colleagues deserve clarity over their futures, not to be used as political footballs by politicians and left unable to access state support despite working in public services and paying taxes.”
“If the UK government continues to show nursing staff they aren’t welcome here, they shouldn’t be surprised when they decide to leave. The reforms to the UK’s immigration system make their reforms to the NHS less likely to succeed and don’t serve the interest of our patients or nursing staff.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood launched a consultation on changing ILR this afternoon. In her speech to the Commons, Mahmood said that the two million people who arrived in the UK from 2021 will now have to wait 10 years for ILR.
She has said public service workers such as doctors, teachers and nurses could still qualify for ILR after five years.
She said she will also consult on whether asylum seekers who claim benefits should not qualify for ILR for 15 years after their arrival.
Asylum seekers who have claimed benefits for more than a year could be forced to wait 20 years to settle permanently.
Mahmood has said the measures would not apply to those who already have settled status.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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