Immigration rules to be relaxed for non-EU doctors and nurses

Immigration rules to be relaxed for non-EU doctors and nurses

Looks like the government is planning to exclude doctors and nurses from the 20,700 annual Tier 2 visa cap, given that in February there were 35,000 nurse vacancies and 10,000 doctor posts unfilled in NHS England, yet 2,360 Tier 2 visas for doctors were refused in a 5-month period earlier this year, because the monthly Tier 2 cap had been reached (https://www.ft.com/content/3eb607a4-6b0f-11e8-b6eb-4acfcfb08c11).

However, it doesn't say when this will come into effect... the article just says it's a 'proposed change'.

Just saw them talking about it on the BBC in the breakroom.

Thank heavens!

Good news! 

Those on the UK's Shortage Occupation List always get a CoS for a visa in the monthly allocation held on the 11th, because jobs on the SOL get 130 extra points. If doctors are not getting a CoS, it is because the job they want is not on the SOL.

Nurses always get a CoS for their visa because all nurses are on the SOL, but unlike the others on the Shortage Occupation List, those not using the EU routes to the UK must have a Resident Labour Market Test. I assume that all nurses being put on the SOL,  was done so that these do not have to meet the minimum earrings requirment for ILR. The UK wants to keep the high earners, those on the Shortage Occupation List and those doing a PhD level job.

Those doing a PhD level job always get a visa too, because they get 70 extra points added on to the points for their salary.

For all the rest who want this work visa, for non-NHS jobs too, the allocation goes by the salary they will get paid. The higher the salary, the more points they get, the better the chance of getting a CoS that is needed for this work visa. The lower points may have to keep trying each month, but each RLMT only allows 5 tries (5 months) if their employer will wait that long. The cap is about 2000 allowed each month and can be changed annualy as needed. The UK recently decided not to raise the cap.

What has been happening over the past six months, is what I said before on here, that NHS England has been on a drive to recruit those on their SOL and these always get a visa, which means less visas for everyone else in the monthly allocation. It's better for the UK to use visas than to have people in the UK on the EU rules and it was expected that all the other doctors will be excluded from the monthly cap for a while, to allow NHS England  (or any of the other 3 NHS) to recruit all the doctors they want to.

What we have seen on the forums over the last few months, is doctors who want a job that is not SOL, then apply for a job that is on the SOL, just to be able to get a visa to come to the UK. These were telling other doctors to apply for a job as an  Emergency Doctor as that is on the SOL. Then once in the UK, they can apply for the job they wanted, they are still subject to the RLMT, but won't have to be part of the monthly cap.

This NHS England drive has meant that the lower earner, in non-NHS jobs too, who is not on the SOL or doing a PhD job, can’t have a visa. Those on a salary of 50k plus, don’t seem to have much of a problem getting their CoS for a visa. It’s those with the lower salaries (lower points) who keep applying for months. Then they get joined every month by not only others on lower points, but also by those who will have the higher points to get their visa, which means less spare for those with the lower points.

With all the NHS Shortage Occupation List out of the cap for a while too, as well as all the other doctors who want to move ot the UK, it will be an immediate help to the rest who are not recruited by the NHS and who are in the 40 – 50 points range (40k – 50k earnings). Those with lower points (lower salary) might still have to wait for a while and will still have to meet the earnings requirement to get IRL, or will have to leave if they can’t find another route to stay.


Every month, immigrationboards have a thread for those wanting a visa to the UK. Some of the lower earners have been applying for 6 months: trying to return to their British boyfriend on this visa: had been on a Tier 2 ICT dependant visa for years and as that was now timed out, they were hoping to keep their family in the UK on a visa that would allow them all to settle; and those who just want to have a chance to settle in  the UK.

Sirius, curious about this:

My BIL and SIL are moving to the UK in August where she'll be working as a consultant for the NHS.  BIL is British.  SIL is Irish.

Think there is a chance that her job could be in jeopardy come Brexit?  I bet they haven't even considered this.  BIL does NOT work and would not be able to sponsor her under UK rules.

Sirius, curious about this:

My BIL and SIL are moving to the UK in August where she'll be working as a consultant for the NHS.  BIL is British.  SIL is Irish.

Think there is a chance that her job could be in jeopardy come Brexit?  I bet they haven't even considered this.  BIL does NOT work and would not be able to sponsor her under UK rules.

She always have options for a skilled worker visa, even if they don't have the money for the savings route as a spouse.

Irish citizens coming to the UK from Ireland, are covered under an agreement that the UK made for the Irish government years ago. But it is only an agreement and that's why I don't understand why these Irish citizens who want to live in the UK, didn't apply for British citizenship as soon as they could. Look what happend to the Austalians who had that agreement for years and then the UK stopped it.     

The Irish government have asked if the UK will still keep this agreement after Brexit. It's nothing to do with the EU as far as the UK is concerned and the UK have said they will. However, whether the likes of France, or Poland and the rest of the Eastern European countries who have high numbers move to the UK under the EU's "Free Movement", will still allow the Republic of Ireland to have that after Brexit if their citizens can't, is another matter. The EU has equality laws.

If she is coming from the US, then she is under the EU "Free Movement" as an EEA citizen exercising "treaty rights" in another EEA country (she will be working in the UK). Like all other EEA citizens in the UK who don't have/can't get Brtrish citizenship, she will have to see what is agreed.

When the Leave vote came in, there was quite a lot of talk about how the UK had been careless in checking where Irish citizens came from and how they expected that to change. We have already seen that start to happen. One appeared on the benefits boards because all the benefits he had been claiming for a few years when he arrived from the US, ended when the benefits office realised he was on EU rules. When it was explained why, he said it didn't matter as he "got together" with a British citizen before 2012 and therefore the UK would have to give him Brtish citizenship as he had been with her for 3 years.

We are even seeing posts about the passport office now, refusing to renew  a British passport to some EEA citizens, because the passport had been issued in error as they are not a British citizen.  Quite a few eastern europeans posting about this as these claimed they had the EU's PR. The UK has always been careless at checking what some foreign nationals claim on their applicaitons, but now the UK look at every application they made

Will they burn their paperwork later on?

She always have options for a skilled worker visa, even if they don't have the money for the savings route as a spouse.

Irish citizens coming to the UK from Ireland, are covered under an agreement that the UK made for the Irish government years ago. But it is only an agreement and that's why I don't understand why these Irish citizens who want to live in the UK, didn't apply for British citizenship as soon as they could. Look what happend to the Austalians who had that agreement for years and then the UK stopped it.     

The Irish government have asked if the UK will still keep this agreement after Brexit. It's nothing to do with the EU as far as the UK is concerned and the UK have said they will. However, whether the likes of France, or Poland and the rest of the Eastern European countries who have high numbers move to the UK under the EU's "Free Movement", will still allow the Republic of Ireland to have that after Brexit if their citizens can't, is another matter. The EU has equality laws.

If she is coming from the US, then she is under the EU "Free Movement" as an EEA citizen exercising "treaty rights" in another EEA country (she will be working in the UK). Like all other EEA citizens in the UK who don't have/can't get Brtrish citizenship, she will have to see what is agreed.

When the Leave vote came in, there was quite a lot of talk about how the UK had been careless in checking where Irish citizens came from and how they expected that to change. We have already seen that start to happen. One appeared on the benefits boards because all the benefits he had been claiming for a few years when he arrived from the US, ended when the benefits office realised he was on EU rules. When it was explained why, he said it didn't matter as he "got together" with a British citizen before 2012 and therefore the UK would have to give him Brtish citizenship as he had been with her for 3 years.

We are even seeing posts about the passport office now, refusing to renew  a British passport to some EEA citizens, because the passport had been issued in error as they are not a British citizen.  Quite a few eastern europeans posting about this as these claimed they had the EU's PR. The UK has always been careless at checking what some foreign nationals claim on their applicaitons, but now the UK look at every application they made

Sorry, you've lost me a bit.

So, she's Irish - moving to the UK.  On her Irish passport under EU rules.  Her husband is British (we are married to brothers).

So her stay is safe in the UK post Brexit even though she isn't moving to the UK until August 2018 because Irish citizens are protected and will not be subject to UK immigration laws (if the UK decides to enact them)?

Sorry, you've lost me a bit.

So, she's Irish - moving to the UK.  On her Irish passport under EU rules.  Her husband is British (we are married to brothers).

So her stay is safe in the UK post Brexit even though she isn't moving to the UK until August 2018 because Irish citizens are protected and will not be subject to UK immigration laws (if the UK decides to enact them)?

If she is using an Irish passort to move to the UK from the USA, she will be an EEA citizen using EU Free Movement rules to be in the UK.  She will need to be an EU "qualified person" at all times after the first 3 months. She will have to see what is offered for EEA citizens on Brexit.

If she is an Irish citizen moving to the UK from the Republic of Ireland, she will not have to follow EU rules as she is on a UK agreement, that allows these Irish citizens to do that.  However, as the Republic will still be in the EU, the EU could stop that if other EEA countries object to these still being allowed to live in the UK when their citizens can not. Or the UK could end that agreement.

If she is using an Irish passort to move to the UK from the USA, she will be an EEA citizen using EU Free Movement rules to be in the UK.  She will need to be an EU "qualified person" at all times after the first 3 months. She will have to see what is offered for EEA citizens on Brexit.

If she is an Irish citizen moving to the UK from the Republic of Ireland, she will not have to follow EU rules as she is on a UK agreement, that allows these Irish citizens to do that.  However, as the Republic will still be in the EU, the EU could stop that if other EEA countries object to these still being allowed to live in the UK when their citizens can not. Or the UK could end that agreement.

Okay, I think I'm following more now.  Basically even though she's Irish, it's still "watch this space."

Okay, I think I'm following more now.  Basically even though she's Irish, it's still "watch this space."

Under EU rules, Irish citizens who are coming from anywhere in the world, all have the same status using the EU's "Free Movement". They are all classed as "EEA citizens"

It's not the same under the UK agreement. There is no "protected" status for every Irish citizen under the UK agreement with the Irish government, as it doesn't work like that. If that were the case, imagine how many US citizens can get Irish citiizenship and could then turn up in the UK in old age/when they have a serious illness that their insurance doesn't cover in full, expecting to be given bill free use of the NHS

The UK is helping the Irish government as they were a poor country, well they still are really. It's those coming from Ireland that the UK will help under this agreement, to help the Irish government. Those Irish coming to the UK from the rest of the world, are using the EU rules to be allowed in the UK: having to be what the EU Directive calls a "qualified person" at all times, to have a "right to reside in that EEA country".

But the EU controls the Republic of Ireland and they could stop these Irish citizens moving to the UK from Ireland. 1 in 4 of the EEA citizens using the EU's "Free Movement" have headed for the UK, even though there are 33 countries that "Free Movement" can be used in. On Brexit , or on any changes to Free Movement that may come in,  if any other EEA country protests that the Republic of Ireland has been given what they can no longer have, the EU could end that for the Irish government. The EU has equality laws.

From the government site today -

 Doctors and nurses to be taken out of Tier 2 visa cap


As part of a long-term government plan for the NHS, more details of which will be set out in due course, doctors and nurses are to be excluded from the cap on skilled worker visas...

The exclusion of doctors and nurses from the cap comes as the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care puts in place long-term measures to increase the supply of domestic doctors – including increasing the number of training places.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/doctors-and-nurses-to-be-taken-out-of-tier-2-visa-cap

Thanks for posting this in such great detail!

Hi,

I heard and read about this in the news and it does 'sound' good!

However, it's become common knowledge amongst many medical professionals, doctors and consultants in India (where many applications come from) that the UK is very expensive in terms of cost of living and standard of living along with the fact that the much more of the  UK's population mindset has changed recently to where many more British White people openly racially abuse those with darker/brown/black skin and/or from other nationalities.

Another relative of mine came over to evaluate the UK over a two week period late 2017. He spoke with us along with some of his friends already here around the UK to get more information in order to evaluate. He's a facial reconstructive surgeon/specialist and his wife is a dentist. He did ask if a £10-12,000 per month salary was good for him as he might be offered that. His wife would perhaps command £5-7500 per month as well.

It didn't take long for him to reject coming to the UK and has instead been looking at other countries that aren't as potentially negative/abusive. Some of his friends already here will be moving out of the UK as well once their contracts come to an end or, as in some cases, they've handed notice in mid contract and left already.

The same/similar has happened with other members of my extended family who in the medical professional and in higher/consultant level roles. They've left the UK once more of the negative sides have become more apparent and they've then been offered roles for quadruple the money they got in the NHS.

With the relaxation, I think there may well be an influx of specialists, keen to get on their CV's they've worked in the UK and in some cases, at prestigious and well known hospitals. I think also after a short while they'll also move out of the UK where quality of life, cost of living and less of a negative mindset is more likely to be experienced.

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Thanks for posting this in such great detail!

I just looked at your posts and see that you are in the UK as a skilled worker. We don't see many like you on here.

The below forum has the skilled workers in the UK/wanting to work in the UK, and they can explain the rules much better than I can. The post in this thread giving an example of how the points add up for those who have found a work sponsor and who will earn less than £155,300.00p.a.
https://www.immigrationboards.com/uk-tier-2-employer-sponsored-visas/june-2018-restricted-cos-t256898-100.html