RCN leader urges government to spare migrant care workers from visa delays

Summarised from 4 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 1 Nov, 18:56 · Archive

The head of the Royal College of Nursing has called on the Home Secretary to exempt migrant care workers from proposed changes to UK settlement rules.

Professor Nicola Ranger, head of the Royal College of Nursing, has called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to reverse immigration reforms affecting migrant care workers. Currently, overseas nursing staff can apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years in the UK. The proposed changes would require care workers outside the NHS to wait 10 or 15 years for permanent residency, including those already working in Britain.

Ranger said the reforms are 'illogical and unfair' and warned they could cause an exodus from social care at a time of acute workforce shortages. She noted that migrant staff made significant contributions during the Covid-19 response and that overseas workers now make up a third of all social care staff. The Mirror reports that extending settlement wait times risks worsening the care crisis and increasing pressure on the NHS, as patients are stuck in hospitals awaiting social care discharge.

The i Paper reports that Mahmood is expected to unveil her final decision on Monday, with the proposals 'set to be watered down for care workers who are already in the country'. This follows backlash from Labour MPs. Research shared with The i Paper shows that overseas care worker recruitment has plunged by more than 90 per cent compared with three years ago, despite rising demand and fewer British entrants to the sector.

How it is being reported

• Home Secretary to announce immigration rules overhaul on MondayShadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised an expected dilution of Shabana Mahmood’s plans to tighten immigration rules.Evening Standard · 1 Nov, 19:22
• Home secretary to make some migrants wait 15 years for right to settle in UKMPs say Shabana Mahmood’s new rules risk staff shortages in health and social care and second Windrush scandal Shabana Mahmood will announce sweeping new rules on Monday on how long legal migrants must wait for permanent settlement in the UK, with most likely to wait a decade and some up to 15 years. Ministers – including the housing secretary, Angela Rayner – had raised concerns about the effect the rules would have on care workers already in the UK who would be likely to face a 15-year wait for settlement. Continue reading...The Guardian · 1 Nov, 18:48
• Carers set to be spared in migrant crackdown as overseas recruits plunge by 90%Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to reveal her diluted migration reforms following backlash from Labour MPsThe i Paper · 1 Nov, 18:43
• 'Home Secretary’s immigration reforms for care staff are illogical and unfair'The head of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to shield migrant care staff from plans to make it harder to settle in the UKThe Mirror · 1 Nov, 16:30
• Britain's top nursing leader issues last-ditch plea on migration 'betrayal' of care workersEXCLUSIVE: Professor Nicola Ranger, head at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called on Shabana Mahmood to tear up controversial migration proposals as a decision draws closerThe Mirror · 1 Nov, 16:28

In this story: Shabana Mahmood · Nicola Ranger · Royal College of Nursing · UK

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