The United Kingdom has implemented a ban preventing healthcare workers from bringing their dependants to the country, as disclosed by the Home Office in a statement on Monday. This new policy aims to reduce migration levels and address concerns about abuse within the immigration system.
The Home Office asserts that this measure will result in the most significant reduction in the country’s net migration to date. The UK government cites the need to manage what it considers “unprecedented” and “unsustainable” levels of legal migration as the driving force behind this decision.
According to the Home Office, the revised policy seeks to encourage businesses to prioritize British talent and invest in the local workforce. The goal is to dissuade employers from relying excessively on migration while aligning salaries with the average full-time income for specific job roles.
Interior Secretary James Cleverly outlined the plan, emphasizing that it would lead to a decrease of 300,000 people coming to the UK in the coming years. Under the proposed changes, workers must earn a minimum of £38,700 to obtain a visa, up from £26,200. Furthermore, starting from April next year, care workers will be prohibited from bringing dependants into the country.
Cleverly stated, “The first of our five points will be to end the abuse of the care visa. We will stop overseas care workers from bringing family, dependants, and we will require firms in England to be regulated by the Health Care Quality Commission to sponsor visas.”
He also highlighted an increase in the annual immigration healthcare charge by 66%, from £624 to £1035, to generate approximately £1.3 billion annually for the country’s health services.
In response to the announcement, the Home Office confirmed the changes on its official communication platform, stating, “From today, care workers entering the UK on Health and Care Worker visas can no longer bring dependants. This is part of our plan to deliver the biggest-ever cut in migration.”
This development coincides with the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa, revealing that the Federal Government has directed health workers seeking opportunities abroad to resign before embarking on such journeys. The move aims to address the challenge of brain drain in the nation’s health sector, known as the ‘Japa Syndrome.’
