To address the shortage of healthcare workers in the NHS, the UK government has taken steps to fast track visa processes for doctors looking to move to the UK for work opportunities. Besides, revising certain aspects of the immigration system, the government also plans to halve the visa fees, introduce a point system, and reduce the waiting period for doctors.

As the United Kingdom braces for Brexit, it has announced a new fast-track visa for doctors from other countries, including India, to fill the vacancies in the healthcare sector. The Queen’s speech noted that a new visa will ensure that qualified doctors, nurses, and health professionals have a fast-track entry into the country. This is a step towards addressing workforce shortage in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).

The NHS visa was a part of the Conservative Party’s manifesto to retain numerous non-resident health workers in the country, while also looking to fill the 1 lakh vacancies. The party is considering scrapping the minimum salary requirement of £30,000 (~Rs 27.8 lakhs) for skilled immigrants seeking five-year visas as well.

According to experts, three things need to happen simultaneously to bridge the human resource gap: more recruits from abroad, training more UK nurses, and keeping hold of the current workforce, reported The Telegraph.

A large share of UK health workers are foreigners. According to Reuters, about 1.5 lakh out of the country’s 12 lakh healthcare professionals are non-British. Currently, Indians are one of the largest groups in the NHS staff. Other nationalities include the Filipino, Polish, Portuguese, Nigerian and Italian. An Indian who has been offered a job for which there is a shortage can apply for a work visa under Tier 2 (General) category, according to the UK immigration division.

Changes in the immigration system

1. Under the NHS visa scheme, applicants coming to work in the UK under the NHS would receive extra points in their points-based system, which was inspired by the way Australia grants visas. “A modern, fair, points-based immigration system will welcome skilled workers from across the world to contribute to the UK’s economy, communities and public services,” the Queen’s speech observed.
2. The UK Home Office started relaxing visa norms for doctors and other healthcare professionals last year. Last September, the office announced that doctors, nurses, dentists and midwives will no longer have to clear language tests like TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) to apply for the Tier 2 (General) visa. Clearing the Occupational English Test (OET) of relevant healthcare regulator will be the only requirement when it comes to language test. Earlier, these healthcare professionals had to clear the OET to register with the relevant regulator and later they had to submit the scores of TOEFL.
3. The cost of visa for healthcare workers would be brought down from £928 (~Rs. 87,000) to £464 (~Rs. 43,000). The waiting period has also been reduced to two weeks. Even the cap on the number of people entering via the NHS visa has been removed. However, one would have to pay the immigration health surcharge through their salary.

The UK’s largest association of Indian-origin doctors, British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, had been trying to force the UK Home Office to revise the NHS visa policy. The association has been opposing the hike in 'Immigration Health Surcharge' which the UK government increased by 100 per cent to £400 pound per year in 2018. The association is of the view that the hike will adversely impact UK's National Health Service as most of the Indian origin Doctors already contribute to NHS.

The author, Ankush Bandhopdhyay, is a staff reporter of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.