Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the eligibility criteria for Adult Dependent Relative visas on retaining NHS workers that are sponsors of unsuccessful applicants for those visas.

The family Immigration Rules were reformed in July 2012 to prevent burdens on the taxpayer, promote integration and tackle abuse, and thereby ensure family migration to the UK is on a properly sustainable basis which is fair to migrants and the wider community by not being reliant on access to public services funded by UK taxpayers. The route for adult dependent relatives was reformed because of the significant NHS and social care costs which can be associated with these cases.

The Rules seek to ensure only those adult dependent relatives who need to be physically close to and cared for by a close relative in the UK are able to settle here, and require individuals to demonstrate as a result of age, illness or disability, they need a level of long-term personal care which can only be provided for in the UK by their sponsor here and without recourse to public funds.

Adult dependent relatives can continue to visit a family member in the UK (for up to six months) but must return home at the end of their visit.

The Home Office continues to keep the Immigration Rules for adult dependent relatives under review and make adjustments in light of feedback on their operation and impact. However, our overall assessment is the rules represent a fairer deal for the UK taxpayer and are helping to ensure public confidence in the immigration system by providing assurance migration to the UK is not based on access to public services or welfare systems.