Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of nurses and non-clinical staff paid under £30,000 per annum who will be able to continue to work in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

The United Kingdom’s future immigration system is set out in the Government’s Immigration White Paper, which was published on 19 December 2018. At the time of publication, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department announced that the salary threshold would be the subject of further engagement. The Government is continuing to work with employers, representative bodies and charities in the health and social care sector to help contribute to the discussion on an appropriate threshold.

European Union nationals currently working in the health and social care sectors can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to secure their long-term status in the UK. The scheme is now open and, further to the Prime Minister’s announcement on 21 January 2019, from 30 March 2019 onwards, EU nationals will not have to pay for their application. Any application made before that date, including those that have already been made, will be reimbursed.