Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will reconsider their proposal that nurses who are not United Kingdom citizens be deported if they are not earning £35,000 per annum after five years in the United Kingdom.

In 2012, the Government introduced new rules to break the link between coming to the UK to work and settling permanently. Under these rules, which take effect from 6 April 2016, non-EEA workers will need to earn at least £35,000 to remain permanently, in order to ensure that those who settle are those who make the greatest economic contribution to the United Kingdom. Those in PhD level occupations or whose roles are in shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold. Workers who do not meet the settlement rules after six years will be expected to leave the UK when their visa expires.

On 15 October, the Home Secretary announced that nurses will be added to the Government’s Shortage Occupation List on a temporary basis, pending a full review by the independent Migration Advisory Committee. This will ease pressure on the NHS at a time when the Government is introducing tough new controls on costly agency spending. It will help the NHS improve continuity of care for patients, invest in the frontline and maintain safe staffing levels.