Drop in Foreign Workers in UK NHS and Social Care
- Former Conservative government's restrictions lead to a decline in foreign workers coming to the UK for NHS and social care roles.
- The drop in foreign workers may impact staffing levels in crucial healthcare sectors.
- Government policies result in reduced international recruitment, putting strain on NHS and social care services.
The UK has witnessed a significant drop in the number of work visas granted for the NHS and social care sectors, with the outgoing Conservative government issuing 286,382 work visas in the year leading up to June 2024, marking an 11% decrease from the previous year. Notably, the health and care sector saw a staggering decline of over 80%, with only 89,085 visas approved during the same period. This downturn follows the introduction of stricter immigration policies aimed at reducing overall net migration. Former Home Secretary James Cleverly implemented these new rules in December 2023, responding to record-high net migration figures. In contrast, the number of visas granted to foreign students also fell by 13% to 432,000, with family-related visas for students plummeting by 81% in the first half of 2024. Dr. Ben Brindle from the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory indicated that this reduction in visas could lead to a decrease in net migration, with official figures expected to be released later. As the Labour government takes office, it has prioritized addressing the backlog of unresolved asylum cases, which grew significantly after the previous administration halted most asylum applications. This backlog includes many individuals who arrived in the last two years, coinciding with the controversial Rwanda deportation policy that has since been reversed by Labour. Cleverly has criticized the new government's approach, particularly regarding the fate of asylum seekers from countries like Afghanistan, Syria, and Iran whose applications are rejected, raising concerns about the future of immigration policy in the UK.