Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Migrant Workers

(asked on 14th October 2015) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effect on employment in Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust of proposals that Tier 2 visa immigrants from outside the European Economic Area must be earning £35,000 or more to qualify for UK indefinite leave to remain; and if she will make a statement.


Answered by
James Brokenshire Portrait
James Brokenshire
This question was answered on 22nd October 2015

The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016 Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. PhD level roles and those in shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold. The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This included the potential effect on nurses. The impact assessment is available on the gov.uk website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf

Healthcare occupations, including paramedics, radiographers, and doctors working in emergency medicine, are included on the Shortage Occupation List.

On 15 October, the Home Secretary announced that nurses will be added to the list on a temporary basis, pending a full review by the independent Migration Advisory Committee. As workers are exempt from the settlement pay threshold if they are in a role that is or has been on the shortage occupation list at any time while they have been sponsored to do that role, all nurses currently sponsored in Tier 2 will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold when they apply for settlement. The Home Office has not made any assessment of the impact of the policy specifically on employment in Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

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