Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate staff across the (a) health and (b) social care sectors under the new UK immigration rules.

In August 2020 my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department launched the Health and Care Visa for health and care professionals from overseas, giving them a faster and cheaper route to come and work in the United Kingdom. This visa route is conditional on having a job offer for an eligible role from an eligible sponsor. Overseas health and care staff are also either exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge when applying for a visa or can claim a reimbursement.