Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office, whether the automatic visa extension for frontline health workers extends to people employed in the NHS as healthcare assistants.

The Government has announced we will extend the visas for a range of healthcare professionals working for the NHS and independent health and care providers, where their current visa expires before 1 October. This offer also applies to their families. The 12-month extension is automatic and free of charge and those benefitting will not have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. Details of immigration changes, including the extended list of healthcare professionals covered by this offer, relating to COVID-19 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-immigration-and-borders.

We are continuing to work hand in hand with the Department of Health and Social Care on how we can best support frontline health and care workers.