NHS Visa Changes

The annual limit of 20,700 restricted certificates of sponsorship has meant that since December 2017 many employers have been unable to obtain the necessary visas for new staff from overseas. One of the sectors that has been most affected by this is the NHS, with many Trusts unable to obtain visas for doctors and Registrar roles.

It was initially reported by The BBC and other media outlets, prior to the Home Office making the official statement that all doctor and nurse roles were to be removed from the annual limits.

Whilst this is obviously good news for the NHS and society as a whole, it could also be great news for all sectors of the economy that have been prevented from bringing in new hires because of these monthly quotas.  This is because removing nurses and doctors from the annual limits would free-up a large number of places that could be used by employers from all sectors.  As ever we await the further, full details of the changes and how, moving forward, the Home Office will then regulate NHS staff who enter the UK.  These changes, once fully implemented, will be welcome news for many companies that have been caught in a very frustrating position in recent months, whereas they have been unable to get Restricted Certificate of Sponsorship applications approved, and therefore have been delayed with business plans.