NHS doctors blocked from coming to work in the UK Doctors who have been offered jobs by NHS hospitals desperate to fill rota gaps are being blocked from coming to […]

Doctors who have been offered jobs by NHS hospitals desperate to fill rota gaps are being blocked from coming to the UK by the Home Office because visa quotas for non-EU immigrants set seven years ago are already full.

Despite passing interviews, a necessary language test and receiving licences to work in the UK by the General Medical Council (GMC), dozens of medics waiting to work in the health service are stuck abroad as their Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) applications – necessary to secure a Tier 2 (General) workers’ visa – have been rejected.

Although “priority doctors”, such as emergency medics and paediatricians, are getting through, junior doctors working in areas such as elderly care, a huge pressure point at this time of year, as well as surgeons, are being affected.

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“We are currently working with doctors who are fully licenced and have job offers in critical areas like elderly care and surgery but are currently prohibited from entering the country due to an arbitrary annual limit on certificates of sponsorship.” Daniel Platts, Director and General Medicine Specialist, BDI Resourcing

One NHS source told i: “The rejections seem even more crazy given the 50,000 cancelled operations this month due to the winter crisis.”

Experts have blamed the 20,700 annual cap for skilled workers, split into monthly limits, set by the Coalition government in 2011, as well as a more recent tightening of immigration criteria, for the blockages.

Main route

The Tier 2 visa is the main immigration route for skilled workers coming to the UK to take up employment. For employees to obtain one, NHS trusts must first apply for a CoS from the Home Office, which are currently rejecting some doctors that are not in the shortage specialisms or earning at least £55,000 a year – up from the usual £30,000. Applicants also needed to reach 55 points last month – up from 21 in November – to pass.

Recruitment experts believe it is a deliberate attempt by the Government to slow the flow of immigrants. The Home Office awarded 2,182 certificates in October, according to UK Visas and Immigration data, but that fell to 1,747 in November and 1,527 last month – the lowest in years. Under its cap the department has just 2,870 left to award before April, when the annual allocation refreshes.

“Visa restrictions and arbitrary and outdated caps for non-EU workers entering the UK has made recruiting to NHS posts more difficult.” Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA Council Chair

BDI Resourcing, which assists doctors from all over the world to relocate to the UK and fill vital clinical positions within the NHS, has helped around 100 doctors from all over the word to relocate to the UK and fill vital clinical positions within the NHS over the last 12 months.

Daniel Platts, the company’s director and general medicine specialist, told i: “We find ourselves hampered by the current limit on Tier 2 certificates of sponsorship. We are currently working with doctors who are fully licenced and have job offers in critical areas like elderly care and surgery, however they are currently prohibited from entering the country due to an arbitrary annual limit on certificates of sponsorship.

“I’ve just received a call from another client who have had three further certificates rejected for middle grade elderly care doctors who are all otherwise ready to start. At a time when the NHS is facing such crippling staff shortage, it seems beyond belief that the government would prevent qualified clinicians from working in the UK because of a quota set in 2011.”

The company knows of 35 doctors, 10 of whom it is dealing with directly, that are currently affected.

Agency staff

Ryan Halliday, co-founder and director of BDI Resourcing, said hospitals will have to fall back on expensive agency staff, which Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has pledged to reduce, to fill the gaps instead.

“There’s no doubt the cap on international migrants is having a detrimental effect on the health service,” he said. “The doctors being rejected are going into panic mode – they have a spent a lot of money on their [language] qualification, a lot of money on their [GMC] registration, but they’re now thinking: ‘What do I do? Do I give up? Try for a job in the Middle East?’ It has a huge knock-on effect.”

Employers and overseas workers are anxiously waiting to see what will happen following the latest Tier 2 visa allocation meeting last week. A non-EU doctor who has his UK medical licence, all of his supporting documents and a job offer from a large NHS trust, told i he should be starting work next month but his Certificate of Sponsorship was rejected in December and remains outstanding. The doctor, who did not want to be named, said he hoped the matter would be resolved soon.

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “Visa restrictions and arbitrary and outdated caps for non-EU workers entering the UK has made recruiting to NHS posts more difficult. The NHS is reliant on the vital contribution of overseas doctors, often working in areas of medicine that are difficult to recruit to from the domestic workforce.

“At a time of shortages of doctors in the NHS – and which could worsen post-Brexit – it is crucial that the UK has a flexible immigration system which allows the NHS to recruit the necessary staff to deliver safe, high-quality care.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “When demand exceeds the month’s allocation of Tier 2 (General) visas, priority is given to applicants filling a shortage or PhD-level occupation.

“The published shortage lists include a range of medical professionals, including consultants specialising in clinical radiology and emergency medicine, and we estimate that around a third of all Tier 2 places go to the NHS.

“We are committed to ensuring that net migration is reduced to sustainable levels and that the jobs of British workers are protected.”