LONDON: Thousands of Indian medical professionals can now apply for jobs in the UK after home secretary Sajid Javid removed international doctors and nurses from the Tier 2 visa cap. But Indian students remained left out when he revealed a raft of changes to the immigration rules on Friday.

In a move that has been long called for, the home office said non-EU doctors and nurses will be excluded from the cap currently set at 20,700 per year on tier 2 visas, meaning an unrestricted number of Indian doctors and nurses could now work in the UK to help fill the vast number of NHS vacancies.

The Tier 2 visa route, meant for highly skilled professionals, has in recent months seen the number of applications exceed the monthly allocation of places, meaning many doctors and nurses have had their visas refused.

“This year so far 200 Indian doctors were refused visas because of the cap,” Dr Ramesh Mehta, president of BAPIO (British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin), said.

“Because we knew there was a problem with visas, not many Indians have been applying, but now that the visa route has opened up the numbers will go up significantly,” he said.

“Right now we need 10,000 doctors in the UK and even more nurses. We don’t want a brain drain from India, but many Indian doctors are keen to have training in the UK. It will benefit them, they can stay a few years and then go back. BAPIO will now assist Health Education England in bringing Indian doctors to England. However, we are keen to ensure they are not just used as an extra pair of hands but that they get appropriate mentoring and training.”

The NHS accounts for around 40% of all Tier 2 places so the move means that thousands of additional places will be freed up per year for other highly skilled occupations, such as engineers, IT professionals and teachers.

The home office also announced it was simplifying visa application requirements for international students entering the UK from selected countries under the Tier 4 visa scheme. However, India was not on the expanded list of countries to benefit from a streamlined process. Yet China, Mexico and Thailand were on the list.

“It is disappointing that preferential treatment is being given to some countries and India is not on the list, and surprising given claims from the British government that they want to attract the best and brightest from India,” said Sanam Arora, founder and chairperson, National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK.

“It is driving home the hostility message. Clearly, the British government sees an economic advantage in easing restrictions for Chinese students. It is all tied up with the UK-China trade relationship and they, therefore, give all sorts of favours to China,” she said. Chinese students were perceived as rich and preferred to return to China after their studies, she added.

The new home secretary, Sajid Javid, also announced that the tier 1 exceptional talent visa route would be open to fashion designers and to a wider pool of film and TV applicants. Afghan interpreters and their family members who supported British troops fighting the Taliban can apply for indefinite leave to remain without incurring any fee, he added.

