To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of skill shortage problems in the NHS; and whether they have any plans to exempt NHS employers from the visa requirements for skilled non-EEA applicants.
Answered on
29 May 2018
The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) advises the Government on changes to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The MAC has determined that a number of medical professionals, including all nurses, paramedics and various doctors, including posts in emergency medicine, clinical radiology and old age psychiatry, are in national shortage and they appear on the published SOL in Appendix K of the Immigration Rules.
The SOL sits under Tier 2, our main immigration route for non-EEA workers. Applications for jobs on the SOL receive the highest priority – and the highest number of points – when allocating a Tier 2 (General) place. No requests for shortage occupation roles have been refused a place under the Tier 2 cap.
The SOL is kept under regular review, with the most recent changes made to it last April.