A surge in healthcare workers, including a substantial number of Nigerian doctors, migrating to the United Kingdom within nine months has sparked significant concerns amid calls from the New Conservatives group on the Tory Right to close temporary visa schemes.
The group, allegedly supported by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, advocates for the closure of such visa programs, aiming to curtail net migration ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
The United Kingdom has witnessed an unprecedented influx of healthcare workers, exemplified by the granting of 143,990 health and care worker visas in the year ending September 2023.
This figure represents a dramatic increase from the 61,274 issued in the year leading up to September 2022.
The top nationalities obtaining these visas are Indians, Nigerians, and Zimbabweans, with Nigeria experiencing a notable surge of 329%, followed by Zimbabwe at 169%, and India at 76%.
Notably, the rise in the number of Nigerian-trained doctors practicing in the UK reached 11,001 as of March 2023, as revealed by findings reported by Saturday PUNCH.
This surge in migration, particularly in the healthcare sector, has attributed its momentum to the UK’s lenient entry conditions amid a shortage of healthcare workers exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statistics underscore a remarkable shift in non-EU immigration patterns to the UK, primarily propelled by migrants seeking opportunities through health and care visas.
Such visas, predominantly occupied by health and care workers, are responsible for driving the surge in immigration, especially those arriving on work-dependent visas.
The health and care worker visa scheme allows medical professionals to undertake eligible roles within the NHS, an NHS supplier, or adult social care.
These visas are valid for up to five years, extendable, and permit partners and children to join as ‘dependants.’
However, concerns have been raised about the strain on social care and accommodation due to the burgeoning migrant population, prompting calls for stricter immigration control from various political quarters in the UK.
