UK Labour Calls for Foreign Medical Worker Visa Exemptions

The United Kingdom’s Healthcare System is one of the sectors most dependent on the influx of skilled foreign professionals.
The British opposition Labour Party has used the aftermath of the resignation of Amber Rudd from the Home Office to call for planned immigration restrictions to exempt medical professionals seeking to immigrate to Britain.


​The government of Theresa May has sought to implement a capping system for new arrivals when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. Under the developing plans, according to which future yearly immigration will not be allowed to surpass 20,700, at least 400 foreign doctors have had their visas refused in the last six months.
"The visa rules clearly aren't working in the best interests of NHS patients. I am asking that you put patient safety first by taking NHS workers out of the tier 2 visa system so that hospitals can get the right numbers of staff in place," Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said in a letter to the newly appointed Home Secretary Sajid Javid according to British media.

The British National Health Service is one of the areas of UK economic and social life most dependent on foreign expertise, as it has suffering persistent skills and staffing shortages due to government austerity  measures.