Home Office Announces New Immigration Rules For Foreign Doctors Under The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme.
07/02/2008
Non-EU doctors will be excluded from taking training posts in the UK in an attempt to preserve health service jobs for British graduates.
The Home Office announced yesterday that, from next month, doctors living outside the European Union will not be eligible to apply for post graduate training posts through the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme.
From April 1, the door will also be closed to migrants from India who is applying under a new points system. So-called Tier 1 migrants - those with the highest qualifications - will be barred from applying for higher medical training posts. Non-EU doctors already in Britain as Highly Skilled Migrants, or those seeking leave to remain as Tier 1 migrants, will still be free to apply.
The Department of Health said the rules will not impact on recruitment until 2009, and that doctors who currently have HSMP status will be able to apply for training posts this year.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: "I cannot stress enough that we are not closing the door to international doctors working in the NHS. These new rules only apply to training places in the UK.
"International doctors will still be able to come and work in the NHS in thousands of other non-training posts and will still be able to fill training places in shortage specialties."
In the UK a junior doctor cannot become a GP or consultant without a training post and Government has over the years been criticized for not creating enough training posts for UK medical graduates. The decision follows intense competition for posts last year, which left hundreds of junior doctors across the country without jobs.
Dr Hamish Meldrum, of the British Medical Association, said: "Taxpayers have made a major investment in the careers of UK doctors, and it makes sense to manage the numbers of international doctors coming to work in the NHS in future.
"Our concern is that the overseas colleagues already working in the UK are being both scapegoats and sent confusing messages.
"At a time when they need clarity, it's being made very unclear to them what jobs they can apply to and when."
To find out more about the UK Highly Skilled Migrant Programme and to explore the options for visiting or immigrating to the UK, visit the online assessment area today.
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