The UK health and care sector is facing significant challenges due to staffing shortages and skill gaps, exacerbated by rules that prevent migrant workers from accessing public benefits. A recent report from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reveals that two-thirds of migrant nursing staff are considering leaving the UK because of the rising cost of living and financial strain. Many of these healthcare professionals are struggling to make ends meet due to low wages and the “no recourse to public funds” (NRPF) rule, which restricts migrants on temporary visas from receiving certain benefits.
The RCN report, titled “Without A Safety Net,” highlights that migrant nurses with health and care worker visas are more than twice as likely to experience financial hardship compared to their UK-educated counterparts. The survey, which included responses from over 3,000 international nursing staff, found that 30% of migrant nurses reported financial difficulties, compared to just 14% of UK-trained nurses. This disparity is largely due to the NRPF rule, which prevents migrant workers from accessing crucial support like universal credit, child benefit, and housing benefit, leaving many at risk of poverty.
To qualify for benefits, migrant workers must have been employed in the UK for at least five years and apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, which costs £2,885—a sum that is often unaffordable for many. The RCN has called for the immediate removal of these restrictions, arguing that it is unfair for migrant nurses, who pay taxes like their UK counterparts, to be denied the same benefits. The RCN’s advice line receives about eight calls weekly from migrant nurses facing financial distress, including those unable to access sickness or disability benefits despite severe health issues like cancer.
Data from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) shows a worrying trend: the number of migrant nurses planning to leave the UK surged to 8,931 in 2022/23, a dramatic increase from previous years. This has raised alarms within the nursing community, with warnings that more nurses may seek employment in other countries offering better pay and welfare support. RCN England’s Executive Director, Patricia Marquis, emphasized that migrant nurses are crucial to the UK’s healthcare system and should be treated equally to their UK-educated peers. She urged government ministers to demonstrate support for migrant nurses and to abolish the NRPF condition immediately.
The urgency of this issue is shown by recent statistics from the Home Office, which reported a steep decline in visas granted for the health and care sector—only 89,085 visas were issued in the year leading up to June 2024, an 80% decrease from the previous year. An immigration lawyer warned that this trend could lead to a severe skills shortage in the UK’s health services, describing it as a potential “skills catastrophe.”