Foreign health workers could only be allowed to bring ONE relative with them as ministers panic over migration figures due tomorrow
Foreign health and care workers could be limited to bringing just one relative to Britain with them under fresh plans to stem immigration, it has emerged.
The proposals have been revealed ahead of tomorrow’s release of the latest net migration figures, which are expected to show a record high for the year to June.
Net migration, which takes into account the number of people arriving in the UK minus those who leave, stood at a record 606,000 in 2022.
The figure announced on Thursday could be as high as 700,000.
According to The Times, a crackdown on the number of dependents of foreign health and care workers will form part of ministers’ response to tomorrow’s figures.
Foreign health and care workers could be limited to bringing just one relative to Britain with them under fresh plans to stem immigration
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to come under fresh pressure from the Tory Right when the latest net migration figures are released
Net migration, which takes into account the number of people arriving in the UK minus those who leave, stood at a record 606,000 in 2022
The newspaper reported that 282,742 health and care visas were issued by the UK in the year to June, which was 172 per cent more than the previous year.
And more than half of those – 151,774 – were issued to the dependants of health and care workers.
Figures show that some nationalities, such as Nigerians and Indians, bring significantly more family members with them than others.
In the year to June, 35,091 Indian health and care workers brought a total of 47,432 dependants, while 25,027 Nigerians brought 40,726 dependants.
It is reported that Suella Braverman, who was sacked as home secretary earlier this month, and immigration minister Robert Jenrick had been pushing for a cap on care visas and a ban on dependents.
Downing Street is said to have compromised by offering to cap the number of dependants to one per visa amid a pushback from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to come under fresh pressure from the Tory Right when tomorrow’s net migration figures are released.
The New Conservatives group of MPs has demanded efforts to slash net migration to 226,000 by the time of the general election, which is expected next year.
The Conservative manifesto at the 2019 general election vowed to bring down ‘overall numbers’ of migrants, while Mr Sunak has acknowledged numbers are ‘too high’ since becoming PM.
No10 has confirmed Mr Sunak is ‘actively’ looking at measures to cut legal immigration to Britain.
The PM’s official spokesman said: ‘This is something that we are actively looking at, about what more can be done to reduce legal migration.
‘Obviously, our priority still remains small boats crossings.
‘And obviously we need to do that whilst balancing the priority of growing the economy and understanding things like the economic benefits that students can bring, for example.’
Ahead of the release of the last set of net migration figures in May, the Government announced a ban on most foreign students bringing family members to Britain with them.
The Times reported that other measures now being considered by Mr Sunak include scrapping the shortage occupation list, which relaxes visa rules for businesses in sectors facing labour shortages.
But this is not expected to be announced until later in the year due to a lack of agreement among Cabinet ministers, the newspaper said.
Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said: ‘Currently, the shortage occupation list is bringing people into really low-paid jobs.
‘If the salary threshold was much higher, that wouldn’t be the case any more and there might be more of an argument for it.’
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has previously criticised an ‘overreliance’ on overseas recruitment within the NHS and promised Labour would focus more on ‘homegrown talent’.
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