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<\/p>\nForeign 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The figure announced on Thursday could be as high as 700,000.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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Foreign health and care workers could be limited to bringing just one relative to Britain with them under fresh plans to stem immigration<\/p>\n
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to come under fresh pressure from the Tory Right when the latest net migration figures are released<\/p>\n
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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<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
And more than half of those – 151,774 – were issued to the dependants of health and care workers.<\/p>\n
Figures show that some nationalities, such as Nigerians and Indians, bring significantly more family members with them than others.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to come under fresh pressure from the Tory Right when tomorrow’s net migration figures are released.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
No10 has confirmed Mr Sunak is ‘actively’ looking at measures to cut legal immigration to Britain.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
‘Obviously, our priority still remains small boats crossings.<\/p>\n
‘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.’<\/p>\n
Ahead of the release of the last set of net migration figures in May, the Government announced\u00a0a ban on most foreign students bringing family members to Britain with them.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
‘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.’<\/p>\n
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has previously criticised an\u00a0‘overreliance’ on overseas recruitment within the NHS and promised Labour would focus more on ‘homegrown talent’.<\/p>\n