According to a recent RCN report, two-thirds of migrant nursing staff are considering leaving the UK due to cost of living pressures. The report also highlights the severe impact of the ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) rule, which denies migrants on temporary visas, such as the Health and Care Worker visa, access to essential benefits. The RCN is calling for the immediate abolition of these rules.
Despite paying taxes, migrant nursing staff without Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) are unable to access crucial benefits like Universal Credit, Child Benefit, and Housing Benefit, placing them and their families at a much higher risk of poverty and destitution.
To apply for ILR, migrants must have lived in the UK for at least five years, which then grants them access to the full range of benefits. However, with the cost of a single ILR application now at £2,885, many migrants are left trapped in poverty under temporary visa conditions, unable to afford the transition to permanent residence. The RCN is also urging the government to reduce visa fees, including the costs associated with ILR applications.
The findings are based on survey responses from over 3,000 international nursing staff and reveal that those from overseas are twice as likely as their domestic colleagues to report financial difficulties. They are also nearly three times more likely to withdraw from their pensions due to the cost of living.
With more than 40,000 vacancies in the NHS alone, the potential departure of more internationally educated nursing staff could exacerbate the strain on health and care services across the UK. Over one in five professionals on the NMC register were educated outside the UK.
Patricia Marquis, Executive Director of RCN England, emphasized the critical role of migrant nursing staff in the UK’s healthcare system, stating, “Migrant nursing staff are part of the DNA of our health and care services; they always have been. Every day, patients in our hospitals and communities rely on their outstanding care, and they deserve to be treated equally to those educated in the UK.
“As it stands, the current system denies migrants access to vital benefits, despite them paying tax and doing the same work as their domestically trained colleagues. The reality is that migrant nursing staff pushed into poverty will simply choose somewhere else to do their nursing – this is a tragedy for patient care.
“Ministers must lead from the front and show that migrant nursing staff are welcome here and have the same value as their domestic colleagues. The no recourse to public funds condition applied to migrant workers must be ended immediately.”
