Migrant nursing staff face mass exodus: RCN calls for end to unfair benefit rules

Two-thirds of migrant nursing staff are considering leaving the UK due to cost-of-living crisis - RCN report reveals

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is calling for scrapping unfair benefit rules for migrant nursing staff, warning that these policies risk triggering a mass exodus from the UK's healthcare workforce.

A recent RCN report indicated that two-thirds of internationally educated nursing staff are considering leaving the UK and returning to their country of training due to the high cost of living.

The report, which is based on survey responses from more than 3,000 international nursing staff, also revealed that those from overseas are “twice as likely as domestic colleagues to report being in financial difficulty” and are “almost three times as likely as UK counterparts to withdraw from their pension due to the cost of living.”

It also highlighted the impact of the ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF) rule, which prevents migrants on temporary visas, such as the Health and Care Worker visa, from accessing essential benefits.

In response to this report, the union has urged the government to immediately end these restrictive rules and reduce visa fees, including Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) application costs.

“Migrant nursing staff pay tax, but without Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) they are unable to access benefits such as Universal Credit, Child Benefit, and Housing Benefit. It leaves them and their families at a much greater risk of poverty and destitution,” the RCN stated.

To qualify for ILR, migrants must have lived in the UK for at least five years which grants workers access to the full suite of benefits.

However, with a single ILR application now costing £2,885, many migrants remain trapped in poverty, unable to afford to apply for permanent residence, and stuck under temporary visa arrangements, the union highlighted.

The RCN raised concern that with more than 40,000 vacancies in the NHS alone, the prospect of more migrant nursing staff leaving the country could put even more pressure on health and care services across the UK.

Currently, more than one in five professionals on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register were educated outside of the UK.

Patricia Marquis, Executive Director of RCN England, emphasised the critical role migrant nursing staff play in the UK's healthcare system.

She said: “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.”

Marquis acknowledged that 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,” she added.

The RCN also pointed out that the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is exacerbated by more than a decade of real-terms pay cuts to NHS wages.

“Without direct action, we are risking a mass exodus of international nursing staff,” the report said.

The union recently called on the UK government to investigate exploitative contracts for migrant care workers, drawing attention to the misuse of repayment clauses by rogue employers.