Today we shall cover the latest changes relating to the U.K government’s shortage of occupation list and the temporary easing of restrictions that seek to attract non-EEA nurses. The move, which aims to aid recruitment of foreign nurses, is designed to reduce the costly use of agency staffing.
Currently only specialist nurses working in neonatal intensive care units who earn over £16,271 are included on the list. The changes are expected to favour non-EEA nurses who seek to work in the U.K and who were previously excluded from working due to the high level of specialism needed to secure a job in the U.K.
In what is expected to increase the number of safe staffing levels across the entire N.H.S, the government will also attempt to limit processing times to around 70 days to combat the current shortage. In a dramatic U-turn that would have previously seen thousands of nurses who did not meet the qualifying salary of £35,000 (A senior nurse’s salary) be detained, the government is now actively seeking to attract more non-EEA nurses.
Despite the growing shortage of nurses the government have increased nurse training places by 14% which is expected lead to an increase of 23,000 extra nurses by 2019.
The current shortage of occupation list allows those who work in specific industries priority in regards obtaining work visas for the U.K. From geoscientists to chefs the extensive list is formed from a range of professions. Each profession is subject to earning a specific salary that equates to both their experience within their profession as well as their management level. For example, currently a nurse who is a specialist in neonatal intensive care is subject to a band three salary requirement of £16,271, rising up to a band 9 figure of £77,850 depending on their experience and management level.
Westkin Associates work closely with a range of businesses who hire foreign workers under the Tier 2(General) scheme. We have experience covering all aspects of employing foreign workers from acquiring the mandatory Tier 2 Sponsorship licence for companies as well as the tier 2 visa for their employees. We work closely with our clients ensuring that the application that they submit stands the highest probability of being granted saving our clients time, effort and offering them peace of mind that they application is in safe hands.
Westkin Associates
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