RCN calls to scrap unfair benefit rules for migrant nursing staff

Two thirds of migrant nursing staff are considering leaving the UK due to cost of living pressures, according to a recent RCN report. It also highlights the impact of ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF), a rule that denies migrants on temporary visas, such as the Health and Care Worker visa, access to benefits. We’re calling for the rules to be ended immediately.

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.

To be able to apply 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, a single ILR application now costs £2,885, leaving many migrants trapped in poverty under temporary visa arrangements, and consequently unable to afford to apply for permanent residence. We’re also urging the government to reduce visa fees, including ILR application costs.

The report is based on survey responses of more than 3,000 international nursing staff. It shows 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.

With more than 40,000 vacancies in the NHS alone, the prospect of more internationally educated nursing staff leaving could put even more pressure on health and care services across the UK. More than 1 in 5 professionals on the NMC register were educated outside of the UK.

Patricia Marquis, Executive Director of RCN England, 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.

"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.”