Opening of Tier-2 Visas Floodgates
Rates for Locums and Agency Nurses will be badly affected by the Opening of Tier-2 Visas Floodgates.
The Government have signalled that they will remove doctors and nurses totally from the Tier-2 Skills list.
This is in response to the appointment of Sajid Javid as Home Secretary.
He has convinced Theresa May to open the floodgates for doctors and nurses to help the National Health Service.
Tier 2 Skills Visas Cap
Currently the Government have a cap of 20,700 Tier 2 Skilled Visas a year.
That’s the total for all professions.
It seems that 1,500 Tier 2 visas were turned down for doctors in just the 3 months from December to March.
That’s at an annual rate of 6,000 a year.
Then there’s the nurses who have been turned down.
Visa Applications from the NHS
Currently one-third of all visa applications are from the NHS.
However, instead of increasing the number of doctors and nurses allowed to get Tier 2 visas the Government is simply going to open the floodgates completely.
Previously when there has been a skills shortage in the NHS they have gone for locums and agency nurses.
Now they will be able to take on overseas workers at a fraction of the cost.
Reduction in Rates for Locums and Agency Nurses
This will have an impact on both the opportunities for Locums and Agency Nurses but on their rates too.
After all, according to the Economic Laws of Supply and Demand, if you increase the Supply of a product or service without the Demand increasing then the cost of that product or service will fall.
Any doctor or nurse from anywhere in the world will now be able to come and work in the UK if they are completely removed form the Tier 2 skills list.
While the Opening of Tier-2 Visas Floodgates is very good for the NHS, and for costs in the NHS, it is very bad for UK based doctors, nurses, locums and agency nurses.
This is on top of the NHS IR35 problems that the Government has inflicted on locum doctors and agency nurses.
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