MOVES by the UK Government to extend for a year the visas of almost 3000 migrant workers in the NHS have been welcomed by a charity working with immigrants – but the director of Migrant Voice said they did not go far enough.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, announced yesterday that around 2800 doctors, nurses and paramedics, whose visas are due to expire before October, would be able to stay in the UK to help in the fight against coronavirus.

The Home Office said restrictions had been lifted on the number of hours student medics can work in the NHS, and overseas nurses would be given extra time to pass their skills tests so they too could focus on the pandemic.

Patel also announced that right to rent and work checks were being adapted, to make it easier for landlords and employers to carry them out during the health crisis.

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The changes, which are effective immediately, will mean original documents will not have to be presented and checks can be undertaken over video calls.

“Doctors, nurses and paramedics from all over the world are playing a leading role in the NHS’s efforts to tackle coronavirus and save lives,” said Patel.

“We owe them a great deal of gratitude for all that they do.

“I don’t want them distracted by the visa process. That is why I have automatically extended their visas – free of charge – for a further year.”

Nazek Ramadan, director of Migrant Voice, said she wanted to see visas extended for everyone: “The Home Secretary rightly says that NHS workers shouldn’t be ‘distracted’ by visa applications right now.

“But no one should – applications come with a mountain of paperwork, an extortionate cost, and a complexity that would baffle any ordinary person.

“Gathering paperwork is extremely difficult in these circumstances, let alone affording a visa when you’ve lost your job or you’re self-employed and can’t get compensation until June. And finding good quality legal advice was hard enough before this pandemic – now many offices and helplines have closed and solicitors are off sick.

“And while they’re extending visas for NHS workers, the hostile environment continues unabated with the Home Office confirming that right to rent checks will continue.

“We need a complete change of perspective – everyone in the UK must be considered as having the right to reside here and therefore the right to access healthcare, housing and financial support.

“It’s the logical and the right thing to do.”

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