UK government hints at changes to nursing visa restrictions, hope for Zimbabweans – ZimEye

By James Gwati | Britain’s Labour government has signalled it may change immigration laws to attract foreigners, who make up a large part of the care sector workforce.

The development comes amid growing concerns that Welsh care homes could close as a result of restrictive immigration policies introduced by the previous Conservative government.

The number of people applying for UK care sector visas fell by 80% in the first quarter of 2024, official data shows.

The sharp drop is largely attributed to immigration laws introduced in March by the Conservative government of then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

The Sunak government has introduced a ban on foreign medical workers bringing their families to the UK, which has significantly reduced the number of applications from overseas.

Before the restrictions were put in place, thousands of Zimbabweans flocked to the UK to work in the care sector.

However, the new regulations have significantly changed this trend.

The Care Forum Wales (CFW) has expressed concerns about the rule changes in March, which make it more difficult for foreign carers to move to the UK with their families.

The forum warned that the restrictions had led to the closure of care homes across Wales, further exacerbating an already severe shortage of nursing staff.

Meryl Welsby, manager of Cartref Bryn yr Eglwys nursing home in County Conwy, highlighted the difficulty of recruiting local staff. “We have been trying to recruit local staff for many years but no one is applying for the jobs. No one wants to work weekends and evenings and it’s not attractive,” said Welsby.

The nursing home relies heavily on overseas workers and currently employs caregivers from 10 different countries to look after 30 residents.

Welsby criticised the government’s approach, saying: “It’s easy for the government to say, ‘Oh, you can’t recruit from abroad to reduce our numbers’ but the question is, where are we going to recruit from? We have nowhere else to go and there’s no other way.”

CFW spokesperson and nursing home owner Kim Ombler echoed those concerns, warning that the nursing industry could face severe challenges if the situation does not improve.

“If we can’t get workers from abroad and we can’t get local workers to fill the vacancies, there’s a lot of concern that nursing homes could close as a result,” Obler said.

The British government defended its policy, saying it was part of a wider effort to reduce “historically high” immigration levels and focus on “training more workers” within the UK.

However, the Labour government’s hint at changing these laws has provided a glimmer of hope for Zimbabweans and other foreigners who play a key role in the UK’s care sector.

— BBC

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