BMA welcomes Government immigration rule rethink

  Overseas doctors embarking on specialty training in the UK will be protected from fees linked to visa changes, in a move strongly welcomed by the BMA. The Government confirmed that international doctors moving from a Tier 4 student visa to a Tier 2 visa following completion of their foundation training are among those to be made exempt from a £1,000 fee. The move, which was formally announced in Parliament by minister of state for immigration James Brokenshire on 24 March, follows months of intense lobbying by the BMA. BMA international committee chair Terry John, welcomed the ministers’ decision to not penalise overseas doctors, adding that the move would ultimately mean considerable financial savings for the wider health service in the long-term. He said: ‘In making this announcement the Government has recognised our concerns that the skills charge should not be used to discourage employers from recruiting overseas graduates of UK universities into training programmes. ‘This exemption means that UK-trained doctors can continue from the foundation programme into specialty training at no extra cost to employers.’   Resource concerns Plans to introduce additional fees on international workers are included in the Immigration Bill, which is progressing through Parliament. The migration advisory committee has strongly supported this move by setting the charge at a level which seeks to make the UK less reliant on skilled, overseas labo...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news