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The situation
The quota on Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship has been reached for every month of 2018 so far. At the same time, the UK National Health Service (NHS) has expressed concerns that there is a shortage of medical professionals in the United Kingdom. In response, the Home Office announced today that NHS workers will soon be exempt from the quota. It further announced a series of technical changes to Tiers 1, 2, and 4 that will take effect on July 6, 2018.
Impact of Changes for Medical Staff
Technical Changes for Tiers 1, 2 and 4
While the Home Office is not modifying the quota levels, it announced today a series of technical changes that might also help alleviate some quota pressure. These changes will take effect on July 6, 2018. Fragomen will detail these changes in a later alert, but in brief:
Looking ahead
Employers should soon see some quota relief because of the increased availability of Restricted Certificates of Sponsorship with medical workers removed from the quota. Note, however, that the quota may still be exceeded due to a large backlog of applications going back to December 2017.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].