Our response to the Migration Advisory Committee consultation

The King’s Fund response to the Migration Advisory Committee’s call for evidence on salary thresholds and a points-based system in immigration controls highlights two considerations that we believe should be taken into account for the health and social care sectors: the importance of the context provided by workforce projections and the need for policy decisions to be part of a much broader policy response to the workforce crisis in health and social care.

We believe international recruitment is an essential source of workers for the health and care sector – at least in the short to medium term while domestic supply is improved – if we are to have a health and care workforce that meets the UK’s needs. Given the immediate workforce challenges facing the health and care sector, we are pleased that the review of the shortage occupation list made several recommendations that aligned with our submission to your previous call for evidence,¹ and that these recommendations were accepted by the government. However, the future role of a shortage occupation list remains uncertain as the immigration system is reformed when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. Further changes to the immigration system will be needed to meet the ongoing challenges facing health and social care.

• Learn more about international staff in adult social care in our nutshell
• Learn more about international staff in the NHS in our nutshell 

• 1. Joint submission with the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation to the Migration Advisory Committee’s 2018 call for evidence to inform review of the shortage occupation list.