The UK government announced that the foreign doctors and nurses, including those from India, whose visas were about to expire before March 31, 2021, can avail of a 1-year extension of their work visas.
Read on to know more about the extension of the work visas in the UK…
Over 6,000 Healthcare Workers Can Benefit From Fee-Free Visa Extension!
Earlier in 2020, the UK government had offered fee-free visa extensions for foreign health professionals whose visas were about to expire between March 2020 and October 2020.
This includes over 6,000 nurses, doctors, paramedics, midwives, occupational therapists, psychologists as well as a variety of allied health professionals as the UK fights the COVID-19 pandemic.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said, “We recognize the huge contribution healthcare professionals from overseas are making across the UK in fighting the devastating impact of coronavirus.”
“We truly value the work these heroes are doing, which is why we’re renewing our free 12-month visa extension offer. We estimate this will benefit a further 6,000 dedicated frontline workers and their families who deserve our support and our gratitude,” she added.
The recent extension of work visas for health professionals was announced last Friday and will be charges-free, fee-free, including the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). The healthcare professionals working for the National Health Service (NHS), as well as those working for the independent health care sector, will come under the umbrella of fee-free work visa extension.
To avail of the extension, the applicants need to fill in an online form to verify their identity and also their employers need to confirm their eligibility.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, “This visa extension will help to benefit healthcare professionals who have shown extraordinary dedication during this challenging period to protect all of us and our families from the threat of the virus.”
What Are The Other Benefits The UK Govt Has Rolled Out For The Healthcare Professionals?
The latest development regarding fee-free visa extension for healthcare professionals is one of the many measures taken to support the NHS and r health care sector in the UK.
A new fast-track Health and Care visa can be availed by eligible healthcare professionals and their dependents that make it more effortless, more affordable, and quicker for the global healthcare professionals to work in the NHS, organizations that offer commissioned services to the NHS as well as the social care sector.
The UK government has also rolled out the Bereavement Scheme for the families of healthcare professionals. This scheme provides permanent UK residency to the dependents of the medics who died due to the COVID-19 virus. This scheme has been further extended to all NHS, health, and social care workers.
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