Nursing leaders have warned that the NHS and social care could cease to function under Labour’s proposed immigration rules, describing the policy as divisive, xenophobic, and ignorant.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) criticised the plan, which would double the time foreign workers must wait before applying for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years and bar them from claiming benefits such as child support, housing allowance, or disability aid during that period.
RCN General Secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger said the proposal panders to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and ignores the essential role of migrant health workers.
“Health and care services would collapse without migrant nursing staff,” she warned. “While other countries offer immediate paths to settlement, the UK is moving in the opposite direction.”
More than 800 NHS workers signed an open letter condemning the policy, saying it would deepen staff shortages and deter foreign professionals from joining the health service.
Coordinated by advocacy groups Praxis and Medact, the letter described the proposals as “harmful, divisive and xenophobic,” warning that “the already strained NHS would crumble under the pressure.”
Critics said the policy would destabilise key public services that depend on migrant workers. Official figures show that about one in five NHS employees in England is not British.
Healthcare professionals who spoke anonymously said the plan would force many to leave the UK.
A London-based midwife called the proposals ludicrous, adding that “the message it sends is you’re not welcome here.”
The Home Office said the new measures would not apply to migrants already in the UK, though reports suggest restrictions on their path to citizenship may still be under consideration. The proposals are expected to undergo consultation before being implemented.
