Visa applications for doctors refused

Dear Sir,

More than 6,000 visa applications from professionals including doctors, other healthcare professional roles and I.T. specialists were refused over a period of just four months between December, 2017 and March, 2018. This is just because of an arbitrary annual limit of 20,700 so-called Tier 2 visas which was introduced in 2011.

The Campaign for Science and Engineering said the "arbitrary" cap was leaving thousands of vital roles unfilled and damaging productivity, public services, business confidence and the U.K.'s international reputation.

As the executive director, Sarah Main, of the Campaign for Science and Engineering said an immigration system for a global Britain that supports research and innovation should not feature a cap on the specialists we want to attract. Dr Main also stated that the cap is beginning to cause damage and needs to be addressed quickly.

Rosemary Cook, chief executive of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine has stated that Tier 2 visas are essential to fill roles in the medical physics workforce where up to 10 per cent of posts are regularly vacant and hard to fill from the U.K.

British Medical Association council chair, Chaand Nagpaul, has said that at a time when the N.H.S. is under enormous strain and struggling to fill positions, the current visa restrictions and arbitrary caps for non-E.U. workers entering the U.K. are inexplicable and threatening patient care and safety.

The author of this nonsensical and damaging arbitrary annual limit of Tier 2 visas was Theresa May, herself, when she held the position of Home Secretary.

The Prime Minister needs to stop her "ostrich" mentality of thinking that the immigration of such highly talented individuals is bad for this country and must immediately ensure that these vitally needed specialists are allowed into our country for the benefit and welfare of the British people and for the benefit of our economy.

Yours faithfully,

Robert Douglas,

Congleton