The Home Affairs select committee has urged the government to extend a scheme exempting overseas workers from visa fees for one year to all front line care staff.
In its ‘The Home Office’s response to the impact of Covid-19 on the immigration and visa systems’ report, the committee called on the government to address “discrimination” against lower-paid and lower-profile roles by expanding the eligibility for fee-free one year visa extensions to include all social care and NHS staff, regardless of role or pay grade.
Currently a care worker working on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis who needs to renew family visas this summer could be facing costs of thousands of pounds.
“Care workers are as much on the frontline of fighting the virus and trying to save lives as the NHS, and they have also been more likely to see their own health suffer,” the committee stated.
“For care workers who often do not get more than statutory sick pay if they get ill or need to self-isolate this is an additional and grave financial worry, which could put them under pressure to keep working even when it is not appropriate to do so,” it added.
The Home Affairs committee said it “cannot be right” that non-UK health and care staff should worry about their residency status or visa renewal fees when tackling coronavirus.
“Our NHS and social care system have relied on the contributions of those who have come from abroad throughout this crisis,” said Home Affairs committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper (pictured).
“Making the lowest paid of those workers pay thousands of pounds during the coronavirus crisis when they are helping and caring for everyone else is unfair and wrong,” she added.
The committee also called on the government to go further in recognising the immense contribution of front line health and care staff by setting out new arrangements to offer citizenship and permanent residency to those on temporary visas who have given so much during this crisis.
In addition, the committee recommends temporary lifting of 'no recourse to public funds' conditions so that individuals without access to benefits can adequately support and protect themselves and their families during the pandemic.
