Dismay and anger over Labour’s visa plans NHS

As an immigrant working in the NHS on a Health and care visaI am dismayed, disappointed, angry and horrified by Labour’s proposals for immigration reform, because of their potential impact on me, on other immigrants and on all of British society (The NHS may stop working under Labour’s new visa rules, nurses say, October 6).

until Immigration white paper After its publication, I naively assumed that anti-immigrant sentiment was limited to the Conservative and Reform parties in the UK. When Labor came to power, I felt enormous relief and an emerging sense of security and optimism. I soon learned how naive I was. After being betrayed and exploited, I now fear losing my job and home.

The Labor Party must come to its senses. First, migrants who are already here should be allowed to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under the law as was the case when we arrived in the country. This is only fair to employers and us. Secondly, the health and care visa must remain. Think about your loved ones who need care. Third, the time required to obtain ILR and citizenship should not be increased. It is much better to have an island of strangers than an island of corpses. Finally, visa fees should not increase. We earn very little, and many struggle to pay visa renewal fees. If the NHS and councils lose much of their migrant workforce, and are forced to pay higher fees for visa sponsorship for twice as long, they will be seriously affected.
Florence Graham
London