The UK government has announced that occupational therapists, as well as other key Allied Health Professionals, will now be included in the government’s auto-visa extension scheme. The scheme will extend visas by a year for overseas occupational therapists who come to work in the UK, in the NHS, social care or the private sector.
At a time when occupational therapists are on the frontline of the UK's response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists has been lobbying the government for clarity on this issue for a number of weeks and we recently demanded that the government expand the scheme to include our profession as well as the other Allied Health Professionals.
Commenting on the announcement RCOT Chief Executive, Julia Scott said:
“It is welcome news that occupational therapists, alongside other key Allied Health Professionals, will now be included in the government’s auto-visa extension scheme, allowing those working in the NHS to stay an extra year so that they can focus on the crisis at hand. We also welcome the fact that the extension is to include those working in social care, who are doing vital work in communities to keep people out of hospitals and in their own homes. This, alongside the decision to include independent practitioners in the extension, will bring a huge sense of relief to many occupational therapists across the UK who decided to come here to work and build a life.
“Around 3,000 occupational therapists come from overseas, so for many of them this will be reassuring news that they will not have the added concern about their right to stay in the UK at this time.
“Whilst this is good news, the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic will be an ongoing challenge for us all over the next couple of years in particular, with many needing to access rehabilitation and requiring regular support from the NHS. Therefore, 12 months will not ensure a sufficient workforce to meet the rehabilitation needs of the UK population affected by the pandemic, as well as meeting the needs of people with other conditions.
“We would therefore encourage the government to look at expanding this scheme in order to demonstrate the high value and esteem we hold for overseas NHS workers by allowing them an additional visa renewal and longer extension, in recognition of the life-saving work they are undertaking.”
The extension will apply to overseas workers in the UK on a Tier 2 or Tier 5 temporary visa. Overseas workers are currently classified as workers that come to the UK from non-EEA countries. From December 2020, this is expected to be expanded to also include those from EEA countries.
More information can be found here.