The United
Kingdom has reversed its policy of not granting work
extensions for non-European caregivers and has also
raised their annual salary from €12,500 British pounds
to €14,600. This equates to £7.02 per hour
The result of lobbying by care associations in the UK,
will immediately benefit 1,000 Filipino senior carers
already in the European country whose work permits have
not been extended and are facing deportation. Senior
carer is the term by which nurses or midwives are known.
“It has been agreed at ministerial and senior official
level that for senior care worker extension applications
only, the work permit arrangements will be amended. The
work skills criteria will be waived for extension
applications for senior care worker from the date the
new guidance is published. The agency is in the process
of clearing the guidance now and hopes to be able to
issue it within the next week, but cannot be more
definite at the moment.”
"What
this means is that for extension applications only,
employers will will not have to demonstrate that the job
is of a senior care worker is at NVQ level 3 and
requires 3 yrs experience. However the overall criteria
will have to be met which includes ensuring that there
is a genuine vacancy."
"The
agency will be speaking to its compliance team to make
sure that the new salary is enforced"
“The extension application will not be time limited which means that
employers will be able to request for the period they
deem appropriate for the overseas national, up to the
normal maximum of five years.”
However, for extension applications that have been
denied, the decision will stand.
“This is right as we have applied the rules that were
available at that time. To reiterate, the transitional
arrangements will come into force from the date the
guidance is officially issued. Fresh applications will
be required where extensions were previously refused,”
The UK government is not changing the work permit
criteria for new applications and “will continue to be
dealt with on a case-by-case basis.” |
Work Permits
