The Home Office has revealed that overseas health workers will be given a free one-year UK visa extension.
It applies to eligible workers whose visas are set to run out before 1st October 2021 and will also cover their dependents.
More than 14,000 professionals are expected to benefit from the extensions including doctors, nurses, paramedics and midwives.
Usually, a health and care worker visa would cost £232 per person for up to three years or £464 per person for three to five years. It must be extended after five years or if the worker changes jobs.
The Home Office first granted free automatic visa extensions to health workers in March 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK.
The offer was initially limited to NHS doctors, nurses and paramedics whose visas ran out between 31 March 2020 and 1 October 2020, but it was later extended to include more professions.
According to the Home Office, more than 10,000 workers had received the extension last year, but this latest announcement would affect a further 14,000 workers.
Workers need to fill out an online form to verify their identity, but there will be no fees to pay.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “The dedication and skill of overseas health and care workers who are leading the UK’s fight against coronavirus is truly extraordinary and the visa extension shows how our country values the contributions of these heroes”.
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