Indians among Commonwealth doctors barred from higher UK training

LONDON: Doctors from India and other Commonwealth countries will be barred from coming to the UK for training and subsequent recruitment in the National Health Service under the new immigration rules coming into force from February 29, a move welcomed by physicians in Britain.

But "Indian doctors can come for service jobs", said, Ramesh Mehta, President of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO on Thursday.

Mehta said the new Home Office rules make it clear to international medical graduates (IMGS) currently overseas who are planning to come to the UK that it would be difficult for them to obtain post-graduate training here. But the rights of those IMGS who are already in the UK will be protected.

"We have been lobbying both the Home Office and the Department of Health for the last 5 years asking them to take action to limit the number of international graduates entering the UK. This is necessary since there are limited places for post-graduate training. This is in the best interests of both UK doctors and IMGS".

The change which was announced yesterday imposes a condition on Tier 1 (General) Migrants and Highly Skilled Migrants prohibiting them from taking a post as a doctor in training. The new rules, coming into effect on February 29, will not impact on recruitment until 2009.

Those who currently have leave to remain in the UK as a Highly Skilled Migrant and Postgraduate doctors or dentists who are seeking leave to remain as a Tier 1 (General) Migrant will be exempt from the new rules.

"The International doctors will still be able to come and work in UK in non-training jobs," Mehta said.