Nurses' families fear being torn apart in the UK's immigration crackdown, a survey reveals. The survey, conducted among over 1,000 individuals, many of whom moved to Britain for work or study, found that three out of five participants worry about being separated from their relatives. Two-thirds of the respondents felt less welcome in the UK due to the proposed changes, according to the charity Praxis. The survey also revealed that more than half of the participants were less likely to remain in the UK. The UK government's plan to double the time it takes for most migrant workers to qualify for permanent residence from five years to 10 years has sparked opposition from Labour MPs. For individuals in jobs below graduate level, including many care workers, the default will be extended to 15 years. The survey further highlighted that nearly half of the participants were on work visas, with one in three working in health and social care, one in 10 in education, and 15% in IT. One in seven were on family visas, and 12% were Hongkongers who moved to Britain after the imposition of China's national security law in 2020. The findings of the survey emphasize that the proposed changes are yet another act of economic vandalism, according to Minnie Rahman, the chief executive of Praxis. More than 300,000 children already living in the UK could be forced to wait 10 years for settled status under the changes, according to research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Nursing leaders have warned that as many as 50,000 nurses could leave the UK over the plans, plunging the NHS into its biggest ever workforce crisis. Zayne, an 18-year-old aspiring doctor, expressed the emotional impact of the changes, stating that his mother cries every day due to the uncertainty. Fisayo, a healthcare worker, shared her experience of moving to the UK in 2009 as a highly skilled worker, paying taxes, raising her children, and contributing to the economy, but now facing instability and poverty. The retrospective approach to the proposals has been criticized by about 40 Labour MPs as 'un-British' and 'moving the goalposts'. A Home Office spokesperson defended the changes, stating that the government is reforming a broken immigration system to prioritize contribution and integration.
