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Senior NHS Grampian medic blasts ‘racist’ Home Office policy on spousal visas

Dr Izhar Khan. Picture by Jim Irvine.
Dr Izhar Khan. Picture by Jim Irvine.

A senior medic has blasted immigration rules which he claims have deprived north-east hospitals of highly-trained doctors.

Under Home Office rules, non-EU migrants can apply for a spousal visa if they are married to someone who has the right to live and work in the UK on the basis of their relationship.

However if these circumstances change – for example if their spouse leaves the UK or if they split up – non-EU nationals have to leave the country and apply for another type of visa.

This means they will have to give up their job to re-apply – though the post will be advertised for four weeks.

If the post is not filled by a British or EU national, the non-EU applicant will have to go through the full interview process again – as if they had never worked at the hospital before.

NHS Grampian consultant nephrologist Dr Izhar Khan claims this “human tragedy” has a “triple whammy” effect on the health service.

He said: “This is discrimination against non-EU migrants and is part of Theresa May’s racist immigration policy that she implemented while she was home secretary.

“This is a triple whammy – you have the human tragedy of a qualified, talented person being forced to leave the country.

“You have the impact on the health service meaning we have to spend money on locums, who cost more money.

“And you have the effect on patients who have operations cancelled or delayed because of this.

“There should be a common sense approach whereby the Home Office speaks to an employer and if they are a competent, qualified person, the visa is transferred over.

“I don’t want to reveal the personal circumstances of people but there have been situations where contracts have been terminated.”

Mrs May, who served as home secretary between 2010-16, claimed she wanted to create a “hostile environment” for illegal immigrants.

But she has repeatedly come under fire for her policies, which critics have said lacked compassion and have split families apart.

Among the most controversial of her decisions was the introduction of a minimum income of £18,600 for migrants on spousal visas.

And in June after pressure from the health service current home secretary Sajid Javid made doctors and nurses temporarily exempt from an annual cap on visa applications to allow more to be able to fill vacancies in UK hospitals.

A Home Office spokesman said: “No-one on a spouse visa has to leave the UK to extend their visa, as long as their partner is extending theirs – as spousal visa status is dependent on the principal applicant.

“However if a spouse visa becomes void, the person who came on this visa as a dependant must apply for another form of leave from their country of origin in order to return to the UK.

“Each case is assessed on its individual merits against the published immigration rules.”