Up to 50,000 Migrant Nurses May Quit the UK Under New Immigration Plans. A Royal College of Nursing survey warns that up to 50,000 migrant nurses could permanently leave the UK due to the government’s proposed immigration reforms. Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to curb net migration by extending the wait for settled status from five to ten years. The proposals also raise foreign workers’ skill requirements to degree level and tighten English-language standards across all visa types. Nursing leaders call the measures “immoral” and say they treat highly skilled staff as “political footballs,” threatening patient safety and NHS recovery efforts. The UK relies heavily on internationally educated nurses—over 200,000 currently make up a quarter of the workforce. In the RCN survey, 60% of migrant nurses without ILR say the changes would make them “very likely” to leave, with many describing severe financial and family concerns. Critics say the plan betrays nurses who came to the UK during the pandemic and leaves them vulnerable to exploitation, unable to change jobs or access state support for a decade. With ILR fees over £3,000 per person, the RCN urges the government to scrap the proposals to avoid deepening the NHS workforce crisis.