Dealing with panic.

There is a growing consensus that asylum seekers with professional nursing skills should be allowed to work here, but obstacles prevail. For example, attaining UK registration is not easy because of the difficulty of obtaining certificates and references from an asylum seeker's home country. Furthermore, current immigration restrictions prevent asylum seekers from working for six months following submission of an asylum application. After this period an asylum seeker can apply to the Home Office for an endorsement, which permits them to work without restriction while their application is processed. This 'concession' currently releases significant numbers of asylum-seeking nurses into the workforce. However, it will shortly disappear in line with Home Office proposals to 'fast-track' asylum applications, eliminating a sizeable, albeit temporary, source of nurses. Given the unstable nature of such temporary employment, many employers seek permission under the work-permit scheme to employ asylum-seeking nurses on a recognised fixed-term basis. But as there is no automatic right under the immigration rules to 'switch' from an asylum application to work permit holder status, these requests are decided on a discretionary basis. In addition, the asylum seeker is often asked to withdraw their asylum application before a work-permit application will even be considered, leaving them facing possible deportation. Immigration restrictions on asylum-seeking nurses continue to limit their input at a time of shortages and regular recruitment drives aimed, ironically, at attracting foreign nurses of the same calibre as those already here