New immigration rules announced today are a mixed bag for the veterinary profession and leave a big question mark over how the profession will recruit and retain the workforce it needs, according to the British Veterinary Association.
Every year over half of new entrants onto the UK veterinary register are from overseas, with the vast majority coming from the EU via freedom of movement. Once free movement ends in January 2021, it will be replaced with an employer-led points-based system which is likely to place a significant administrative burden on veterinary businesses who will be required to sponsor recruits from outside of the UK.
The new system will allocate additional points for occupations on the Shortage Occupation List. Since autumn 2019, the list has included veterinary surgeons, following a sustained campaign by BVA, RCVS and others.
BVA has also successfully lobbied for the introduction of post-study work visas which will help to retain overseas vets who have qualified at a UK vet school but would previously not have been able to work here.
...follow the link to read the article in full on the BVA website...