The United Kingdomone of the common and favored destinations of Filipino nurses is set to implement a new and stricter policy regarding their student visa guidelines. This news may negatively affect the Filipino nurses who opt to take the study and work program of this European country.

The new rule is imposed by the UK government with the aim of preventing abuse by economic migrants. However a recruitment consultant, Emmanuel Geslani, expressed concern that the stringent guidelines may be unfavorable to the thousands of Filipino student nurses in the British isles.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the UK Home Affairs Minister Alan Johnson announced that the revised guidelines would take effect this month (March 3) and the changes will reflect in the Tier 4 (Student Visa) Regulations under its new Points-Based System of Migration. All Tier 4 applications submitted on or after this date will be subject to the new restrictions.

A statement that was published in the DFA website said, "The Philippine Embassy in London reiterates its advice for all prospective applicants under Tier 4 to secure updated information on new regulations, procedures, and requirements from the UK Embassy in Manila."

The changes will directly affect adult students who will enter UK to enroll in non-degree courses. Students who will come to UKto enroll in a foundation degree (first two years of a Bachelor's degree), courses at degree level or above, and those coming in as children at independent or private schools would not be affected

Here are some of the changes in the new policy:

• With the new policy, the allowed working hours for students is shortened from 20 hours a week to 10 hours a week.
• Bringing a dependent to UK is no longer possible for a student who is only enrolled in a six-month course (or less).
• The dependents only be allowed to work if they qualify in their own right under Tier 1 (General) as a highly skilled migrant or as a skilled worker under Tier 2 (General worker, sportsperson or Minister of Religion).
  Geslani

With these changes, Emmanuel Geslani is afraid that it may make life more difficult for the estimated 10,000 Filipino healthcare workers in UK. Most of them are nurses who availed of the program from the year 20007 to 2009 and majority of them are enrolled in a certificate course - National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) that only lasts for six months while at the same time working in care homes.

Geslani said, "Ten hours per week and the new rule which prohibits their dependents the right to work will make it difficult to cope with the living expenses like food, rent and taxes, with the high standard of living in the UK."

The recruitment consultant also informed that the NVQ is set to be replaced by a new program next year. The new program would only permit a foreign worker a stay of one year and can no longer apply for a permanent residency.

He said, "Many of these nurses will be forced to return to the Philippines if they cannot shift to higher education courses like degree programs in universities."

Geslani advised Filipino students who wants to go to UK to take advantage of the one-year degree program. Under this program, foreign students are allowed to stay and work for a maximum of two years without studying further and may give them the opportunity to secure a work permit.