UK bans recruiting medical professionals from Nigeria and 53 other countries

Nigeria and 53 other nations have been listed on the red list by the UK as not being actively sought out by employers in the health and social care sector.

The declaration was made in the updated code of conduct for England’s foreign hiring of healthcare and social service workers.

Before conducting any recruitment drive, it is advised that employers, recruitment organizations, agencies, collaborations, and contractual bodies review the red country list for updates.

The code defined active international recruitment as the method by which UK health and social care employers (including local authorities), contracting bodies, recruitment organizations, agencies, collaborations, and subcontractors target people to market UK employment opportunities with the intention of hiring them for a position in the UK health or social care sector. Targeting can take place physically or virtually, and it can result in real employment or not.

The code of practice is applicable to the hiring of all foreign nationals working in the UK’s health and social care sectors, including all permanent, temporary, and locum employees working in both clinical and non-clinical contexts.

This includes, but is not limited to, allied health professionals, care providers, dental professionals, medical professionals, medical staff, midwives, nursing professionals, residential and domiciliary care providers, social workers, and support personnel.

Remember that the UK halted the hiring of healthcare professionals from Nigeria and 46 other nations in 2021, citing the threat posed by the rising volume of health and social care worker migration from low- and lower-middle-income countries.

On March 8, 2023, the WHO identified Nigeria and 54 other nations as having the most urgent workforce issues connected to universal health care.

However, the red and amber nation list does not preclude individual health and social care workers who reside in those countries from applying directly to health and social care employers without being targeted by a third party, like a recruiting organization, agency, or recruitment cooperation.

The countries placed on the red list of ‘No active recruitment’ in alphabetical order are Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia.

Other countries are Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Republic of Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.