UK visa rule on hold, docs relieved

RELIEF FOR DOCS: Indian doctors will be at par with British nationals and EU candidates for this year's recruitment.

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Keywords: Work Permit, London High Court

London: An emergency injunction on Sunday brought temporary relief to thousands of Indian doctors who have been shortlisted for job interviews by the National Health Service.

This injunction comes after the British Health Department agreed to put on hold the new immigration rules announced last year.

That means Indian doctors will be at par with British nationals and European Union candidates for this year's recruitment.

But there was still one stumbling block: candidates needed work visas valid beyond August 1, 2007, a condition that was automatically disqualifying a large number of applicants.

Repeated requests didn't help, so the Indian Doctors' Association sought an injunction.

Vice Chairman, British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Dr Satheesh Mathew, said, "The Department of Health had announced that visas valid beyond August 1, 2007 were needed to apply and we thought this was unjust, so we sought an emergency injunction and now they will be considered."

Interviews of shortlisted candidates start on Monday and will continue for a month. Around 75 per cent of nearly 16,000 Indian doctors are under the High Skilled Migrant Programme Visa scheme.

This injunction, although crucial, is only a temporary measure. The association of Indian doctors will now proceed with a judicial review later this week. Both sides will present their cases and the courts will take the final decision.