Zimbabwean professionals seeking a way out of their country?s prolonged economic crisis are facing fresh hurdles as the UK government moves to permanently scrap care worker visas, a route many had used to migrate.

? The UK government announced the cancellation of care worker visas, affecting migration routes for Zimbabwean professionals.

? Care worker visas had been crucial for Zimbabweans fleeing economic challenges and finding work in the UK.

? This migration route's closure exacerbates Zimbabwe's brain drain, affecting critical sectors like healthcare and IT.

Zimbabwean professionals seeking a way out of their country?s prolonged economic crisis are facing fresh hurdles as the UK government moves to permanently scrap care worker visas, a route many had used to migrate.

"We?re permanently shutting down the care visa route. Care workers from overseas have made a huge contribution, but too many have been subject to abuse and exploitation,? the UK Home Office announced via its official X account on May 12. We?re moving away from our dependence on overseas workers to restore control and fairness to the system."

India, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have been the three biggest sources of care workers migrating to the UK since it began offering them such visas. According to UK Home Office data, 15,709 care-worker visas were issued to Zimbabwean nationals in 2023, while Nigerians received 19,449, including dependents.

The visa cancellation is part of a wider clampdown on immigration under Prime Minister Keir Starmer?s government, which is facing increasing pressure to reduce migrant numbers amid growing support for anti-immigration parties like Nigel Farage?s Reform UK, according to Bloomberg.

Economic crisis fuels migration

For many Zimbabweans, the permits had offered a lifeline, an opportunity to escape an economy marked by instability and inflation. Over the years, Zimbabwe's currency has been one of the world's worst performers.

The country?s latest attempt at monetary stability, the gold-backed ZiG, marks its sixth currency experiment in just 15 years. Despite its promise, the ZiG has yet to gain meaningful traction. In September, the central bank devalued the ZiG by 43% to narrow the gulf between official and black-market exchange rates.

The migration surge has triggered a significant brain drain in Zimbabwe, depleting the country of skilled professionals, not only in health care but also across critical sectors such as banking, accounting, and information technology, said Memory Nguwi, managing consultant at Industrial Psychology Consultants, a Harare-based HR advisory firm.

Zimbabwean authorities have raised concerns that the exodus of nurses and doctors to the UK has created a severe gap in the country?s already fragile healthcare system. (Business insider Africa)

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