The Royal College of Nursing has written to Priti Patel, the home secretary, urging her to waive the charge for health workers “as a matter of urgency”.

“We are urging the home secretary to reconsider and waive this charge for healthcare staff from overseas as a matter of urgency,” Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive of the RCN, said. “We have already received devastating accounts from members who are struggling to pay the charge, and the impact that it is having on their families’ lives. The current pandemic has served to reaffirm the importance of our internationally educated staff. Without them here, patient care would be at risk.”

The letter notes that the surcharge “represents an unfair additional financial burden on our international workforce”. It adds: “Not only do healthcare professionals make a significant contribution towards our health and care system by virtue of their work but they also already pay taxes and national insurance that pay toward our services.”