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Work Permits: Africa

Volume 487: debated on Tuesday 10 February 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued for (a) doctors and (b) nurses and auxiliary nurses from each African country in the last two years for which figures are available. (254881)

[holding answer 2009]: The following table provides numbers of work permits issued to nationals from each African country for occupations containing the word ‘nurse’ or ‘doctor’ for the period 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2008.

Country

Doctor

Nurse

Total

Botswana

2

75

75

Burundi

2

1

1

Cameroon

5

55

60

Congo

1

5

5

Egypt

90

1

95

Gambia

2

15

15

Ghana

15

415

430

Kenya

5

205

210

Lesotho

5

60

65

Liberia

2

1

1

Libya

10

2

10

Malawi

1

85

90

Mauritius

1

295

295

Mozambique

2

1

1

Namibia

2

30

30

Nigeria

50

870

915

Rwanda

2

5

5

Seychelles

2

10

10

Sierra Leone

2

35

35

Somalia

2

1

1

South Africa

250

950

1,205

Sudan

35

2

35

Swaziland

2

45

45

Tanzania

1

30

35

Togo

2

1

1

Uganda

5

60

65

Zaire

2

1

1

Zambia

2

265

265

Zimbabwe

10

2,185

2,195

Total

485

5,700

6,185

1 Indicates one or two

2 Indicates nil

Notes:

1. The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals who were granted permits because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or further leave to remain.

2. The term doctors/nurses refers to the occupation description containing the word ‘nurse’ or ‘doctor’.

3. Numbers exclude persons admitted under the highly skilled migrant programme or the points-based system.

4. Figures are rounded to nearest five

5. Because of rounding figures may not add up to totals shown.

The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. Industry sectors used are not consistent with the Standard Industrial Classification.