COVID-19: the impact on international recruitment

Here at Pulse, we have a team dedicated to assisting and recruiting healthcare professionals from all over the world to find great work opportunities in the UK. Our teams work with individuals from just about every corner of the globe, with a vast majority of migrant workers coming from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, India, the Philippines and beyond. The experience brought to the market from these international candidates is highly valued by our clients as it helps to expand the knowledge and skill set of their workforces.

It comes as no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the ability for Pulse to recruit and assist international healthcare professionals. There have been many factors creating barriers for those with pre-existing plans to start their career in the UK, and those thinking of doing so.

On March 23rd the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that we must stay home, with all non-essential businesses to close in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. Following this announcement, airline companies began to cease departures from the UK, and non-essential travel was not advised. Around the world, many countries found themselves in a similar situation, with international travel banned for those in many countries. While this was necessary to protect people from the unpredictable virus, it halted the plans of those that were hoping to relocate in the following months, with no real clarity on when overseas plans could resume.

As expected, this change left affected healthcare professionals in somewhat of a limbo. What would happen with their visa start dates? Would there still be work opportunities once life returned to a new normal? There was an initial lack of certainty for those with visas with imminent start dates, and when flights could resume.

Now, many countries are allowing departure flights under certain circumstances. However, some nations’ visa offices remain closed, making it challenging to relocate as planned. With the ever-changing rules and confusion surrounding self-isolating upon arrival, it is unsurprising that some have decided to postpone their UK career indefinitely.

Working tirelessly, our dedicated team at Pulse researched the answers to the questions international candidates needed. We wanted to provide reassurance and a helping hand throughout the uncertainties. So, here’s the good news…The UK now offers a dedicated point of contact with the Visa and Immigration office for queries associated with coronavirus; this will help those with existing visas and those wishing to apply for the first time. Relocating to another country can be daunting enough, particularly amid a pandemic. It became – and remains – our priority to assure affected candidates that Pulse will support your relocation and help secure work opportunities in the UK, regardless of when that may be.

Looking ahead

Moving forward, the future of international recruitment looks positive. We have adapted our processes with a focus on keeping up to date with the situation in different nations. Our goal is to be in the best possible position to support relocation plans as lockdown measures ease across the globe. Over the past month or two, Pulse has still successfully supported healthcare professionals from countries as far as Australia relocate to the UK to commence work in their dream role. This would not have been possible without the Pulse team providing dedicated support and assistance with the relocation process.

COVID-19 has undoubtedly impacted international recruitment, but it has also allowed our teams to sharpen our knowledge and build closer relationships with our overseas healthcare professionals. With a bright future ahead for international recruitment at Pulse, we anticipate the volume of overseas candidates seeking work in the UK to increase in line with the restrictions easing in other nations. We will be entering 2021 with a positive outlook, and we look forward to working with you.

If you’d like to know more about our international recruitment process and how we could help you with relocating, please get in touch.