Biomedical scientists working in the NHS are facing visa renewal problems because of how their salary requirements are calculated, and their professional body has now written directly to the Home Secretary about it. The Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) said on 11 November 2026 that it has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and the Immigration Minister seeking action on visa salary requirements and settlement arrangements for internationally recruited biomedical scientists.

The Institute has also approached MPs, including members of the Health and Social Care Committee, the Science and Technology Committee and the All-Party Parliamentary Health Group, and is urging members to contact their own MPs.

Two changes the IBMS is seeking

The campaign seeks two changes. First, visa going rates for HCPC-registered biomedical scientists working in NHS services should be linked to Agenda for Change pay bands, on the same basis as comparable professions such as radiographers and physiotherapists.

Second, HCPC-registered biomedical scientists should be included in the five-year public service settlement pathway, so they are not pushed onto a longer route to settlement than comparable NHS colleagues.

Why the salary rules cause problems

Biomedical scientists are eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa, which forms part of the Skilled Worker route. The problem lies in how their salary requirement is set. For radiographers, physiotherapists and several other HCPC-regulated professions, the immigration going rate is set by their Agenda for Change pay band.

For biomedical scientists, the going rate is derived from earnings data for occupation code SOC 2113, “Biochemists and biomedical scientists”, as a whole, a group that also covers biochemists and other scientists, many employed outside the NHS. As a result, HCPC-registered biomedical scientists on Agenda for Change Band 5 can fall below the going rate applied to them, creating visa renewal difficulties for some internationally recruited staff. The Migration Advisory Committee recognised the mismatch between NHS pay scales and the profession’s immigration salary treatment in its December 2025 review of salary requirements.

The settlement question

The second issue concerns settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain. The Government’s response to the consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, published on 2 November 2026, confirms the Earned Settlement framework, under which the standard qualifying period for settlement will move from five years to ten.

A five-year pathway is retained for qualifying public service occupations listed in Annex C of the document. Biomedical scientists do not appear in Annex C, while several other HCPC-regulated professions do. The IBMS says the omission appears connected to the same salary-treatment issue behind the visa renewal problems.

The framework is not yet in force, and the detailed Immigration Rules and guidance are still to be developed. The IBMS says it is also seeking clarification on how any change would apply outside NHS employment, the arrangements for internationally recruited biomedical scientists already working across UK healthcare, including those approaching five years’ qualifying residence, and the treatment of applications made before any changes take effect.

Check the official guidance

Anyone affected should check the official GOV.UK pages for the current rules, as immigration rules change and the new framework is not yet law. The IBMS notes that it cannot advise on individual circumstances, and GOV.UK explains how to find a regulated immigration adviser. Employers’ HR or visa support teams may also be able to help with sponsorship questions.

Sources: Institute of Biomedical Science and GOV.UK: Earned settlement.