UK Red Lists Zimbabwe, Active Recruitment No Longer Permitted!

The United Kingdom (UK) has announced that Zimbabwe is now on the Red List therefore, active recruitment is not permitted from Zimbabwe.

Active international recruitment in the code is defined as the process by which UK health and social care employers target individuals to market UK employment opportunities, with the intention of recruiting to a role in the UK health or social care sector.

It includes both physical or virtual targeting, and whether or not these actions lead to substantive employment.

According to Pindula News, the UK government said the only exception to this definition is where a candidate has already been appointed by a UK employer following an independent direct application and selection without the support of a recruitment organisation, agency or collaboration (defined below).

In this case, if required, these organisations can support and facilitate the employee’s passage to the UK. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the recruitment organisation, agency or collaboration, if challenged, to provide evidence that the services they are providing are permitted under this exception.

Direct Application

A ‘direct application’ is when an individual makes an application directly and on their own behalf to an employing organising. Direct applications do not use a third party, such as a recruitment organisation, agency or collaboration.

Individual health and social care employers may consider direct applications from individuals who are residents in countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023 if they have made a direct application to a vacancy at their organisation. See ‘Annex A: red and amber list countries below.

UK Red Lists Zimbabwe, Active Recruitment No Longer Permitted!

A direct application can only be made in response to a vacancy that is hosted by and recruited to, the same sponsoring organisation.

Resident: For the purpose of this code of practice, ‘resident’ refers to the country an individual is living in when they apply for a health or social care job. The rules on active recruitment and direct applications are based on the country within which an individual is a resident when they apply for a health or social care job, rather than the nationality of the individual or their original country of training.

Red and amber list countries: Countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List are graded red, which means no active recruitment is permitted from these countries.

The WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List is updated by WHO every 3 years, or more frequently if required.