The figures also show that registrations from Australia are dwarfed by the number heading in the opposite direction. Data earlier this year showed that 4,764 nurses from the UK registered to work in Australia in 2006/7, while just 155 Australian nurses came to the UK.
Work permits were granted to 3,060 nurses from India in 2007, making it by far the highest non-EU contributor of nurses to the UK.
The top 20 non-EU countries from which nurses registered to work in the UK contributed a total of 8,520 nurses in 2007.
Of these, 1,580 came from the Philippines, and 1,050 from Zimbabwe, the data show. A total of 2,465 of the registrants came from countries in Africa.
nick.bostock@haymarket.com
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