THE NHS will be plunged into “chaos” by new restrictions which threaten to deport migrants earning less than £35,000 a year, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said yesterday.

The nurses’ union claimed the measures, which are due to come into effect next year, will force thousands of nurses to leave Britain.

The government has drawn up a list of professions it will exempt from the new restrictions, which will apply to recruits from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), but an independent watchdog declined to include nurses.

According to figures released by the RCN, 3,365 nurses now working in Britain will be affected. And at least £20.19 million would be “thrown down the drain” — the public money the government spent on attracting these nurses to work here.

RCN chief executive Peter Carter blasted: “The immigration rules for healthcare workers will cause chaos for the NHS and other care services.

“At a time when demand is increasing, the UK is perversely making it harder to employ staff from overseas.

“The UK will be sending away nurses who have contributed to the health service for six years. Losing their skills and knowledge and then having to start the cycle again and recruit to replace them is completely illogical.”

Dr Carter called on the government to exempt nurses from the new regime.

“The only way for the UK to regain control over its own health service workforce is by training more nurses,” he said.

He added that 37,000 potential nursing students were turned away last year, proving that there are people out there who want to embark on a nursing career.

But a Home Office spokesman smarmed: “As the Prime Minister has made clear, the government wants to reduce the demand for migrant labour.

“Employers have had since 2011 to prepare for the possibility their non-EEA workers may not meet the required salary threshold to remain in the UK permanently.”