British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised to intensify checks on professional immigrants to Britain. At least four of the suspects being detained in connection with the attempted car bombings in London and Glasgow are doctors, and the others are related to the medical profession.
During his time in office, Prime Minister Tony Blair boosted funding for Britain's National Health Service, in the process creating a demand for medical staff. In the last three years, more than 22,000 doctors have immigrated to Britain legally.
Immigrating professionals are subject to checks by their employers, by Britain's Home Office and by the General Medical Council, which oversees the country's hospitals.
Prime Minister Brown wants to improve the process for screening background and immigration status for incoming professionals, a goal that may prove challenging when it comes to excavating documentation from war-torn countries such as Iraq.
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