Hundreds of foreign doctors gathered outside Downing Street today to voice their anger over new immigration rules they say will cause unfair discrimination.

The changes announced last month mean those from outside the EU will only be eligible to take up NHS work if the post cannot be filled by an EU resident. Critics claim that it will be almost impossible for non-EU doctors to get a job, putting an end to recruitment on merit.

Many who have been working in Britain in trainee posts for a number of years will have to go back to their home countries. They say it is unfair that the rules will apply to them retrospectively, as they originally came to Britain in the belief they could have a career in the NHS.

Today, hundreds of mild-mannered and polite protesters gathered outside Downing Street to demonstrate their opposition to the plans. Many of the doctors were from India, with others from Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Libya.

Dr Aruj Qayum, 33, who works at Newham University Hospital in east London, has worked in Britain for more than two years since moving from his home near Delhi. He said he was trapped in a Catch 22 situation. "If these rules apply then I have to go back. I have no other option. The problem is, if I am applying for the job but am not an EEA (European Economic Area) candidate.

"When we are applying they are not accepting our applications when we do not have a valid visa. But if they are not accepting our application we won’t be offered the job, and we cannot apply for a visa."

He said that doctors would face a tough time back in India, as they were trained to work in British healthcare rather than the Indian system.

Dr Pratima Chowdary, 36, who works as a locum consultant at a London hospital, has been working in the NHS for eight years. She said the new rules would also make it difficult for her to find work as a permanent consultant if up against an EU resident.

Dr Chowdary claimed the new rules were sending out the message: "Yesterday, we were going to treat you as equal and today you are no longer our equal."

Dr Gaurav Gupta, who is training as a GP in Margate, Kent, said he would have to go back to India in August next year when his visa runs out. He complained about the lack of notice given of the change, and "the unfairness of the rules". He said: "If they had told us then we would have been better prepared and we would have done things differently."

Today’s demonstration was backed by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO). A succession of speakers claimed that the changes by the Department of Health had been driven through without any consultation.

Dr Peter Trewby, of the Royal College of Physicians group, told protesters: "This is a very, very sad day indeed for the NHS. For the first time in the history of the NHS, we are going to say that race and country of origin is going to trump merit and that is a very sad thing indeed."

Murad Qureshi, a Labour member of the Greater London Assembly, said that he feared some doctors’ positions would now be advertised saying "overseas doctors need not apply".

Dr Ramesh Mehta, president of the BAPIO, said: "The NHS has been propped up by doctors from Commonwealth countries since its inception. Now the Government are saying ‘We don’t need you’."

After the speeches, demonstrators marched up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, where the protest came to an end.

Dr Patricia Hamilton, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, warned that the changes would damage the careers of doctors who had helped to keep the NHS going. She said: "Better transitional arrangements must be put into place now to enable overseas doctors currently in the UK to complete their training.

"In many areas in the UK paediatric services have depended on these doctors and we have a duty to be fair to them. Many face uncertain futures at short notice."

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