Overseas Doctors

I am an EU citizen, how do I apply to practice in the UK? I am NOT an EU citizen, how do I apply to work in the UK? How do I apply for a GMC registration? I am an EU citizen, do I need a VISA? I am a Commonwealth citizen, how do I obtain a VISA? I am NOT a Commonwealth or EU citizen, how do I obtain a VISA? I am a Commonwealth citizen, how do I obtain a Work Permit? What is a Highly Skilled Migration Permit, and how do I apply for one? Which Countries are part of the Commonwealth?

I am an EU citizen, how do I apply to practice in the UK?

If you are a citizen of the European Union and you wish to practice in the U.K you will require a GMC registration. However, the process from then onward is very simple.

See How do I apply for GMC Registration? for further details.

I am NOT an EU citizen, how do I apply to work in the UK?

Application Process

The application process for permission to work in the U.K., are as follows;

1. Applicants must pass the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam. This is an examination of your competency and command of the English language. It is designed to assess the language ability of candidates who need to study or work where English is used as the common language. IELTS tests are administered at over 300 test centres around the world.

   • IELTS covers all four skills: Listening, Writing, Reading and Speaking.
   • It is offered in two test formats - Academic and General Training.
   • Candidates take the same Listening and Speaking Modules and there is an option of either Academic or General Training Reading and Writing Modules.
   • Academic is for candidates planning to study higher education or who are seeking a professional registration.
   • General Training is suitable for candidates planning to undertake non-academic training or work experience, or for immigration reasons.
   • You are required to achieve an average of 7 points over 4 Exams.

2. After passing your IELTS you must then apply to sit the PLAB (Professional & Linguistic Assessments Board) exams, this comes in two parts:

   PLAB Part 1

   This involves four sections which will be assessed individually in Extended Matching Question format. The emphasis is on clinical management and includes science as applied to clinical problems. The test is confined to core knowledge, skills and attitudes relating to conditions commonly seen by SHOs, to the generic management of life-threatening situations, and to rarer, but important problems. The examination will be answered on a special answer sheet which is marked in UK by computer. The four sections are as follows:

   • Diagnosis: you will be given a list of facts about a patient and from these you will be asked to deduce the most likely diagnosis.
   • Investigations: given the facts of an individual case you will be asked to propose the correct form of investigation that will provide the key to diagnosis. You may also be given the findings of an investigation, and asked to relate these to a patient's condition to form the correct diagnosis.
   • Management: with the aid of some important facts about a patient's condition, you will be required to select the best course of treatment from a range of possibilities. For medical treatments you will be asked to choose the correct drug therapy as well as understand and explain possible side effects.
   • Miscellaneous: This section may include the following:
     • Explanation of disease process: The natural history of disease will be tested with reference to basic physiology and pathology.
     • Legal/ethical: You are required to know the major legal and ethical principles set out in the GMC publication "Duties of a Doctor".
     • Evidence based medicine: Questions on diagnosis, investigations and management might draw upon recent evidence published in peer-reviewed journals. There may also be questions on the principles and practice of evidence-based medicine.
     • Understanding of epidemiology: You could also be tested on the principles of epidemiology, and on the prevalence of important diseases in the UK.
     • Health promotion: The prevention of disease through health promotion and your understanding of risk factors.
     • Awareness of multicultural society: You could also be tested on your appreciation of the impact on a practice, of medicine of the health beliefs and cultural values of the major cultural groups in the UK population.
     • Application of scientific understanding to medicine

   PLAB Part 2

   The aim of this test is the examination of a doctors clinical as well as communication skills.

   The examination is based upon various stations, each one dedicated to a specific medical task. The nature of these tasks will vary between stations, and may involve talking to, or examining, patients. You may also be asked to demonstrate a medical procedure on a model.

   After successfully completing these exams you will be entitled to apply to the GMC for registration. The type of registration that you apply for varies dependent on your personal circumstances.

How do I apply for a GMC registration?

Doctors wishing to practice in the U.K. must apply for GMC registration. The precise nature of your registration could vary dependent upon the medical school you qualified from and your nationality, amongst other factors.

• You may eligible to apply to the GMC for full registration if:

  • you have qualified from a medical school in the U.K, EEA or Switzerland, OR
  • you are an EEA or Swiss national, OR
  • non EEA/Swiss national with EC rights,

  AND have completed your 12 month internship (or were not required to do a period of internship).

  If you have not completed your internship period then you will only be able to apply for provisional registration.

• If you already hold provisional registration with the GMC then you will be eligible to apply for full registration if you have qualified from a medical school in either:

  • Hong Kong
  • Australia
  • Singapore
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa
  • The West Indies
  • (or the University of Malaysia before 31st December 1989)

  However if you do not already hold provisional registration then you will only be eligible to apply for provisional registration.

• If the medical school from which you qualified is in the EEA (or Switzerland) or on The World Health Organisations list of Medical Schools then to apply for full registration you must have been awarded either one or both of the following;

  • A Certificate of Equivalent Experience by the JCPTGP.
  • Eligibility for inclusion on the GMC's Specialist Register by the Specialist Training Authority (STA).

  If you have either or both of these you will be eligible to apply for Full Registration. If you have neither then you will only be able to apply for limited registration.

• You will be required to contact the GMC directly so they can asses your case on an individual basis if you have not qualified from a medical school from:

  • Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, West Indies or the University of Malaysia prior to 31st December 1989
  • The EEA or Switzerland
  • or one on the WHO list of Medical Schools.

I am an EU citizen, do I need a VISA?

If you are an EEA national then you do not require a visa. There will only be a brief passport or identity check on arrival.

If you are planning to stay in the U.K. other than as a short-term visitor then you may apply for a Residence Permit from the immigration and Nationality Directorate.

I am a Commonwealth citizen, how do I obtain a VISA?

A working holiday VISA

If you are a national of a Commonwealth country you are entitled to apply for a working holiday visa. This will give you leave to remain in the U.K. for two years (working part-time for both or full-time for one).

To qualify:

• You must be between 17-27 years old.
• You are:
  • Unmarried
  • Married to a person who also qualifies for the working holiday visa and you intend to holiday together.
• You do not have any dependent children over the age of five or who will reach the age of five during the period of the visas validation.
• You will only take employment incidental to your holiday
• You are able to support and accommodate yourself for the duration of your stay
• You have the means to fund your onward journey
• You intend to leave the U.K. on completion of your holiday
• You must apply for the working holiday visa before travelling to the U.K. as this visa cannot be applied for on arrival.

Tourist/ Visitor VISA

Anyone arriving in the U.K. without a valid visa is granted a tourist visa on their arrival. However, if you are travelling from a visa national country you will be required to attain a visa from your nearest British Consulate before embarking on your journey to the UK.

A visitor's visa is valid for 6 months, however, the restrictions of this visa state the bearer is not allowed to work for this duration. To qualify for this visa the applicant must demonstrate that:

• They are seeking entry, as a visitor, for a period no longer than 6 months.
• They intend to leave the U.K. after this six month period.
• They have sufficient funds to maintain themselves for the duration of their six month stay.

Applicants who are granted visitor's visa for a duration of less than 6 months may apply to extend the visa's expiry date to the full six months.

Individuals travelling on working holiday visas can apply for a Visitor's visa if they wish to extend their stay, however, once it becomes effective you must abide by the new regulations it specifies.

I am NOT a Commonwealth or EU citizen, how do I obtain a VISA?

To find out what visa you may require when you come to Britain please Click Here for UK Government VISA Information. Please fill in the relevant fields and submit the form. This will then inform you as to what visa you may require.

I am a Commonwealth citizen, how do I obtain a Work Permit?

is unable to hold or to apply for work permits on your behalf.

• You will have to contact your nearest British consulate to enquire as to exactly which one is able to process your application, for example in South Africa all applications must be applied for at the Pretoria office.
• Home Office in the U.K. is situated in Croydon, Surrey. A queuing system operates on a numerical ticket basis in order to be seen after which you will have to wait for the processing to take place. This can be very time consuming.
• On Arrival in the U.K. you will be asked to produce a letter on headed paper from the hospital, along with a covering letter from a solicitor which will state the regulations under which are entering the U.K. Your passport will be endorsed for the duration of your stay in the UK.

What is a Highly Skilled Migration Permit, and how do I apply for one?

This type of visa is initially valid for one year but can be extended to a period of up to four years after which time the holder is entitled to apply for full residential status in the U.K.

The visa will allow the holder to work anywhere in the U.K.

The requirements differ dependent on your point of application. You can apply from within the U.K. as long as you are here on Government Permission. However those in the U.K. on Visitor's Visa or on temporary visa's cannot apply from the U.K.

This is based on a point's scheme in which points are obtained from five key point areas;

• Educational skills
• Work experience
• Your achievements in your field
• Past earnings
• Your partners (married or unmarried) achievements

You are required to score in excess of 65 points to qualify as highly skilled worker.

Self employed GPs qualified to work in the U.K. may also apply under this programme.

Which Countries are part of the Commonwealth?

The following countries are part of the Commonwealth: