Everything IMGs ask before they move

You need a primary medical qualification the GMC accepts, proof of English (IELTS 7.5 overall or OET grade B), evidence of recent clinical practice within the last five years, a certificate of good standing from every regulator you have held registration with, and an accepted route to registration — usually PLAB, an accepted postgraduate qualification, or a sponsored scheme such as MTI.

No. Trust-grade and clinical fellow posts routinely hire doctors with no UK experience. UK experience helps, and a short clinical attachment or observership can strengthen an application, but it is not a requirement and it cannot be paid work.

In practice: an accepted medical degree, English test at GMC level, 12 months of postgraduate clinical experience or an internship the GMC recognises, PLAB or an accepted alternative, GMC registration with a licence, and a job offer with a Certificate of Sponsorship if you need a visa.

Both are accepted. OET is healthcare-specific and most doctors find the writing and speaking tasks more natural because they mirror clinical work. Academic IELTS is more widely available and often cheaper. See our OET vs IELTS comparison for the score requirements side by side.

You get four attempts at each part. Attempts are counted separately for PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, and there is no fifth attempt, so use the full preparation time rather than booking early to 'see the paper'.

Only if it is on the GMC's accepted list for your route. Many overseas postgraduate qualifications do not exempt you. MRCP, MRCS and similar UK royal college qualifications support later career progression but are not automatic PLAB exemptions for every applicant.

Your passport, primary medical qualification verified through EPIC, internship or experience certificates, a certificate of good standing from each regulator, your English test result, and evidence of recent practice. Anything not in English needs a certified translation.

It replaced CESR. It is how doctors trained outside a UK-approved programme join the specialist or GP register, by submitting a portfolio of evidence against the UK curriculum for their specialty.

Almost always the Health and Care Worker visa, a cheaper subcategory of the Skilled Worker visa with no immigration health surcharge. Your employer issues a Certificate of Sponsorship first.

Yes. Dependants can come with you or join later, they are also exempt from the immigration health surcharge on the Health and Care Worker route, and your partner can normally work without restriction.

Yes. Time on the Health and Care Worker visa counts toward indefinite leave to remain, usually after five continuous years of qualifying residence.

The large majority of NHS trusts hold a sponsor licence and recruit IMGs, especially for medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and acute specialties. Filter the live vacancy feed on our NHS jobs page for posts explicitly open to sponsorship.

Basic pay depends on grade, with out-of-hours enhancements typically adding 20–40%. Our NHS doctor salary guide breaks down each grade and what actually lands in your account after tax, pension and student-style deductions.

Budget two months of living costs — roughly £2,000–£2,600 outside London — because NHS pay is monthly in arrears. Use the cost calculator to build your own figure.