Prior to commencing work in the UK, you must satisfy immigration requirements and have permission to work. The immigration rules are set by the Home Office, and there are several routes under which you may qualify.
We have outlined below some of the routes available for you as a doctor. This information is correct at the time of publication but please refer to the Home Office website for the latest information.
Should you have any specific questions that the attached links and/or gov.uk website cannot answer, please contact our Medical HR team on ‘khft.medicalhr@nhs.net’, and we will endeavour to assist you.
Certain non-EEA nationals who are the spouse or partner of an EEA citizen may have the right to enter and work in the UK. A right to entry may also be conferred by ancestry.
If you may have any such individual rights, please check the Home Office website and contact them for individual or general advice:
‘UK ancestry’ - https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa
‘Family members of EEA Citizens' - https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/family-visas
If you do not have an individual immigration rights as described above, permission to enter and work in the UK is determined under rules set by the Home Office.
Having received an offer to work with us as a doctor, you will likely meet the criteria to apply for The Health and Care skilled worker visa. Applications for this Visa are fast-tracked by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and the aim is to process them within three weeks, providing biometric information has been made available.
More details about this Visa can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/health-care-worker-visa.
Your partner and children - Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they are eligible. Please refer to ‘https://www.gov.uk/health-care-worker-visa/your-partner-and-children’ for further details on this and how to apply.
You will usually be given a BRP if you apply to come to the UK for longer than 6 months.
A biometric residence permit (BRP) can be used to confirm your identity, right to study and right to any public services or benefits you are entitled to.
More information about this can be found at https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits.
You may want your family to visit you in the UK. Depending on the Nationality of your family member, they may need apply for a Standard Visitor Visa.
You can check if they need a Visa to visit the UK at: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
To find out more about visiting the UK as a Standard Visitor or to apply for a Standard Visitor Visa please visit https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor.
(Citation:https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration & ‘NHS Employers (2021), Working and training in the NHS: a guide for international medical graduates’)
