Guidance for Migrant Health Professionals
If you are a doctor, nurse or other health professional who has come to the UK as a migrant, especially an asylum seeker or refugee, this resource is for you! Your work experience and knowledge is valuable. The UK needs lots more healthcare professionals. We also know it can be difficult to know where to start, especially if your first language is not English.
Here, you will find information and guidance on the steps you need to take to get work in your profession in this country. If you live in Yorkshire and Humber, you will also find advice about where you can find support in the region.
There is separate information for nurses and midwives, doctors and other healthcare professionals. Please look at the information that is right for you. You can also follow the story of Elahe, a midwife from Iran, and you can hear from other’s about the steps you need to take to get work in the UK if you are health professional. There are also links to important sources of support and further information.
Meet Elahe, a midwife from Iran who now lives and works in Sheffield. You can follow her story in a series of short films on this page. In part one, Elahe talks to MESH development worker Mary about her life, training and work in Iran.
Scroll through these slides to find information on how you get on the NMC – the Nursing and Midwifery Council – register for qualified nurses. There is also information here on what evidence you will need to provide, the Test of Competence, and SIFE.
Elahe had to leave Iran. She came to the UK. In this clip, she talks to Mary about her time when she first arrived. She first stayed in Glasgow before coming to Sheffield. She did not know English. She began to learn and she found that it helped a lot to volunteer in food bank.
Scroll through these slides to find information on how you get on the GMC- the General Medical Council – register for qualified doctors. There is also information here on what evidence you will need to provide, SELR, PLAB and internships.
Scroll through these slides to find information on how you get on the HCPC- the Healthcare Professions Council – register for qualified practitioners. There is also information here on what standards you will need to meet, the Certificate of English Language Proficiency and refugee applications.
To register as a doctor, nurse or other health professional in the UK, you need to show you have a good level of English by passing one of two exams: IELTS or OET. This document shows the difference between the two exams, and in the films below you can find out more about what they are like.
Some views on IELTS and OET
These films are all about the English qualifications you need to register as a health professional in the UK. First, watch a discussion all about the qualifications between Emma Taylor, the ESOL Coordinator for Yorkshire and Humber, and Mary Begley of MESH. Then watch PART 3 of Elahe’s story. Elahe has tried the exams for both IELTS and OET.
You can find classes to help you get ready for the IELTS or OET exams in the Yorkshire and Humber. You can use this website Learning English in Yorkshire and Humber to help you find courses. This video shows you how to use LEYH.
After she moved to Sheffield, Elahe volunteered at a local hospital. Volunteering is really important to give you experience of working in a UK health environment. When she was volunteering, Elahe heard about a special programme for refugee nurses and midwives called ReSTORE.
This document gives some information about sources of support for migrant health professionals who are hoping to get registered to work in the UK.
In this final clip from the interview with Elahe, we hear how she now has work at a hospital in Sheffield as a Maternity Support worker. Although she still has work to do to pass the OET exam and get registered as a midwife, she is on a pathway to this. Thanks Elahe for sharing your story with us and good luck! We really need you in the NHS!
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ReStOREFind out more
ReSTORE supports refugees with nursing and midwifery background to become nurses and nurse associates in the UK. Based in South Yorkshire, ReSTORE runs through the South Yorkshire Primary Care and Workforce Training Hub.
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The Phoenix ProjectFind out more
Based in Leeds, the Phoenix project supports refugee doctors to become registered to practice in the UK. The project is a charity that offers support from a team of current UK medical students and recently qualified doctors.
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Lincolnshire Refugee Doctor ProjectFind out more
LRDP works across Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire by supporting refugees who are medically qualified in their home Country to achieve GMC registration, which will enable them to continue their careers in the UK and support the local NHS workforce.
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General Medical CouncilFind out more
This page provides lots of information from the GMC on how to pass the PLAB tests. See also our slides above, ‘How can I work as a Doctor in the UK’ for more information on this.
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Nursing & Midwifery CouncilFind out more
Visit this page to for NMC information on how to register as a nurse or midwife if you are a refugee or in other way a forcibly displaced person.
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Health & Care Professions CouncilFind out more
If you are a medical professional other than a doctor, nurse or midwife, and you are a refugee, you can visit the HCPC pages for information on how to register as a health professional in the UK.
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