Help for refugee doctors

Refugee status

To apply for registration with a licence to practise, you will need to send us some evidence from the Home Office. This must confirm that you have refugee status under one of these categories.

  • Refugee status (having been recognised as a refugee under the 1951 United Nations Convention).
  • Indefinite leave to remain (with refugee status).
  • Indefinite leave to enter (with refugee status).
  • Exceptional leave to remain with refugee status (granted before 1 April 2003).
  • Humanitarian leave to remain (also known as humanitarian protection, granted on or after 1 April 2003).
  • Discretionary leave to remain with refugee status (with no restrictions on working, granted on or after 1 April 2003).
  • Leave to remain under any family settlement visa (family member with refugee status).

Apply for refugee status on the UK Government website.

You might be able to get help with registration fees if you’ve been granted UK resettlement – including as a relevant spouse or partner – under the following schemes:

  • Afghanistan Ex-Gratia Scheme (EGS).
  • Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). 
  • Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). 
  • Ukraine Family Scheme.
  • Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.
  • Ukraine Extension Scheme.

As part of your application, you will need to send us Home Office evidence confirming you have been granted UK resettlement under one of these schemes.

What evidence will you ask me to provide?

The evidence that we ask for depends on your circumstances, such as work history, qualifications and nationality. 

Doctors with refugee status may have difficulty sending original documents, as these may have been lost or destroyed. In these cases, we try to directly verify documents or look for alternative ways to confirm they are genuine. We will always ask your permission before attempting to verify any documents.

Some doctors with refugee status may not be able to send the standard evidence we need. In these cases, we will look at your application to see if we can accept alternative evidence.

Evidence we may ask you to provide

Help with registration fees for refugee doctors

If you have UK refugee status, or meet one of the other categories listed above, you may be able to get help with your registration fees. 

The help we can offer with registration fees

Help with primary source verification fees

As an international medical graduate, you must get your primary and postgraduate medical qualifications independently verified. 

If you have been granted refugee status in the UK, we will pay the verification fees to ECFMG, a division of Intealth on your behalf.

Most doctors with refugee status will need to take the PLAB test. You should ask about the primary source verification process when you book part 1 of the PLAB test.

Guide to primary source verification for international medical graduates

What can other organisations do to help?

Before you apply, you should contact an organisation that can advise and support you through the registration process. These organisations can also provide careers guidance and employability training. 

We work with several organisations that provide advice to doctors before they apply for registration and a licence to practise or to sit the PLAB test. This means we can give tailored advice for each doctor and their circumstances, which can speed up the application process. 

These organisations may be helpful:

Bridges Programmes – Provide similar services as REACHE and RAGU for doctors in Scotland

British Medical Association (BMA) – The BMA Refugee Doctor Initiative is a special package of free benefits, available to refugee and asylum seeking doctors as they seek to establish their careers in the UK.

RAGU (Refugee Assessment and Guidance Unit) – The Building Bridges programme is an NHS funded partnership for all Refugee Health Professionals living in London and is made up of three organisations: RAGU, Glowing Results and the Refugee Council. RAGU specifically provides careers advice alongside guidance and employability skills development training for all Refugee Health Professionals.

The Refugee Council – The Refugee Council provides free advice and information to asylum seekers and refugees in the UK.

REACHE Northwest – They provide refugee, and asylum-seeking doctors and nurses who live in the North West with advice and guidance, CV feedback, preparation for the Occupational English Test, PLAB preparation, placements and support with adaptation to the NHS.

The Lincolnshire Refugee Doctor Project – Aims to create the best possible scheme in Lincolnshire for supporting refugee doctors back into medical practice in the UK. The programme aims to help doctors refresh their skills, knowledge and confidence, to requalify to UK standards, and to secure employment appropriate to their professional qualifications. The programme will also help the doctors settle with their families in Lincolnshire and will be offering humanitarian support to refugee doctors and their families.

Wales Asylum Seeker and Refugee Doctors’ (WARD) Group assists healthcare professionals in Wales who are refugees or asylum seekers, to revalidate qualifications and restart their career within the UK NHS. Support includes lessons, courses and exam payments for IELTS/OET, PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, as well as paid 6-month supernumerary placements at F1 grade once GMC registered and eligible to work in the UK. WARD is run as a partnership between NHS - HEIW and the refugee charity DPIA.

REPOD – Provide a structured programme of support to enable refugee and asylum seekers healthcare professionals and their families to be settled into local communities, enter clinical practice and maintain and develop their skills. The programme includes OET and IELTS classes delivered by qualified tutors and REPOD also provides reasonable financial assistance towards English and PLAB exams and other registration associated costs.

The programme is run as a partnership between IPC (Investing in People and Culture), North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and Health Education North East (HENE). Funding has been provided through Health Education England North East. For further information or enquires please contact Bini Araia at info@i-p-c.org.

RefuAid supports individuals who have claimed asylum in the UK with access to English language tuition, finance, education and employment. They provide free English courses and exams, as well as financial support with covering the costs of professional requalification through interest-free loans. RefuAid will also support with employment opportunities across various sectors, including the NHS.