Help for refugee physician associates and anaesthesia associates

Published 16 December 2024

Refugee status

If you have refugee status and wish to apply for registration, 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.

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.

Those 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 people 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.

Help with fees 

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

The help we can offer with registration fees.

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. These organisations may be helpful:

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

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.

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.

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 – Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) and the refugee charity DPIA.