Help with fees for refugees
If you're a refugee doctor, physician associate (PA) or anaesthesia associate (AA) who has been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom, you may be able to get help with your registration fees when applying for registration.
What help is available for refugee doctors?
- You can have two free attempts at part 1 of the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test. If you fail the first time, you can re-take the exam one more time, without charge. You can have up to four attempts at part 1 of the test. However, only your first two attempts will be without charge.
- You can have up to four attempts at part 2 of the PLAB test. On your first two attempts you will only have to pay half of the fee. Any further attempts will cost the full amount.
- You can pay your registration fee in four quarterly payments or ten monthly payments. However, you must pay your PLAB test fee in full when the test is booked.
Booking a Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test place
To book a part 1 or 2 PLAB test place, please contact our refugee doctor liaison officer on 0161 923 6602 or email refugeehelp@gmc-uk.org.
If a refugee charity is paying your fees, you'll need to send us an original letter from that charity saying they will cover your costs along with the fee.
What help is available for refugee PAs and AAs?
- We will waive the international qualification assessment fee, upon confirmed refugee status.
- We will cover the cost of verification fees for qualification checks* made with ECFMG against the first physician associate or anaesthesia associate qualification given.
- You can have two free attempts at the PA Registration Assessment (PARA) knowledge test, which is led by the RCP or the AA Registration Assessment (AARA) knowledge, which is led by the GMC. If you fail the first time, you can re-take the exam one more time, without charge. You can have up to four attempts at the knowledge test in total. However, only your first two attempts will be without charge.
- You can have up to four attempts at the PARA clinical examination, led by the RCP or the AARA clinical capability assessment, led by the GMC. On your first two attempts you will only have to pay half of the fee. Any further attempts will cost the full amount.
- You can pay your registration fee in four quarterly payments or ten monthly payments.
*You will need to cover the full cost of EPIC verification yourself and apply for a refund, we will provide more information about how to do this when you apply for registration.
- Our current fees for PAs and AAs
- Help for refugee physician associates and anaesthesia associates
- Information about PARA
- Information about AARA
- Registration guidance for international PAs
- Registration guidance for international AAs
