Working in the UK
Working in the UK during and after a medical degree
What the rules allow while you study, the steps from graduation to your first hospital post, where the Graduate visa fits, and which parts of this are still proposals. Every dated fact below carries its verification state and official source.
For 2027 entry Last reviewed:
Verification in progress
Figures on this page are shown only once confirmed on GOV.UK, the GMC or the UK Foundation Programme Office. Rows marked “being verified” are checked against the official page before they appear.
What is certain
A UK medical degree leads to the same GMC registration route for every graduate, whatever their nationality. Student visa work rules are published by GOV.UK.
What is competitive
Foundation Programme places and later specialty training are allocated by national competition. Nothing here is guaranteed to anyone.
What is changing
Graduate visa length, visa maintenance figures and the priority given to UK medical graduates in training allocation have all changed recently; each is shown below with its source and verification status. A 2027 entrant graduates into rules written between now and 2033.
During the degree: Student visa work rules
The legal maximum, not a planning assumption. Medical courses have long terms and clinical placements, and medical-school term dates often differ from the rest of the university; the university’s immigration team defines what counts as term time for you.
- Paid work allowed
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Being verified against the official source.
- Dependants
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Being verified against the official source.
- Maintenance funds to show (outside London, per month)
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Being verified against the official source.
- Maintenance funds to show (London, per month)
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Being verified against the official source.
- Immigration Health Surcharge (per year of visa)
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Being verified against the official source.
Not allowed on a Student visa: self-employment or freelance work, work as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, and filling a permanent full-time vacancy. Paid work and volunteering hours count together towards the weekly cap. Healthcare-assistant bank shifts in vacations are employment, not self-employment, but confirm with your university’s immigration team before you start.
After you graduate: from final year to Foundation Year 1
The order of steps for a graduate of a UK medical school who needs a visa. Nationality is not a criterion at any step; none of the steps is automatic.
- Pass the Medical Licensing Assessment inside your degree. The Applied Knowledge Test and the Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment are part of the course for UK students from 2024/25.
- Apply to the UK Foundation Programme in the autumn of final year through your medical school, on the same basis as home graduates. You indicate on the application that you will need sponsorship.
- Allocation to a foundation school follows a national process. After allocation, those who need a work visa are contacted about a Certificate of Sponsorship.
- Apply to the GMC for provisional registration with a licence to practise after graduating, with a fitness-to-practise declaration.
- Switch from the Student visa to the Health and Care Worker visa with the employing trust as sponsor, before Foundation Year 1 starts in early August.
- Full GMC registration follows satisfactory completion of Foundation Year 1.
- Medical Licensing Assessment
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Being verified against the official source.
- Provisional registration
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Being verified against the official source.
- Foundation Programme eligibility
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Being verified against the official source.
- Visa for Foundation Year 1
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Being verified against the official source.
The Graduate visa: a fallback, not the main route
Most UK medical graduates who need sponsorship move straight from the Student visa to the Health and Care Worker visa for Foundation training. The Graduate visa matters if no post is allocated or a gap must be bridged. It allows work at any skill level and does not count towards settlement.
- Length of the Graduate visa
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Being verified against the official source.
- Application fee
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Not yet confirmed from the official source.
Figures of £880 and £937 seen on secondary sources — conflicting; confirm on GOV.UK.
- Immigration Health Surcharge (per year)
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Being verified against the official source.
The length is set by the date of the Graduate visa application, not the course start date. A 2027 entrant finishing in 2032 or 2033 applies under whatever rule is then in force.
Prioritising UK graduates for training
- Who counts as a UK medical graduate
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Being verified against the official source.
Government policy is to give UK medical graduates priority in training allocation. Who counts as a UK medical graduate, and what that means for an international student who qualified in the UK, is set in legislation and NHS guidance that we are re-checking; until the definition is verified here, read the NHS England applicant information and the UK Foundation Programme Office pages linked below, and treat priority as policy direction, not a promise.
Where to check for yourself
Every figure on this page will change at least once before a 2027 entrant graduates. Learn where the rules live rather than memorising numbers:
- GOV.UK: Student visa, Graduate visa, Health and Care Worker visa.
- General Medical Council: Medical Licensing Assessment and provisional registration.
- UK Foundation Programme Office: eligibility and right-to-work guidance.
- NHS England: medical training prioritisation, information for applicants; the legislation itself: Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026.
- British Medical Association: visa guide for international students and doctors.
Check which routes are open to you