We administer an International Medical Graduates (IMGs) Tier 5 support scheme in place for IMG who wish to undertake clinical training for a maximum of 24 months in the UK and then return to their home country on completion of their training.
Who can apply
The priority focus of the MTI Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) is to provide training opportunities for doctors from DfID priority countries or World Bank Low Income and Lower Middle Income Countries (LI&LMI), including:
| Afghanistan Armenia Bangladesh Benin Bhutan Bolivia Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of Congo Djibouti |
Egypt, Arab Rep. El Salvador Eritrea Ethiopia Gambia, The Ghana Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Haiti Honduras India Indonesia Iraq Jordan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Dem. People’s Rep. Kosovo Kyrgyzstan |
Lao PDR Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Micronesia, Fed. Sts. Moldova Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Nepal Nicaragua Niger Nigeria |
Occupied Palestinian Territories Pakistan Papua New Guinea Philippines Rwanda Samoa Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Syria |
Tajikistan Tanzania Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Tunisia Uganda Ukraine Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vietnam West Bank and Gaza Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe |
The Department of Health, Health Education England and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges have stated that applicants from countries not considered DfID priority LI&LMI countries can have no guarantee or expectation of receiving a COS.
Please note The Royal College of Ophthalmologists will no longer be supporting applications for Tier 5 Visas unless the IMG is from a DfID priority LI&LMI country.
The application process
- Complete your registration: The scheme is for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) who have already obtained registration with the GMC or who have recently had their registration reinstated.
- Get your Primary qualifications verified: Find out more about the process for the verification of Primary qualifications for overseas doctors.
- Complete all sections of the IMG Tier 5 Support Scheme application form.
- Provide details of the UK Consultant Supervisor who will oversee the IMGs training
- Include two overseas referees on your application.
- Submit a CV, job description and reasons for applying to the College.
The flowchart provides information on the process and you must apply using the application form.
The International Medical Graduates Training Sub-committee will assess applications and make their recommendation to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
To apply for the Tier 5 Visa the UK employing hospital (Trust) will need to ensure that the completed Medical Training Initiative (MTI) form is submitted to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges who will process the Tier 5 Visa. We recommend this is sent to the Academy once the application has been processed and only if support has been given by the College. Email [email protected] for more details.
Timescales
Applicants should submit their application to the College at least 4-6 months in advance of the predicted start date of their training post.
Allocation of training posts
Please note that the College is not in a position to allocate training posts to IMGs and these must be arranged in advance.