All doctors practicing in the UK are required to be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). Normally, IMGs are required to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) before they are eligible for registration. See the GMC website for further information on the PLAB.
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is able to sponsor well-qualified and highly recommended doctors, who wish to undertake part of their specialist training in the UK, for registration as an alternative to the PLAB test. Sponsorship is a privilege, not an entitlement, and applicants should be aware that the RCP considers that the main route to UK registration for the vast majority of overseas doctors remains the PLAB test.
The RCP will only consider sponsoring overseas doctors who have already been offered a suitable post in the UK and who have also been awarded a scholarship, official funding or a salary. The post should be a clinical training post at Senior House Officer (SHO) or Specialist Registrar grade. The RCP is unable to sponsor for research posts, and cannot sponsor doctors to undertake the clinical aspect of postgraduate qualifications.
The ISS does not encompass financial support for candidates. It is only intended for those who have a firm commitment to return to their home country to practice at the end of the sponsored period.
Applications should be made as far in advance of the expected start date for the post as possible. The timeframe for processing applications varies depending on the complexity of each case. Applications are processed in order of receipt, and all correspondence will be dealt with as quickly as possible. It is unlikely to take less than 3 months to process applications from initial contact.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The ISS does not enable any exemption from UK immigration regulations. It is the responsibility of the candidate and their employing hospital in the UK to ensure that they have the correct immigration status to take up their post upon entering the UK. Please see the visas section for further information.
The ISS replaced the Overseas Doctors Training Scheme (ODTS) in 2000. These pages are a guide to the scheme, the College reserves the right to alter the criteria and regulations of the ISS at any time.
The Royal College of Physicians does not meet with ISS enquirers in person. All correspondence should be made through letter or email.
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