International Nurses and UK nursing

One of the topics that is raised frequently in the UK and International forums is how does an international nurse go about working in the UK.

The replies are often negative and in general try to convey how very difficult this is. There are lots of hoops to jump through and currently the economic situation in the UK is very grim, this means that jobs anywhere are scarce and our government is trying to keep UK citizens in work, therefore making obtaining a work visa more difficult.

Before even being considered an international nurse will need to gain UK registration, this is done via the Nursing and Midwifery council, this organisation has the responsibility to register and regulate all registered nurses and midwives in the UK. The http://nmc-uk.org is very informative and will give you information about what you will need to do to register, as well as details of the code of conduct, and other documents that structure our practice in the UK

The booklet which informs international nurses of what is needed to register can be found here

The register is divided into 4 different parts, these are

1. Adult
2. Mental Health
3. Child
4. learning disabilities


Before your application is processed you will have to pay an administration fee, and provide the required documents, this will include evidence of you passing the ILETS (the minimum score accepted is and average of 7)

You should have been practising as a nurse for at least 12 months, and if you have been qualified longer than this then you must have done at least 450 hours in the last 3 years.

There are also some specific requirements to register as a nurse in the UK, these can be found on the NMC website.

You will also have to complete and Overseas Nursing Program (ONP) with supervised practice days before you are allowed to register.


Before then being able to work in the UK you will need a work VISA as no Employer within the UK is legally allowed to consider you for work without one, as employers we are legally obliged to give work to citizens of the UK then EU first and only if the positions cannot be filled from here are we allowed to consider overseas applicants.

You are only able to apply for a VISA if you have sponsorship from a UK employer, and although the Immigration and VISA has been changed to a points based system it is actually designed to make it more difficult for international applicants to get work.

Nursing is no longer considered as a shortage occupation, unless you have significant experience in areas such as critical care or theatre specialities at a very senior level. (Band 7 and above)

If you take a look at the Borders Agency Website you can see that overseas nurses and midwives are listed as Tier 2 and will only be considered if you already have a job offer from an employer.

Borders Agency qualified nurses and Midwives



There have been some discussions on the international areas about studying and working in the UK, this is covered by different immigration regulations so I will address this in a different blog.