United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) is widely regarded as one of the foremost medical institutions in the world, which is why it’s little surprise that experts from all over the globe can be found working in the country’s hospitals, health centres and other establishments. The NHS is actually the world’s fifth largest employer, with around 1.7 million members on its staff. If you want to move to the UK to start working for the NHS or another organisation in the medical sector, you must prepare yourself to be patient and committed.
UK immigration works on a system of tiers and points. Most medical professionals in the United States looking to move to the United Kingdom will apply under tier 2, which is for general skilled workers. This is a tough group, with an annual cap of around 20,000 openings for the entire country across all industries. There are, however, a huge number of medical jobs going at any one time.
Getting Sponsored
Before you apply for a visa, the main criterion that you must satisfy is that your employer (most likely the NHS, although there are many other private healthcare companies in the country) must be unable to fill the role they are advertising with a UK national or an applicant from the European Economic Area or Switzerland. This isn’t quite as difficult to prove as you might expect however, and once you receive confirmation from your potential employer you’re ready to go with your application.
Proving Your Worth
Within tier 2 is a system of requirements to determine how good a candidate you are for immigration to the UK. This is done to ensure that you will not be a financial drain on the country, and that you are ready to start supporting yourself immediately. You’ll need to demonstrate that you have funds saved, and you will also have to pay a fee of around £428. Normally, you’d also need to demonstrate your proficiency in the English language, but this is not required for citizens of the USA.
Once you’ve collected all of your supporting documents and information, which is usually the most time consuming part, the application process is relatively swift, and a decision is usually given to you within about three weeks.
