From application to starting a new role
By Gemma Raw
Moving to the UK to work as a health care professional is exciting. It’s the chance for a whole new life and a truly fulfilling career.
Things to consider before making your decision to apply
Cost of Living: Factor in things like Income Tax, National Insurance, VAT, Council Tax and living costs such as rent, utilities and running a car.
Your family: Who do you want to bring with you? Are you able to support them on your new salary? Will the relocation allowance go far enough if there is more of you?
How committed are you? There is lots of paperwork involved and you must be proactive in sorting this, as well as returning documents quickly to us.
Finances: Though we can refund you for some things from the relocation budget, you will need to pay for some things upfront. As part of securing the visa you must be able to show you are able to support yourself financially.
How prepared are you? Things like police checks and Social Work England registrations can take weeks or even months to come back. These are essential items for you to get a COS and then a VISA.
The process
1.Take an English language test and complete your registration with Social Work England, HCPC or GMC.
Unless you are on the government’s exempt list for having to prove your English language knowledge, you’ll need to achieve acceptable scores on either the International English language Test System (IELTS) or Occupational English Test (OET). Without these, you will not be successful with your VISA application and will not be able to practise in the UK. Please note we can also accept a statement of comparability from ECCTIS.
At this stage we also advise you to complete your registration with Social Work England, The Health and Care Professions Council, or General Medical Council (nurses refer to stage 4).
2.Submit your CV to Sanctuary International
As one of the largest recruitment providers to the NHS and private healthcare employers across the UK, we have a large supply of permanent roles across all pay bands. Once we understand your experience, skills and specialist practise areas from your CV, we can start the process of finding you a job that is just the right match and in a location you’ll love. Uploading your CV is simple. All you need to do is click on the ‘Upload CV’ button above the main navigation menu at the top of the Sanctuary Personnel webpage you are on.
3.Ready yourself for interview
Our international recruitment team will quickly identify highly suitable roles, and if you like the sound of the roles on offer, they’ll put you forward for interview. Following your interview, we’ll let you know within three working days whether the employer would like to offer you a role. You will be provided with an offer letter with the smaller details such as salary, terms and what team you will be working with.
4.Complete your NMC registration (nurses only)
To make sure that you can start your UK nursing role as soon as possible, you must complete your Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration. Along with submitting the relevant training and practice evidence, you must pass the NMC’s Computer Based Test (CBT) that assesses your competency to work as a nurse in the UK. The NMC has published a selection of practice tests and reading materials so that you know exactly what to expect from the CBT. Usually, once you’ve completed your CBT, you’ll know your exam results within 24-hours.
5.Complete your compliance with your new employer
Along with copies of your qualifications, passport, English language test results and progress on your professional registration, your employer will need more information from you. They’ll need to receive employer references and evidence of any relevant training (certification). Don’t worry though – our team will frequently update you on what’s needed with a weekly Excel tracker that also shows your NMC registration progress.
6.Receive your Certificate of Sponsorship
Your employer will apply and pay for your Unrestricted Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) through the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) SMS system before the 5th of each month. By keeping to this timeframe, your COS should be granted the following month so that you can apply for your VISA.
7.Apply for a VISA
After receiving your COS, you can start the process of applying for your Tier 2 Skilled Health & Social Care VISA (and for anyone that is relocating with you).
To help, we’ll provide you with a useful step-by-step VISA application guide and will be here to help answer any questions you have. You will need a police check, passport, English language test results, TB Test/Check and your COS. There’s more information on the government website.
8.Find accommodation
Usually, the employer will source local UK accommodation for you, considering where you’d like to live and how much rent you’d like to pay. Often, our team will do this on behalf of the employer and will work closely with you to find somewhere you’d be happy to call home. You will have an £8,000 relocation budget which will also allow for your first food shop, delivery of any home furnishings and arranging quarantine hotels (if required).
9.Arrive in the UK
The exciting bit! We coordinate everything for your arrival to the UK. We agree on a suitable date with your employer, book flights and provide taxis from the airport. You will have a couple of days to settle in before your first day at your new job!
Start your journey today
Whether you’ve only just started to think about moving to the UK or are further along in the process but haven’t found the right job, you can register with Sanctuary, and we’ll be in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you!
