Skilled Worker Sponsorship
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the Skilled Worker Sponsor for all Medical Trainees and Dental trainees in Scotland.
NHS Education for Scotland is responsible for issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) to Medical trainees and Dental trainees requiring sponsorship. Where NES is not the trainee’s employer, we issue the COS on behalf of the employer. The Certificate of Sponsorship will cover the duration of the training programme only and will include all rotations, up to a maximum of five years, as per Home Office guidelines. Should a training programme be extended, or last longer than the 5 years allowed for one COS, a new COS will be issued to cover the remaining period.
Process
Any trainee who requires sponsorship to take up their training post, will be contacted by NHS Education for Scotland and asked to provide the essential information required for their Certificate of Sponsorship application shortly after they have accepted a post. Trainees will be asked to provide the data via the NES Sponsorship system.
If you have accepted a training post in Scotland and require Sponsorship, but have not been contacted by NES please contact the NES Sponsorship team as soon as possible. Please contact us only if offers have concluded for your round of recruitment, you will not be added to our system until after that date.
Should you need to contact the sponsorship team please do so via the link below.
Please note, any information on this page should be used as helpful information only and not be used as immigration advice. The NES Sponsorship team are not qualified immigration advisors therefore cannot offer immigration advice. Please follow all links provided in the pages below to seek guidance directly from the Home Office
Skilled Worker: Health and Care Visa
Further information regarding eligibility and how to apply, please follow the below link to the Home Office guidance
https://www.gov.uk/tier-2-health-care-visa
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-and-care-visa-guidance-for-applicants
Useful Information
You may wish to familiarise yourself with the below as early as possible prior to application submission.
Required Documentation
Copies of the below documentation MUST be provided before NES can proceed with issuing a CoS.
1. Attested Passport photo page. This page must include the passport photo, issued and a valid expiry date. If an extension to the passport expiry date has been granted and is given on a sperate page, please upload both pages into a single document before you upload the file.
2. Current UK Visa (If applicable). A copy of this which clearly shows type of visa and expiry date. If Trainee has been issued with a BRP, a copy of both sides is required.
3. Primary Medical Degree Certificate
4. Evidence of GMC/GDC registration or confirmation you will have this before commencing post
5. National Insurance number (If applicable) – Either a copy of NI card or current payslip
6. Evidence of English language skills (if applicable) – IELTS or equivalentPriority List
Due to the volumes the Sponsorship Team need to process during the Summer months, CoS will be issued throughout May, June and early July for August starters where possible. The following order is used to prioritise
1. Expiry dates of current visas, if an urgent application is needed.
2. Out of country applications.
3. New applicants to NES (change of employer)
4. Student switching to Skilled Worker visa
5. Extensions for trainees already sponsored by NES.
Criminal Records Certificates
The Home Office requires those applying to come to the UK as a doctor or dentist in training, and their adult dependants, to produce a criminal record certificate from any country in which they have been resident for 12 months or more, consecutively or cumulatively, in the previous 10 years, aged 18 or over.
If applicants are successful in being appointed to a training programme in the UK, and require Sponsorship, they will be required to provide the criminal record certificate to the Home Office when they make their visa application. As it can take some time to obtain a criminal record certificate, applicants should begin the process of seeking certificates, if required, at the earliest opportunity. Please note, that this is for entry clearance applications only, so will only be applicable if applying from outside the UK.
Details of how to obtain such a check from the relevant authorities abroad is available on the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants
If the country concerned is not listed, please contact the relevant embassy or consulate for further details. Contact details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: SPONSORSHIP PROCESS
The following guidance documents provide further information on the Sponsorship arrangements and how to access the NES Sponsorship system and provide the details required:
Sponsorship Process Flow Chart - provides an overview of the process and what information will be required at each stage.
Sponsorship System: Trainee Roles and Responsibilities - confirms how to access the system and what data must be provided for the COS application
Standard Operating Procedures for NES & Terratiorial Health Boards
Please note: sponsorship is dependent on a trainee being appointed to a Medical or Dental training post in Scotland. The issuing of a COS does not guarantee a post. Applying for a visa and being granted the right to work in the UK is only one part of employer's pre-employment checks. Trainees must ensure they meet all of their employer's pre-employment checks before they will be eligible to start a post. If an employer advises NES that a trainee no longer has a post, sponsorship will be withdrawn immediately. Please be aware that due to timescales set by Home Office legislation, the COS may be issued to trainees whilst other pre-employment checks are still ongoing.
Contact Us
If you have any queries with regard to sponsorship, please contact the NES Sponsorship team via the link below
Useful links:
- NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Website
- Home Office – UK Visas and Immigration Website
- Skilled Worker Visa: Overview
- Dental Recruitment
- Medical Training Scotland/Foundation, Specialty, GP doctor training
- Frequently Asked Questions – NES Sponsorship Process