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Apply for the UK Foundation Programme 2024 as an IMG

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What is new in the eligibility guidance for the UK foundation programme for international medical graduates

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The rules, guidelines and criteria for working as a doctor in the UK change frequently. Please make sure you check the latest official guidance before taking action.

IMG applications for FY1 starting in August 2024 open on July 4, 2023 and close on July 25, 2023 at 12:00pm midday BST.

UPDATED: June 23, 2023

The UK Foundation Programme (UKFP) is the UK postgraduate training programme for new medical graduates. It’s a 2-year programme consisting of Foundation Year 1 (FY1) which is equivalent to internship, and Foundation Year 2 (FY2) which is an additional year of experience before starting specialty training.

Please take note that if you have already completed internship, then you cannot apply for the UK Foundation Programme.

The UKFP office has just released the new eligibility guidance for applications to FY1 starting in August 2024. Non-UK medical students and international medical graduates who wish to join in August 2024 will need to submit the eligibility application this July 2023 so make sure you’re up to date with the guidance!

Let’s review some of the important aspects of applying for this programme for an IMG.

Questions to ask yourself before you apply

As mentioned in the introduction, the UKFP is specifically designed for new medical graduates. This means that if you have already completed an internship overseas or you plan to, then you won’t be able to apply.

However, if your internship was rejected by the GMC and you’re unable to remedy the issues, then you might also want to consider applying.

That’s really up to you and your background. If you plan to work in the UK long-term, there is obviously an advantage of starting your postgraduate medical career in the UK right from the beginning. By doing this, you will integrate into the system faster and you will be strongly supported in your transition to the NHS.

But this isn’t the best option for everyone. For example, some IMGs are simply not in a position to migrate to the UK for internship as they need to complete a pre-graduate internship before they are awarded their medical degree. Or some IMGs need to save up money first before they can on the whole PLAB journey and many do this during or after internship.

Related: The cost of PLAB & GMC fees + tips on saving money

 

For most IMGs, there will be a gap of up to a year or more between graduating and starting FY1 due to the timing of applications.

You’ll have to decide for yourself whether this gap is worth it or not.

To be fair, this one-year gap is really just a blip in an otherwise long medical career that will not affect your future progression in any way.

Important points for IMGs

If you graduated from a medical school outside the EU or the UK, then you need to pass PLAB regardless of your nationality. Yes, this now includes EU nationals.

Due to changes in immigration rules in October 2019, IMGs will now be given equal opportunity to apply for the Foundation Programme. This has confirmed by the UKFP office for 2021.

You do not need to have right to work in the UK before you apply. You will attain right to work by the time you start the Foundation Programme because you will be sponsored. The Certificate of Sponsorship or COS is usually issued around 2-3 months before the start of FY1 so you can use it to apply for your work visa.

With this visa, you can bring over any dependants from overseas. Dependants mean your spouse and any children below the age of 18. Parents and siblings cannot be brought over as dependants.

All IMGs will need to provide proof of English proficiency regardless of nationality. The UK FP only accepts the following as evidence of English proficiency:

  1. IELTS with a minimum of 7.5 in all sections,  OR
  2. OET Medicine with a minimum score of 400 in all sections,  OR
  3. Dean’s statement confirming that your medical degree was taught and examined solely in English, and more than 75% of clinical interactions were also conducted in English. (This is only valid if your school is not the list on this page)

These cut-off scores are higher than the GMC requirements. So if you’re planning to apply for UKFP, you’d better start preparing for that English test!

Please take note that the UKFP will accept either the General or Academic IELTS this year, but starting next year they will only accept the Academic version.

Related: IELTS vs OET for PLAB, GMC and UK work visa

There is no age limit to apply for the Foundation Programme. Provided you meet all the eligibility criteria, you can apply at any age.

Related: 6 things that don’t matter when applying for UK specialty training (residency) and 4 things that do

If you qualified before 7th August 2022, then you will be required to sit the Clinical Assessment. This is the same for both UK and international medical graduates. The Clinical Assessment is a practical exam quite similar to PLAB 2, however passing PLAB 2 does not exempt you from the Clinical Assessment.

How to apply as an IMG

There are two main phases of applying for the UK Foundation Programme as an International Medical Graduate.

Stage 1. Eligibility application

This is when the UKFP assess whether or not you are eligible to apply for FY1. Eligibility checking takes place one year in advance. So if you want to apply for UKFP 2024, you need to submit an online application through the website Oriel between 4th July 2023 to 25th August 2023 12:00 BST.

You can find the official guidance for eligibility applications here:

Stage 2. Application for UKFP

You’ll find out on in August 2023 whether or not you are eligible to apply for UKFP.

  • If you are deemed eligible, then you need to submit your online application the website Oriel in September 2023. The exact date is yet to be confirmed.
  • If it’s decided that you’re not eligible, you’ll have a chance to appeal that outcome before a final decision is made.

How to submit your application for eligibility checking

Applications for eligibility must be submitted online through the Oriel website. You will be asked to complete an online application form and upload your supporting documents.

The eligibility application window will open on 4th July 2023. All applications must be submitted by 25th July 2023 12:00 BST.

Make sure you know all the other requirements for GMC so you make the deadline.

Please take note that these times are very strict. Late applications will not be considered under any circumstances.

What you need when you submit your application for eligibility checking

What can be submitted after eligibility checking

  • Passing your medical school final exams
  • Your medical degree certificate
  • PLAB 1 & PLAB 2
  • Proof of provisional GMC registration

Deadlines for the other requirements

These requirements do not need to be ready or submitted during the eligibility checking period. They can be submitted after, but you have to submit them by the deadline or your application will be rejected.

RequirementDeadlineNotes
Passing your medical school final exams3rd October 2023If you have not yet qualified from medical school, your Dean’s statement must state that you will qualify by 5th October 2021 at the latest. (Qualify means you pass your final exams, not when you attend your graduation ceremony.)
PLAB 1 booking12th September 2023 12:00 BSTYou must submit proof of booking PLAB 1 by this date.
PLAB 12nd November 2023This is the last PLAB 1 date you can sit if you want to start FY1 in August 2024. If you do not book a place on this date, then you will not be able to proceed with your FP application.
PLAB 2 booking13th February 2024You must submit proof of booking PLAB 2 by this date.
PLAB 2 31st May 2024This is the last PLAB 2 date you can sit if you want to start FY1 in August 2024. If you do not book a place on this date, then you will not be able to proceed with your FP application.
Provisional GMC registration5th July 2024The is the latest date to submit application for registration with GMC.

How to maximise your application score

*This section is due to be updated when the new guidance is published.*

Each application to FY1 is scored out of 100. 50 points are allocated to the Situation Judgement Test (SJT), and 50 to the Educational Performance Measure (EPM).

To maximise your score, you need to:

  • Do well on the Situational Judgement Test (up to 50 points)
  • Be in the top of your class in medical school (34-43 points)
  • Publish peer-reviewed articles with a PubMed ID (up to 2 points)
  • Complete an additional degree, if feasible (up to 5 points)
There is no interview for UKFP.

What’s this Situational Judgement Test?

The Situational Judgement test (SJT) makes up half the application score for FY1 so it’s really important to do well in it. All FY1 applicants must sit the SJT. There is no exception.

The SJT is a computer-based test designed to assess your professional judgement in situations you may possibly encounter as an FY1 doctor.

Essentially you are scored by how well you can demonstrate the desirable characteristics and attributes of a GMC registered professional. Such attributes include team-working, integrity, and empathy.

Here’s an example of a question that you might encounter in the SJT:

How to maximise your application score

To be honest, we don’t know anymore. The UKFP has abolished the previous scoring system for this year. This means there will no Situational Judgement Test (SJT), and there no points will be awarded for academic performance in medical school.

In it’s place, will be a computer-generated rank, and an algorithm that will try to place as many people in their top preference as possible. How this is going to work exactly, remains to be seen.

You can read more about the reason for change here.

 

Mrs Jenson has arthritis and works in the pharmaceutical industry. She appears very well informed about her arthritis medication. She tells you that she can show you evidence that using double the recommended dose of her current medication will be safe for her and will allow her to return to her job more quickly. She asks you to prescribe to her double the recommended dose. 

Rank in order the appropriateness of the following actions in response to this situation (1= Most appropriate; 5= Least appropriate). 

  1. Advise Mrs Jenson that if she chooses to self-administer the double dose she is going against medical advice 
  2. Tell Mrs Jenson that you cannot prescribe more than the recommended dose without senior consultation 
  3. Ask your consultant to speak with Mrs Jenson 
  4. Ask Mrs Jenson to show you the evidence that she cites 
  5. Seek advice from the ward pharmacist

For more examples of questions, check out these official SJT practice papers.

SJT preparation material

Summary

The UK Foundation Programme is a 2-year programme for new medical graduates and is ideal for IMGs who have not yet completed internship. You will most likely have to sit PLAB and pass an English test with high scores.

Applications are in 2 phases: eligibility checking (July 2023) and the proper application (September 2023). Late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances so be sure to understand the requirements very carefully.

If you have already completed internship, read our article on the best first jobs in the UK to see what an ideal first job in the UK would be for you.

You might also like

Looking for a step-by-step guide?

Subscribe to the Savvy IMG and grab your FREE 2-year roadmap to UK residency as an IMG.

free

Looking for a step-by-step guide?

Subscribe to the Savvy IMG and grab your FREE 2-year roadmap to UK residency as an IMG.

free

142 Responses

    1. Hi i have learnt alot from this blog
      I am a medical final year student i was supposed to grad this june but my school had some issues and moved it to December. Can i still write the plab 1 in February 2022 and still start the foundation program august 2022

  1. Hello Nick,

    I’m just trying to apply to UKFP since the application opened on 19th Oct.
    I’m a bit confused about the application, which i should apply for
    Is it FP, AFP or FFP?
    And how many application is allowed?

    I look forward to your response asap.
    Thank you.

  2. Hi Nick, I looked up UKFP eligibility application guidance and it said a copy of your medical degree certificate for your primary medical qualification is required. If i am already qualified and graduated, I think i should submit my medical degree certificate instead of a letter of recommendation from my school as a proof of passing the final exam. What do you think?

    1. If you have it then yes, submit it. If you don’t have it because it has not been given to you yet, then you cant submit what you don’t have and the dean’s statement (download it from this article or from the official Foundation Programme website) should suffice for now until you receive your certificate. When you receive it then you can submit it. Please contact the UK FP through their official email address to confirm how to proceed. Best of luck!

  3. Hi, I believe medical degree certificate is acceptable as a proof of passing medical school final exams if someone has already qualified. Those who do not have their certificate, They should submit an official letter from your Dean confirming your qualification. Please correct me if i am wrong. Thank you.

  4. Hey, I just wanted to ask if an IMG apply for the FY2 programme can apply for the academic foundation programme

    1. Hi, the academic Foundation Programme starts from FY1 so you can’t join if you have already completed internship. I don’t think there are any academic standalone FY2 posts but you can check the official website for further information. Best of luck!

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This Privacy Policy sets out how we, The Savvy IMG, collect, store and use information about you when you use or interact with our website, thesavvyimg.co.uk (our website) and where we otherwise obtain or collect information about you. This Privacy Policy is effective 13th November 2019.

Contents

  • Summary
  • Our details
  • When you visit our website
  • When you use our website
  • Marketing communications
  • Information obtained from third parties
  • Disclosure and additional uses of your information
  • How long we retain your information
  • How we secure your information
  • Transfers of your information outside the European Economic Area
  • Your rights in relation to your information
  • Changes to our Privacy Policy
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Summary

This section summarises how we obtain, store and use information about you. It is intended to provide a very general overview only. It is not complete in and of itself and it must be read in conjunction with the corresponding full sections of this Privacy Policy.

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Our details

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You can contact the data controller by sending an email to info@thesavvyimg.co.uk.

When you visit our website

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You can view Teachable's privacy policy here https://teachable.com/privacy-policy

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Transfer and storage of your information

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Marketing communications

Our content, goods and services

When signing up for content, registering on our website or making a payment, we will use the information you provide in order to contact you regarding related content, products and services.

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Information obtained from third parties

This section sets out how we obtain or collect information about you from third parties.

Information received from third parties

We can often receive information about you from third parties. The third parties from which we receive information about you can include partner events within the marketing industry and other organisations that we have a professional affiliation with.

It is also possible that third parties with whom we have had no prior contact may provide us with information about you.

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Legitimate interests: where a third party has shared information about you with us and you have not consented to the sharing of that information, we will have a legitimate interest in processing that information in certain circumstances.

For example, we would have a legitimate interest in processing your information to perform our obligations under a sub-contract with the third party, where the third party has the main contract with you. Our legitimate interest is the performance of our obligations under our sub-contract.

Similarly, third parties may pass on information about you to us if you have infringed or potentially infringed any of our legal rights. In this case, we will have a legitimate interest in processing that information to investigate and pursue any such potential infringement.

Information obtained by us from third parties

In certain circumstances (for example, to verify the information we hold about you or obtain missing information we require to provide you with a service) we will obtain information about you from certain publicly accessible sources, both EU and non-EU, such as Companies House, online customer databases, business directories, media publications, social media, and websites (including your own website if you have one.

In certain circumstances will also obtain information about you from private sources, both EU and non-EU, such as marketing data services.

We will continue to send you marketing communications in relation to similar goods and services if you do not opt out from receiving them.

You can opt-out from receiving marketing communications at any time by emailing hello@thesavvyimg.co.uk

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Legitimate interests: Sharing relevant, timely and industry-specific information on related business services.

Where we receive information about you in error

If we receive information about you from a third party in error and/or we do not have a legal basis for processing that information, we will delete your information.

Disclosure and additional uses of your information

This section sets out the circumstances in which will disclose information about you to third parties and any additional purposes for which we use your information.

Disclosure of your information to service providers

We use a number of third parties to provide us with services which are necessary to run our business or to assist us with running our business

These include the following: Internet services, IT service providers and web developers.

Our third-party service providers are located both inside and outside of the European Economic Area.

Your information will be shared with these service providers where necessary to provide you with the service you have requested, whether that is accessing our website or ordering goods and services from us.

We do not display the identities of our service providers publicly by name for security and competitive reasons. If you would like further information about the identities of our service providers, however, please contact us directly by email and we will provide you with such information where you have a legitimate reason for requesting it (where we have shared your information with such service providers, for example).

Legal basis for processing: legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).

Legitimate interest relied on: where we share your information with these third parties in a context other than where is necessary to perform a contract (or take steps at your request to do so), we will share your information with such third parties in order to allow us to run and manage our business efficiently.

Legal basis for processing: necessary to perform a contract and/or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract (Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation).

Reason why necessary to perform a contract: we may need to share information with our service providers to enable us to perform our obligations under that contract or to take the steps you have requested before we enter into a contract with you.

Disclosure and use of your information for legal reasons

Indicating possible criminal acts or threats to public security to a competent authority

If we suspect that criminal or potential criminal conduct has been occurred, we will in certain circumstances need to contact an appropriate authority, such as the police. This could be the case, for instance, if we suspect that we fraud or a cyber-crime has been committed or if we receive threats or malicious communications towards us or third parties.

We will generally only need to process your information for this purpose if you were involved or affected by such an incident in some way.

Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).

Legitimate interests: preventing crime or suspected criminal activity (such as fraud).

In connection with the enforcement or potential enforcement our legal rights

We will use your information in connection with the enforcement or potential enforcement of our legal rights, including, for example, sharing information with debt collection agencies if you do not pay amounts owed to us when you are contractually obliged to do so. Our legal rights may be contractual (where we have entered into a contract with you) or non-contractual (such as legal rights that we have under copyright law or tort law).

Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).

Legitimate interest: enforcing our legal rights and taking steps to enforce our legal rights.

In connection with a legal or potential legal dispute or proceedings

We may need to use your information if we are involved in a dispute with you or a third party for example, either to resolve the dispute or as part of any mediation, arbitration or court resolution or similar process.

Legal basis for processing: our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation).

Legitimate interest(s): resolving disputes and potential disputes.

How long we retain your information

This section sets out how long we retain your information. We have set out specific retention periods where possible. Where that has not been possible, we have set out the criteria we use to determine the retention period.

Retention periods

Server log information: we retain information on our server logs for 3 months.

Correspondence and enquiries: when you make an enquiry or correspond with us for any reason, whether by email or via our contact form or by phone, we will retain your information for as long as it takes to respond to and resolve your enquiry, and for 36 further month(s), after which point we will archive your information.

Newsletter: we retain the information you used to sign up for our newsletter for as long as you remain subscribed (i.e. you do not unsubscribe).

Membership: we retain the information you used to sign up for our memberships for as long as you remain subscribed (i.e. you do not unsubscribe).

Criteria for determining retention periods

In any other circumstances, we will retain your information for no longer than necessary, taking into account the following:

    • the purpose(s) and use of your information both now and in the future (such as whether it is necessary to continue to store that information in order to continue to perform our obligations under a contract with you or to contact you in the future);
    • whether we have any legal obligation to continue to process your information (such as any record-keeping obligations imposed by relevant law or regulation);
    • whether we have any legal basis to continue to process your information (such as your consent);
    • how valuable your information is (both now and in the future);
    • any relevant agreed industry practices on how long information should be retained;
    • the levels of risk, cost and liability involved with us continuing to hold the information;
    • how hard it is to ensure that the information can be kept up to date and accurate; and
    • any relevant surrounding circumstances (such as the nature and status of our relationship with you).

How we secure your information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to secure your information and to protect it against unauthorised or unlawful use and accidental loss or destruction, including:

  • only sharing and providing access to your information to the minimum extent necessary, subject to confidentiality restrictions where appropriate, and on an anonymised basis wherever possible;
  • using secure servers to store your information;
  • verifying the identity of any individual who requests access to information prior to granting them access to information;
  • using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software to encrypt any payment transactions you make on or via our website;
  • only transferring your information via closed system or encrypted data transfers;

Transmission of information to us by email

Transmission of information over the internet is not entirely secure, and if you submit any information to us over the internet (whether by email, via our website or any other means), you do so entirely at your own risk.

We cannot be responsible for any costs, expenses, loss of profits, harm to reputation, damages, liabilities or any other form of loss or damage suffered by you as a result of your decision to transmit information to us by such means.

Transfers of your information outside the European Economic Area

Your information may be transferred and stored outside the European Economic Area (EEA) in the circumstances set out earlier in this policy.

We will also transfer your information outside the EEA or to an international organisation in order to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject (compliance with a court order, for example). Where we are required to do so, we will ensure appropriate safeguards and protections are in place.

Your rights in relation to your information

Subject to certain limitations on certain rights, you have the following rights in relation to your information, which you can exercise by writing to the data controller using the details provided at the top of this policy.

  • to request access to your information and information related to our use and processing of your information;
  • to request the correction or deletion of your information;
  • to request that we restrict our use of your information;
  • to receive information which you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format (e.g. a CSV file) and the right to have that information transferred to another data controller (including a third-party data controller);
  • to object to the processing of your information for certain purposes (for further information, see the section below entitled Your right to object to the processing of your information for certain purposes); and
  • to withdraw your consent to our use of your information at any time where we rely on your consent to use or process that information. Please note that if you withdraw your consent, this will not affect the lawfulness of our use and processing of your information on the basis of your consent before the point in time when you withdraw your consent.

In accordance with Article 77 of the General Data Protection Regulation, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or of an alleged infringement of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Further information on your rights in relation to your personal data as an individual

You can find out further information about your rights, as well as information on any limitations which apply to those rights, by reading the underlying legislation contained in Articles 12 to 22 and 34 of the General Data Protection Regulation, which is available here:http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/reform/files/regulation_oj_en.pdf

Verifying your identity where you request access to your information

Where you request access to your information, we are required by law to use all reasonable measures to verify your identity before doing so.

These measures are designed to protect your information and to reduce the risk of identity fraud, identity theft or general unauthorised access to your information.

How we verify your identity

Where we possess appropriate information about you on file, we will attempt to verify your identity using that information.

If it is not possible to identity you from such information, or if we have insufficient information about you, we may require original or certified copies of certain documentation in order to be able to verify your identity before we are able to provide you with access to your information.

We will be able to confirm the precise information we require to verify your identity in your specific circumstances if and when you make such a request.

Your right to object

You have the following rights in relation to your information, which you may exercise in the same way as you may exercise by writing to the data controller using the details provided at the top of this policy.

  • to object to us using or processing your information where we use or process it in order
  • to carry out a task in the public interest or for our legitimate interests, including ‘profiling’ (i.e. analysing or predicting your behaviour based on your information) based on any of these purposes; and
  • to object to us using or processing your information for direct marketing purposes(including any profiling we engage in that is related to such direct marketing).

You may also exercise your right to object to us using or processing your information for direct marketing purposes by:

  • clicking the unsubscribe link contained at the bottom of any marketing email we send to you and following the instructions which appear in your browser following your clicking on that link;
  • sending an email to info@thesavvyimg.co.uk, asking that we stop sending you marketing communications or by including the words “OPT OUT”.

Sensitive Personal Information

‘Sensitive personal information’ is information about an individual that reveals their racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, genetic information, biometric information for the purpose of uniquely identifying an individual, information concerning health or information concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.

Our website does not allow you to register any ‘Sensitive Information’, however if we ask for this, you will be considered to have explicitly consented to us processing that sensitive personal information under Article 9(2)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We update and amend our Privacy Policy from time to time.

Minor changes to our Privacy Policy

Where we make minor changes to our Privacy Policy, we will update our Privacy Policy with a new effective date stated at the beginning of it. Our processing of your information will be governed by the practices set out in that new version of the Privacy Policy from its effective date onwards.

Major changes to our Privacy Policy or the purposes for which we process your information

Where we make major changes to our Privacy Policy or intend to use your information for a new purpose or a different purpose than the purposes for which we originally collected it, we will notify you by email (where possible) or by posting a notice on our website.

We will provide you with the information about the change in question and the purpose and any other relevant information before we use your information for that new purpose.

Wherever required, we will obtain your prior consent before using your information for a purpose that is different from the purposes for which we originally collected it.

Children’s Privacy

Because we care about the safety and privacy of children online, we comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA). COPPA and its accompanying regulations protect the privacy of children using the internet. We do not knowingly contact or collect information from persons under the age of 18. The website is not intended to solicit information of any kind from persons under the age of 18.

It is possible that we could receive information pertaining to persons under the age of 18 by the fraud or deception of a third party. If we are notified of this, as soon as we verify the information, we will, where required by law to do so, immediately obtain the appropriate parental consent to use that information or, if we are unable to obtain such parental consent, we will delete the information from our servers. If you would like to notify us of our receipt of information about persons under the age of 18, please do so by contacting us by using the details at the top of this policy.