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What IMGs need to know about applications to specialty training (residency) in the UK

All the essential information to help IMGs understand the application process for specialty training (residency) in the UK.

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all the essential information the international medical graduates need to know about applying to specialty training in the UK also known as specialty recruitment

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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.

UPDATED: March 6, 2023

The process of applying for specialty training (residency) in the UK is known as specialty recruitment or national recruitment and can be thought of as similar to “the match” in the US.

It’s a nationally organised process which occurs once a year for most specialties, and at least twice a year for GP, Psychiatry and Anaesthetics. All applications are submitted through the website Oriel.

Specialty recruitment can be a complex process and will be very different to the residency application process that you know of back home.  This article should help clarify several of the key concepts you need to understand as an IMG.

If you’d like an overview of the entire process and our strategy on how to get into specialty training in just 2 years, enrol in our FREE online course here.

No priority for UK graduates

The priority is not actually for those who graduated from a UK medical school. The priority is for doctors who are exempt from the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT).

RLMT is an immigration rule that basically says that a foreign national cannot work in the UK unless there is no one from the UK suitable for that job. Therefore those who have right to work in the UK are given priority.

Fortunately, as of October 6, 2019, all medical jobs were added to the UK Shortage Occupation List meaning that all foreign doctors applying for jobs in the UK are now automatically exempt from RLMT.

This is a huge milestone for IMGs because it means that your application for specialty training will no longer be dismissed just because of your immigration status. Where you graduated from will have no bearing at all.

Are UK graduates still preferred over IMGs even if IMGs are exempt from RLMT?

No, according to the Medical Recruitment 2020 Applicant Handbook (pg 50), once exempt from RLMT, IMGs and UK graduates are given equal consideration. Each applicant will be given credit solely on the merit of their application.

Related: 

Competition

There is a set number of training jobs available each year and there are usually more applicants than jobs. Therefore applications are highly competitive. Even local graduates can take several years to successfully land a training post in the most competitive specialties.

You can get an idea of how popular a specialty is from the competition ratio. This is the number of applicants divided by the number of available jobs. So for example, if there are 100 doctors applying for Radiology and there are 50 jobs available, the competition ratio is 2. 

  • Low to moderately competitive: Competition ratio of between 1 and 2. You will need a solid application strategy to succeed.
  • Highly competitive: Competition ratio between 2 and 4. You will need a focused application strategy to succeed.
  • Extremely competitive: Competition ratio of more than 4. You will need a highly intense strategy to succeed.

You can find all the competition ratios for the past 5 years on the HEE website.

In this video, Kim explains how why competition ratio is important and it is more than meets the eye.

Difficulty for IMGs

Many IMGs ask how difficult it is to get into UK specialty training. As mentioned above, UK graduates are not given priority so IMGs have the same chances as anyone else. There is no longer a specific disadvantage for IMGs compared to UK graduates.

So if you do thorough research, have a well-developed strategy, and you are ready to put in the hard work required, then it is not that difficult to succeed as an IMG.

However, if you don’t do your due diligence, have a poorly-informed strategy, or expect to succeed without putting in the necessary effort, then you will find it extremely difficult and frustrating.

The good thing about UK specialty training applications is that it is highly objective. You do not need to charm your interview panel to convince them to hire you.

Applications are scored according to a national scoring matrix so that every applicant can be compared numerically. If you achieve everything on that scoring matrix, then there’s no reason you can’t score well and succeed.

Related: 8 tips to succeed when applying for UK specialty training

Entry Requirements

You can find the specific requirements for each specialty in a document called the person specifications. Each specialty at each level will have its own set of person specifications. I’ve listed the basic requirements below. 

For ST1/CT1 posts

For a first-year position (ST1 or CT1), these are the basic requirements:

  • Full GMC registration by the time you start ST1 or CT1
    • This means you have completed internship (FY1 equivalent) and you have GMC registration or you are already in the process of GMC registration with IELTS/OET and PLAB.
    • If you have completed internship overseas, then you do not need to repeat internship in the UK (FY1).
    • Please note that sponsorship or MTI cannot be used for GMC registration for the purpose of a specialty training programme.
  • 12 months post-internship experience by the time you start ST1 or CT1 (not at the time of application)
    • Option A: 12 months of clinical experience in a supervised hospital post in a specialty with acute medical responsibilities either in the UK, overseas, or a combination of both, OR
    • Option B: Standalone FY2 in the UK
  • F2 competences
    • Option 1: A valid CREST 2021 form (previous versions of CREST will no longer be accepted). Applicable to Option 1 above, OR
    • Option 2: Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC) – applicable to Option B above

NHS experience is not a requirement to apply but is hugely beneficial. Starting your first job in a training post is challenging and can have negative effects on your career progression if you perform poorly.

Please note that you can be overqualified for an ST1/CT1 post if you have too much experience in the same specialty you are applying for. You can read more about this here.

Yes. Health Education England  have said that if a doctor were to start CT1 or ST1 without 12 months post-internship experience, an investigation would take place.

No. Clerkship refers to the clinical rotations undertaken during medical school. It is a basic GMC requirement of an acceptable medical degree (source). It is not considered the same as FY1 or internship therefore it is not counted as part of the clinical experience required to enter ST1/CT1.

Be careful of labelling clerkship or clinical rotations as clinical experience or equivalent to FY1/internship in your CV or job application. You may be accused of inflating your experience which can turn into a serious probity issue with the GMC.

For ST3+ posts

In general, ST3 posts will require you to have:

  • A certificate to confirm previous training equivalent to ST1/CT1 and ST2/CT2
  • Minimum required months of experience
  • Compulsory exams eg. MRCP, MRCS, etc.
As an example of the requirements for ST3 applications, check out this article which explains the requirements for ST3 Cardiology and ST3 General Surgery.
 

Preparing yourself for applications

We have made a FREE short course where we give you an overview of the application process and how you can prepare early. Join us in the IMG Shortcut now.

If you want an even more in-depth, step-by-step guide, be sure to check out our Masterclass to learn how you can succeed as an IMG.

Allocation to a Hospital

Applications for a training post are not made to individual hospitals. Instead, you submit one application per specialty to the national recruitment office.

You then list all the geographic regions of the UK or each job placement you are willing to work in, and rank them according to preference.

Depending on your performance during the application process, you will be assigned a rank amongst all applicants. The higher your rank, the higher your chance of getting matched to a preferred region/job placement.

If there are special circumstances that require you to be physically present in a specific region or hospital, there is a process to apply for special treatment but these are not always guaranteed.

What if I don’t get a job in my desired location?

If you do not get into your desired region, it is possible to request for a transfer for the next year, a process called Interdeanery Transfer (IDT). You can read about the process here. A successful request depends on the availability of jobs in that region and your circumstances. Those with medical conditions, caring responsibilities (eg. children), and those in committed relationships are considered first and in that order.

So it’s important to emphasise now that unless you have special circumstances: the best way to ensure you get a job in your desired region is to score highly in your application.

Applying to Multiple Specialties

It is possible to apply to multiple specialties without discrimination. The panel of one specialty will not be aware if you’ve applied to another specialty.

If you plan to do this, you will need to prepare a portfolio and be ready to interview for each specialty so beware of spreading yourself too thin.

Related: Comprehensive IMG guides per specialty

Application Fees

None! 

In fact, you can usually claim reimbursement for expenses incurred when attending interview. This can be for a train ticket, or a hotel room if you have a morning interview and live far from the interview venue.

Age Limits

There is no age limit for specialty training in the UK. Discrimination based on age is illegal and violates the Equality Act of 2010.

Interviews

There is one interview per specialty. There is no need to travel to multiple hospitals to interview with each. More and more specialties are moving away from personal questions such as “why this specialty?” or “why this region?” Instead interviews tend to be very structured, almost like an OSCE, with multiple themed stations. Applicants are scored by a panel of Consultants who can come from all over the region or the country.

Examples of stations are:

  • Portfolio – your portfolio is discussed with the panel. Some specialties now mark the portfolio in a separate room away from the candidate.
  • Clinical – a clinical scenario is given and the applicant is asked a series of questions.
  • Communication – this often involves an actor posing as a patient or patient’s relative.
  • Critical appraisal – a research paper is given with a set of questions to answer.
  • Audit/Quality improvement – the candidate is often asked how they would design one for a given scenario.
  • NHS – hot topics or questions about how the NHS works can be asked.

This Medical Interview book (available on Amazon) discusses in detail how to approach each of the stations listed above. It is a favourite amongst UK graduates and is a definite MUST-READ if you are serious about improving your interview skills the UK way.

The exact format of the interview differs per specialty. Details are released online to enable applicants to prepare in advance so be sure to read those too!

New for 2021 applications

There will be no face-to-face in-person interviews for applications for 2021 due to COVID.

Some specialties will hold online interviews instead while others will base applications on other criteria without an interview.

Be sure to check the exact process for the specialty you aim to apply for. You can find the links for this in our Useful Links page under the section Specialty recruitment (residency applications)

Entrance Exams

Some specialties requires applicants to sit the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA). 

These include: 

  • General Practice (family medicine)
  • Anaesthetics
  • Core Psychiatry
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Neurosurgery
  • Ophthalmology
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Paediatrics
  • Radiology
  • Community Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CSRH)
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) 

The MSRA is a computer based test with 2 components: professional dilemmas (110 minutes), and clinical problem solving (75 minutes). The higher your score in the MSRA, the high

Do you need to pass any other exams?

For ST1/CT1 level:

MRCS, MRCP or any other college exams are not required to apply for training at ST1/CT1 level, however, passing the first part of these exams attracts points for your application so you may want to consider taking them.

For ST3+ level:

College exams are usually compulsory for applications to this stage of training. The type of exam you need to take depends on the specialty.

Please see these articles to find out which exam you need to take for your specialty:

Timelines

The timelines for specialty recruitment are very strict and there is no tolerance for late applications. The exact dates are different for each specialty but in general, these are the important dates.

Round 1

This round is for applications to ST1 and CT1 posts, and some ST3 posts.

NovApplications open
Jan-MarInterview season
Feb-MarResults are released
AugJobs start

Round 1 re-advert

Sometimes referred to as Round 2. This is when you can apply for leftover posts from Round 1 – if there are any jobs leftover.

FebApplications open
AprilInterview season
End of AprResults are released
AugJobs start

Round 2

This is the proper Round 2 where applications are open for most ST3 posts.

Jan-FebApplications open
Mar-AprInterview season
AprResults are released
Aug-OctJobs start

Round 2 re-advert

This is when you can apply for leftover ST3 posts from Round 2 but these jobs do not start in August, they usually start in February.

Jul-AugApplications open
Aug-OctInterview season
OctResults are released
FebJob starts

Exact dates for this year

Please see the official website for the up to date timelines. You can find them on our Useful Links page under the section “Specialty recruitment (residency applications)”

Further Information

You will find all the official information about applying to specialty training in the UK through the links on our Useful Links page under the section “Specialty recruitment (residency applications)”

If you can’t find the answer to your query about specialty training, the first thing to do is email the official office. Make sure you check the FAQ pages of these websites first before emailing. All the offices are extremely responsive and their advice supersedes anything written in The Savvy IMG.

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.

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

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70 Responses

  1. Hello, thank you for your valuable website! I have a question, if I do another year of internship after my formal internship, would it be counted as 24 months clinical experience? I would be really grateful if you could guide me

  2. Hi both,
    I have a few questions. Sorry about that.

    Firstly, I wondered how you would prove you have 12 months of post-GMC registration experience. Because at the time of application in November/December you may still be working in that post. Let’s say you started working a post in June then you would only have 6 months by the time of application.

    Secondly, there is a difference in start dates between London and the rest of the UK. In order to be eligible for the London intake in October you’d have to start a job by September the year prior the latest, correct? And for the rest of the UK in July at the latest?

    Thirdly, for those 12 months do they need to be in a permanent post or would locum work be acceptable?

    And lastly, in order to get the CREST form signed, do you need a permanent post or is that possible with irregular locum work? Does it really just depend on finding a consultant to sign it off?

    Thank you in advance

    1. Hi Marv!

      1. They just assume you’ll continue working until the start of the training job. If you get accepted but then quit your job and don’t complete 24 months clinical experience, they can withdraw your place in training.
      2. Most training jobs in London and throughout the UK start in the first week of August so it’s best to plan for that.
      3. If by locums you mean irregular shifts, it will probably be difficult to get that accepted. You need 12 months full time equivalent after internship, so unless you can find regular work with locums for 12 months, it may not be accepted. But you don’t need a permanent job either, tbh there aren’t many permanent jobs for juniors. By permanent I mean there’s no end date to the job. Most jobs are just contracts for a set period of time, like 6-12 months. You can use these. Some of these posts are termed “locum” posts but this is different from irregular shifts.
      4. You may be able to get it signed off through locum posts, but you still need to fulfill the requirement of working with the same consultant for the equivalent of 3 months.

      Hope that helps! Definitely download the latest CREST guidance for the most up to date info.

  3. Hi, I am currently a resident in paediatrics for over 1year. But I have attempted and failed plab2 once. Will I be eligible to apply for specialty training in paediatrics in the UK?

    1. Hi Osas, failed attempts of the PLAB exams do not affect your application to specialty training as long as you eventually pass the exams and gain GMC registration.

  4. Hello, Nick. God bless you for this tremendous work you have been doing.My Query: What are the best options available for a Senior General Surgeon in India with 20 years of experience, recently appearing the MRCS, if planning to explore options in UK or Ireland? Can I get an admission into CT3? If not, what are the chances of getting a Non-training job (SHO, etc) and later FRCS – Speciality register – Consultant? I think satisfying the documentations of CSER pathway are too cumbersome and not practical. I will try to consult you on Calendly once I pass both teh MRCS parts, OET and get a GMC regn.

    1. Hi Raju! Great to hear from you. As a very experienced surgeon, you will be penalised in your application to training but it’s still possible to enter successfully. Although I have to say, it’s unlikely that you’ll be satisfied working as a trainee again with long hours and relatively low pay compared to a consultant. You might find it more fulfilling to work as a locum consultant and go through the CESR route over time. But all routes are possible!

      I look forward to speaking with you in the future.
      Kimberly

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For further information about the safeguards used when your information is transferred outside the European Economic Area, see the section of this privacy policy below entitled Transfers of your information outside the European Economic Area.

Use of tracking in emails

We use technologies such as tracking pixels (small graphic files) and tracked links in the emails we send to allow us to assess the level of engagement our emails receive by measuring information such as the delivery rates, open rates, click through rates and content engagement that our emails achieve.

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.

Information we obtain from third parties will generally be your name and contact details but will include any additional information about you which they provide to us.

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

Reason why necessary to perform a contract: where a third party has passed on information about you to us (such as your name and email address) in order for us to provide services to you, we will process your information in order to take steps at your request to enter into a contract with you and perform a contract with you (as the case may be).

Legal basis for processing: consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation).

Consent: where you have asked that a third party to share information about you with us and the purpose of sharing that information is not related to the performance of a contract or services by us to you, we will process your information on the basis of your consent, which you give by asking the third party in question to pass on your information to us.

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

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

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

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.