Overseas Nurses Training Organisation

If there is no IELTS test centre in your country please access the IELTS website for more information, or alternatively contact the British Council directly for assistance. The British Council has over 300 test centres in over 100 countries. A full list of test centres is available on the IELTS website.

As a result of public consultations for both nursing (November 2003) and midwifery (October 2005) and evidence collected from the British Council, the NMC decided that a score of 7 was the lowest level acceptable for language skills. This applies equally to nurses and midwives who apply for registration from the 1 February 2007.

No. If you received your NMC assessment letter before the 1 February 2007 the new standard for English language does not apply to you. It will affect all applicants who apply for registration from the 1 February 2007.

The British Council states that they cannot verify an IELTS test score that is older than two years. Where the test score is more than two years old, it can only be accepted as evidence of present level of ability if the person can prove that they have actively used or tried to improve their English language proficiency. You are therefore advised to resit your IELTS test in these circumstances.

NMC requires all overseas applicants to meet the NMC standard for English language regardless of where they come from. This ensures that all applicants meet the same standard in a system that is equitable, fair and non-discriminatory.

You must be able to show that you have been accepted on a course of study or for a period of research at an educational establishment that is on the UK's Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills Register of Education and Training Providers. Contact details are under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance, or you can search the register on the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills website.

You must be able to show that you are going to follow:

• a recognised full-time degree course or postgraduate studies, or
• a period of study and/or research in excess of 6 months where this forms part of an overseas degree course, or
• a course run during the week involving at least 15 hours of organised daytime study each week, or
• a full-time course at an independent fee-paying school.

You must also:

• be able to pay for your course and support yourself and any dependants, and live in the UK without going into business or getting a job, or needing any help from public funds
• be able and intend to follow your chosen course, and
• Intend to leave the UK when you complete your studies, if your course of study is below degree level.

If you graduated from a UK university or other educational institution within the last 12 months with a bachelor's degree, master's degree, postgraduate certificate or diploma, or PhD, you may be able to apply to stay in the UK and get a job for an extra year after your degree course finishes, without getting a work permit. For more information, please see the section on the International Graduates Scheme in our Permit free employment (INF 14) guidance.

If you successfully complete a degree level course or above, awarded by a Scottish institution, you may be able to apply to live and work in Scotland for up to two years after achieving your qualification under the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme.

For entry to the UK as a postgraduate doctor or dentist, you will need:

• a UK degree in medicine or dentistry
• to have spent at least two years in the UK studying for your medical or dental degree, and
• a letter from the Postgraduate Dean responsible for your training to confirm that you have been offered a full-time place on a Foundation Programme in the UK.

You must also:

• intend to leave the UK after your Foundation Programme, if you have not been given permission to stay on in another employment or self-employment category, and
• be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing help from public funds.

If a government or international sponsorship agency sponsored your studies at a medical or dental school, you need to have the sponsor's permission to study a Foundation Programme in the UK.

If you are a fully qualified doctor or dentist and you want to get a job or take higher specialist training, you will need a work permit. You can get more information about work permits from our Work permit holders (INF 13) guidance.

If you intend to set up in general practice, you will need to meet the requirements for entry to the UK as a self-employed person. For more information see the Setting up in business (INF10) guidance.

A visa is a certificate that is put into your passport or travel document by an Entry Clearance Officer at a British mission overseas. The visa gives you permission to enter the UK.

If you have a valid UK visa, we will not normally refuse you entry to the UK unless your circumstances have changed, or you gave false information or did not tell us important facts when you applied for your visa. Please note that if you give false information or fail to give important relevant information on a visa application form or to an entry clearance officer, this will be a reason for your application to be refused.  You may also be refused subsequent applications for visas or leave to enter the UK for 10 years following the application for using deception.

When you arrive in the UK, an Immigration Officer may ask you questions, so take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.

You will need a visa if you:

• are not an EEA national
• are stateless (you don't have a nationality)
• hold a non-national travel document, or
• hold a passport issued by an authority that is not recognised in the UK.

If you do not intend to work or stay in the UK for more than six months, you might wish to consider entering as a student visitor. More information is available in our Visitors (INF2) guidance on our website or from your nearest visa application centre.

You do not need an entry clearance as a student visitor if you are a non-visa national but, you will have to satisfy the Immigration Officer that you qualify for entry to study when you arrive in the UK. You must be able to show that you have been accepted on a course of study at an educational establishment that is on the Register of Education and Training Providers. They will then give you permission to stay in the UK for up to six months.

If you have any doubts about whether you qualify for entry, you should apply for a visa before you travel to the UK.

You can apply in a number of ways, for example, by post, by courier, in person and online. Staff at the visa application centres will tell you about the ways in which you can apply.

Some visa sections will only accept applications made online. To find out if you can apply for your visa online please visit the visa4UK website.

If you cannot apply online you will need to fill in a visa application form (VAF 3 - Student). You can get a form free of charge from your nearest visa application centre or from the visa application forms page of the uk visas website.

You should apply for a student visa in the country of which you are a national or where you legally live.

In some countries, if you are applying for a visa to stay in the UK for more than six months, you may need to be tested for active tuberculosis before we will accept your application. You can find out if you need to be tested by using our Do I need a visa? Questionnaire on the homepage of this website, or by contacting your nearest visa application centre.

In some countries, we are working with commercial companies to run visa application centres (VACs). The VACs are in largely populated areas, making it easier and more convenient for people to apply for a UK visa. Trained staff at each VAC deal with all visa enquiries and applications. They collect your biometric information (see the relevant section of this leaflet) along with the relevant fees, and provide unbiased, face-to-face advice on the application process, including whether or not you have included all the necessary documents. Entry clearance staff at the British mission will then consider your application and decide whether to issue or refuse your visa. VAC staff have no say in this decision.

You will need to make your application online or fill in the following visa application form:

• Application form VAF3 - Student
• Student guidance notes

You will also need the following.

• Your passport or travel document.
• A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm), colour photograph of yourself.
  This should be:
  • taken against a light-coloured background
  • clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
  • printed on normal photographic paper, and
  • full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons (but the face must not be covered).
• The visa fee. This cannot be refunded and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
• Supporting documents relevant to your application.

All UK visa applicants, save for those benefiting from a limited number of exemptions and exceptions, are required to provide biometric data (10-digit finger scans and a digital photograph) as part of the application process.

You will have to go to your nearest visa application centre in person to provide your biometrics. In those countries where there is no visa application centre, you will need to go to the British mission.

Your visa application will not be processed until you have provided the necessary biometric information. The finger scans are electronic so staff do not need to use any ink, liquid or chemicals. You will have your digital photograph taken at the same time and the whole procedure should take no more than five minutes to complete. You should make sure that you do not have any decoration (such as henna), or any cuts or other markings on your fingertips before having your finger scans. You should also make sure that if you have any cuts and bruises on your face, they have healed or disappeared before you have your photograph taken. Digital photographs must be of your full face and you should not wear sunglasses, a hat or any other head covering (unless you wear it for cultural or religious reasons but the face must not be covered).

You should include all the documents you can to show that you qualify for entry to the UK as a student. If you do not, we may refuse your application.

As a guide, you should include:

• any relevant diplomas or educational certificates that you have
• a letter from the university, college or school confirming that you have been accepted on a course of study and/or a period of research in the UK, and a statement of charges for the course and/or period of research (if appropriate)
• if you are following a certain type of postgraduate study, an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) Certificate
• evidence of government sponsorship (if appropriate)
• bank statements, payslips or other evidence to show that you can pay for your stay and your course of studies in the UK, and
• if you are being privately sponsored (for example, by a college in the UK) a letter from your sponsor giving details of how they will support you during your studies, and evidence that they can do so.

We will refuse your application if we find that any documents are forged and you may be refused subsequent applications for visas or leave to enter the UK for 10 years following the application for using deception.

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) was introduced in November 2007. In common with other Governments around the world, the British Government is working hard to stop the spread of knowledge and skills that could be used in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. The ATAS is designed to ensure that people who are applying to study certain sensitive subjects in the UK do not have links to WMD programmes.

If you intend to undertake postgraduate studies and/or research which lead to a Doctorate or Masters degree in certain designated subjects, you will have to get and Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before you apply for your visa. Full details about this scheme can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

The Entry Clearance Officer will try to make a decision using your application form and the supporting documents you have provided. If this is not possible, they will need to interview you.

Please check your visa when you get it. You should make sure that:

• your personal details are correct
• it correctly states the purpose for which you want to come to the UK, and
• it is valid for the date on which you want to travel. (You can ask for it to be post-dated for up to three months if you do not plan to travel immediately).

If you think there is anything wrong with your visa, contact the visa section immediately.

Under the Immigration Rules, if you want to travel to the UK you must be able to support yourself and live without claiming certain benefits. A full list of public funds is available on the UK Border Agency website.

You can find more information about public funds in the Immigration Directorate Instructions (IDIs) and Immigration Rules on the UK Border Agency website.

If you enter the UK with a student visa or prospective student visa, or if you want to study on a course at degree level or higher, you can apply to the UK Border Agency website. Their contact details are at end of this guidance. The UK Border Agency website will charge you a non-refundable fee for any application to extend your stay in the UK.

If you enter the UK with a student visitor visa, you will not be allowed to extend your stay.

Yes. You can take part-time or holiday work, but you must not:

• work for more than 20 hours a week during term time unless your placement is part of your studies, has been agreed with your educational institution and leads to a degree or qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body
• do business, be self-employed or provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, or
work full-time in a permanent job.

You may be able to switch if:

• you have completed a recognised degree course at either a UK publicly-funded institution of further or higher education or an approved private educational institution that has satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance
• you hold a valid work permit for employment
• you have been sponsored by a government or agency and you have their written permission to remain in the UK in a different category, and
• you have not broken immigration law.

Your husband, wife or civil partner and any of your children under 18 can come to the UK with you during your studies, as long as you can support them without needing any help from public funds.

Your dependants will need to make their application online or fill in the following visa application form:

• Application form VAF3 - Student
• Student guidance notes

They will also need the following:

• Their passport or travel document.
• A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm),colour photograph of themselves.
  This should be:
  • taken against a light coloured background
  • clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
  • printed on normal photographic paper, and
  • full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless they wear this for cultural or religious reasons (but the face must not be covered).
• The visa fee. This cannot be refunded and they must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where they are applying.
• Evidence of their relationship to you.
• Evidence that you can support them without needing any help from public funds.
• Evidence of the course of study your are doing or are going to do in the UK.
• A copy of the relevant pages from your passport, showing your permission to stay if you are already in the UK.

Your husband, wife or civil partner will be allowed to work in the UK if we give you permission to stay in the country for at least twelve months.

Nationals of certain countries are required to register with the police if they are entering the UK for more than six months. Your visa will state if this is necessary.

In London, police registration is made at the Overseas Visitors Registration Office, (OVRO), Brandon House, 180 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1LH. Tel: 020 7230 1208. If you are not in London you can register at the nearest police station specified as a registration office. You will be charged for the initial registration certificate.

You can travel to the UK as a prospective student for up to six months to arrange your studies. You will need to show that:

• you intend to enrol on a course of study within six months of arriving in the UK
• you can pay for your course, support yourself and your dependants, and live without working or needing any help from public funds, and
• you intend to leave the UK when you finish your studies or when your permission to stay ends if you do not qualify to stay in the UK as a student.

Note: you should not buy a ticket, or pay all or part of the cost of a study course if your visa application being delayed or refused would mean that you lost your money.

You should apply in good time for your entry clearance so that you are not delayed in getting into the UK. However, you cannot have your clearance post-dated by more than three months. It can get very busy in visa sections, especially over the summer when lots of students are applying.