Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to provide International Medical Graduates (IMGs) with eligibility to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK on successful completion of GP specialty training; what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the number of IMGs who leave the UK after receiving training paid for by the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

There is no reason connected to the immigration system to suggest the United Kingdom will lose significant numbers of IMG GPs following completion of their training.

The Home Office have delivered a range of measures to support the health and care sector to recruit International Medical Graduates (IMGs) to work in the UK. The Home Office launched the Health & Care visa in 2020, which makes it easier, cheaper, and quicker for health workers – including international medical graduates - to come and stay in the UK to work compared to other immigration routes.

IMGs who have undertaken GP training are eligible to apply for ILR after completing five years on the Health and Care visa route, in line with IMGs in other fields and work visa routes in general. The government does not intend to change this policy to treat a specific group more favourably than the people on the route as a whole.

The Home Secretary has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Health. However, solutions for this sector remain employer led. We strongly encourage more GP surgeries to become Home Office approved sponsors. This is the best way for the sector to retain international medical graduates as GPs, providing them with the ability to continue to renew their visa while living in the UK and to qualify for permanent settlement in due course.