BAPIO Medical Training Initiative BAPIO Medical Training Initiative Application Form

Background to the Welsh MTI initiative

1. There is spare training capacity in most hospitals across Wales in most specialities

2. India has a pool of well trained doctors educated in English, who are desirous of further training in their chosen
specialities in the UK

3. The Indian medical training is based on the British model and is of high quality.

4. Accordingly, Welsh Hospitals are keen to appoint suitable Indian Medical graduates with at least three years
experience in their speciality after graduation.

5. The appointment will be for a fixed two year term and does not offer a career in the UK.

6. The appointing Health Board will assist the selected candidates with their GMC registration and Visa.

7. The salary scale is £30,302 to £47,647 depending on experience. If participation in the on call rota is necessary, then the supplement can be up to 50% of basic salary.

8. A relocation package of up to £5000 can be available on production of receipts to assist with the fees for the GMC, Royal Colleges, and Visa.

Implicit in this arrangement is recognition of the fact that

1. MTI allows visa for a period of two years only after which the doctor is obliged to go back to his/her home country

2. The doctors would be recruited to a Core Trainee /Specialist Trainee level commensurate with their experience and progress up the ladder to get experience and training equivalent to the local trainees

3. The terms and conditions of the MTI trainees would be exactly the same as the local trainees and the employing hospitals would put in place a local relocation package

4. The Deanery/Royal College would provide a certificate of completion of Fellowship at the end of the training

5. As per the sponsoring Royal College guidelines, the candidate would have regular appraisals from their allocated educational supervisors

Eligibility Criterion for MTI scheme

All candidates must satisfy the following criterion.

  • be resident overseas at the time of application to the scheme and have no rights of residence in the UK/EU/EEA/Switzerland;
  • hold a primary medical qualification recognised by the GMC;
  • have completed an acceptable internship (or equivalent) of not less than twelve months following undergraduate training;
  • have completed at least 3 years of full-time clinical practice/training (equivalent to ST3 or above in the UK) since obtaining their primary medical qualification, including the most recent 12 months. Clinical attachments/observer ships do not count;
  • have passed the MRCS (UK) or hold an acceptable alternative overseas qualification;
  • have not previously attempted the General Medical Council (GMC) Professional and Linguistics Assessment Board (PLAB) test;
  • achieved a minimum score of 7.0 in each category of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and an overall score of at least 7.5.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Do International Medical Graduates (IMGs) coming to the UK as part of the MTI scheme require General Medical Council (GMC) registration?

Yes – IMGs do require GMC registration to take part in the MTI scheme. Usually this is done via professional sponsorship for GMC registration from an approved GMC sponsor (normally a relevant medical Royal College for the specialty area).
The employing Health Board/Trust will assist with the relevant arrangements on your behalf.

Q. Can an IMG use their personal funds to support their MTI placement?

No. The MTI placement funding can come from any source except the applicant’s personal funds. For example – the employing UK trust, a foreign employer or UK/foreign government grants and scholarships. Confirmation of your salary scale by the employing Health Board will be sufficient.

Q Can a MTI participant bring family to the UK while on an MTI placement?

Yes. Doctors applying for a Tier 5 visa under the MTI scheme can concurrently apply for dependent visas for their immediate family members. It should be noted that the Academy can only certify maintenance for the doctor taking up the MTI placement – it cannot certify maintenance for dependents and the Doctor will have to meet the UKBA requirements for evidence of sufficient funding for their family.

Q. Can a UK passport holder apply for a MTI placement?

The MTI scheme is a Tier 5 visa immigration route for overseas Doctors seeking a period of UK based training. A UK passport already gives the right to live and work in the UK so holders would not be eligible for an MTI placement. This is only different if the passport is a British Overseas Passport – when a Tier 5 visa is required to work in the UK.

Q. Can a Doctor complete one year in a MTI placement, return home for a year (or more), then come back to the UK to complete another year? Is the answer different if it is the same placement with the same trust / employer as opposed to a whole new placement?

The 24 month maximum length of a Tier 5 visa cannot be split into different ‘placements’ with gaps in-between (whether with same or different Host Trust). Whilst technically there is no UKBA rule against the number of Tier 5 visas applied for and the period between them, it is a Department of Health rule with regard to the MTI scheme that participants cannot reapply within 5 years.

Q. How long can a Doctor in the MTI scheme stay in the UK?

The Academy issued Tier 5 Certificate of Sponsorship states start and end work dates. When a visa is granted, 14 days should automatically be added on after the end date specified on the Certificate of Sponsorship. If the individual applies from overseas they should also have 14 days added on before the start date as well. These 14 day periods are fixed in the Immigration Rules and shouldn’t vary. The 14 day periods form part of the overall period of leave granted, as stated on the visa itself. Where a 24 month work period is stated on the CoS, the 14 days cannot be added at the start or end – 24 months is the absolute maximum for a Tier 5 visa.
From 1 October 2012, anyone who overstays by more than 28 days after the expiry date of their visa is liable to have any further application refused.

Q. What is the UK tax liability for an MTI participant who is fully funded by their home country?

The answer to this will depend on the home country in question and what arrangements they have with the UK. The HMRC website should provide information on agreements between countries – if not the individual concerned can ring them and ask. www.hmrc.gov.uk/international/dta-intro.htm.
In general, UK income is taxed in UK according to the relevant tax bands.

Q. Is the MTI doctor eligible for NHS treatment?

As the MTI doctors from India would be employed by the NHS, they would be eligible for NHS treatment. There is however a NHS surcharge on overseas citizens working and living in UK. Further details are available on this link
https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/overview

Q. Does the MTI scheme provide accommodation?

Ready-made accommodation near to the primary place of work is not provided as a standard part of a MTI placement. It may be that the Trust providing the MTI placement can assist with finding accommodation – either via hospital owned accommodation (which may or may not be close to the place of work) or via contacts to help MTI participants find local accommodation. MTI participants would generally be expected to pay for accommodation costs.

Q. How else will the Employing Hospital assist the selected doctors

The employing hospitals will assist with starting a new life in Wales and help with opening bank account, getting a National Insurance number, finding accommodation and other practical aspects. They would also be a pre employment induction to familiarize the doctor with the working of the hospital and the department.

Q What would BAPIO(Wales) do

BAPIO(Wales) would arrange an induction to familiarize the candidates with the cultural aspects of the move to Wales and also with the NHS way of working and the very different interpersonal relationships in the NHS. BAPIO(Wales) would also provide a mentor to each doctor who would be the first point of contact to assist in any difficulty.

Q. How much time is needed for the formalities to be completed after the interview

After the offer of the job, a further 4-6 months may be needed for the formalities to be completed. If the interviews are held in September 2017, we would expect the candidates to start working from February 2018 in the best case scenario.

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