IMGs Beware: Why UK Specialty Training Might Soon Get Out of Reach

UKRDC Specialty Training Policy: What It Means for International Doctors

The BMA (British Medical Association) recently published an FAQ about the UK Resident Doctors Collaborative (UKRDC) specialty training prioritisation policy. In plain terms, this policy suggests that UK medical graduates should be prioritised over international medical graduates (IMGs) when applying for specialty training posts.

Who is behind these ideas?

The UKRDC is a group of organisations representing UK doctors, and the BMA is the main trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK. While the BMA raises awareness and advocates for doctors, it is not the body that creates or enforces training rules. The organisations actually responsible for deciding and implementing these policies are bodies like:

• Health Education England (HEE) (now part of NHS England workforce planning)
• The GMC (regulator that oversees registration and licensing)
• UK government and health departments (which can set overarching immigration and workforce policies).

So, the BMA doesn’t “make the rules”, but it influences and communicates policies under discussion.

What does this mean for IMGs?

For international doctors, this could mean:

• Even tougher competition: Specialty training is already highly competitive, with ratios climbing year after year. If priority is given to UK graduates, IMGs may find it harder to secure a post, even with strong CVs and PLAB passes.
• More reliance on non-training posts: Many IMGs may have to take service jobs (trust-grade, SHO, non-training registrar roles) for longer before they can break into a formal training pathway.
• Increased uncertainty: Because policy discussions don’t always move quickly, there’s anxiety among IMGs about how likely this is to be enforced and how it will affect their plans.

How likely is this to pass?

Right now, this is a policy proposal and an area of discussion, not a fully implemented rule. For it to be enforced, it would require formal changes by NHS England and approval from the government. The BMA is flagging it, but it is not guaranteed to happen. Still, given the rising number of IMGs gaining GMC registration through PLAB (over 20,000 annually in recent years), the pressure on the system makes some form of prioritisation more likely in the future.

Final Thoughts

For IMGs, this policy FAQ is a reminder that the path into UK specialty training is only getting harder. Even without these changes, competition ratios are rising steeply. If prioritisation policies are adopted, IMGs may need to prepare for longer routes, more non-training jobs, and the possibility of having to prove themselves for several years before entering training.

At the same time, it’s important to remember that the BMA is also advocating for fairness and raising these issues publicly, which means IMGs’ voices are part of the conversation.

Reference:

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/international-doctors/studying-and-training-in-the-uk/ukrdc-specialty-training-policy-faqs