As reported by The Royal College of GPs, the RCGP urges the government to allow International Medical Graduates who train in the UK to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, amid rising patient numbers and limited GP growth
As of October 2025, the number of fully qualified, full-time GPs in England has risen by just 462 since the end of 2019, even as the number of registered patients has grown by more than 3.7 million.
The Royal College of GPs has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood MP, warning that International Medical Graduates who complete their GP specialty training in the UK face significant barriers when trying to secure NHS work.
The college is urging the Government to allow overseas-trained GPs who have finished postgraduate training in the UK to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. At present, most IMGs are ineligible because GP specialty training lasts only three years, falling short of the five-year residency requirement for ILR. This means newly qualified GPs can only work in practices licensed to sponsor them. A recent RCGP survey of 493 general practice managers found that just 29% of practices currently offer visa sponsorship.
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