General Practitioner 4-month post CCT Extension Scheme
You will be aware that in 2023 the Home Office introduced legislation to enable GP Speciality Trainees (GPSTs) on a Skilled Worker Visa to be extended by 4 months at the end of their training programme.
This extension is intended to allow GPSTs to have extra time to secure work with an employer and arrange sponsorship with them following their training. You cannot carry on working in a training post past the end date of your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) using this extension.
Please read through the information in this guide to understand how this process will work for GPSTs in Scotland.
This page is for information but if you have any questions about the extension process you should contact the NES Trainee Services Sponsorship Team via the HR Service Desk.
Explore this Guide for Information about Extending your GP Skilled Worker Visa
Trainees will need to make a new Skilled Worker (Health and Care) visa application to the Home Office (no more than 1 month before your current visa expires) using your current CoS number, which will be found within your CoS Letter in your NES Sponsorship system profile.
You will need to submit a visa application for yourself and any dependants. You will be required to pay the fee that comes with this application and that application will then be held by the Home Office for a period of 4 months after your visa expiry date. This ensures that you and any dependants are covered by 3C leave and therefore will be counter for the purposes of calculating eligibility for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain).
You must be sponsored on the Skilled Worker route as a newly trained GP under occupation code 2211 and have completed your training and use the extension post-Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).
Please be aware that this scheme will not apply to other training specialties. If you change specialty before you complete your training, you will no longer be eligible.
It will be your decision about whether you should apply for the additional four months at the end of your visa.
Please be aware that this is not an alternative to securing sponsorship with your next employer after completing your training and you will not be given a new visa. This scheme is only to allow you to legally remain in the UK while you are looking for employment and waiting to start work.
If you have already secured employment and sponsorship with a new sponsor by the end of your training, you will not need to apply.
If you have a new immigration status by the end of your training (for example ILR), you will not need to apply.
If you do apply and your application is successful, the additional four months will be added to the end of your visa, after your Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) date.
*If you applied from December 2023 the 4-month extension may have been automatically added to the end of your visa already. If you applied since Dec 2023 and you did not get the visa extension automatically added to your visa, you are still eligible and you can follow the steps below.
Please be aware that you cannot apply more than one month before your current visa is due to expire (the end date on your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card or visa).
Applications submitted too early will be rejected by the Home Office.
Download your General Practitioner 4-month post CCT Extension Scheme PDF Resource
⬇️ Download your General Practitioner 4-month post CCT Extension Scheme as an interactive PDF resource.
