Benefits of becoming a Visa Sponsor
This guide has been designed to support GP Practices by providing guidance and advice on how to apply for a Visa Sponsorship Licence, with UK Visa and Immigration. Becoming a visa sponsoring practice, will help support and retain GP IMGs in the NHS Scotland workforce, ensuring longer term stability of the Primary Care workforce.
You will find guidance and signposting to information about how to apply for a UKVI Visa Sponsorship Licence, as well as details of the benefits of becoming a visa sponsor, the steps involved and the costs.
Explore the range of tools and steps to support your practice become a visa sponsor.
Please note the information in this guide is in accordance with current immigration legislation and processes as of April 2025. In May 2025 the UK Government published their Restoring control over the immigration system white paper. We will update the guides as and when any proposed changes from the white paper come into force. Please always refer to the UKVI website for updates and changes on immigration legislation for the most up to date information.
What are the benefits for my practice applying for a UKVI visa sponsor licence?
Given that increasing numbers of IMG doctors are now choosing to train and work in the UK (GMC Workforce Report, 2024) holding a sponsor licence significantly increases the pool of newly qualified GPs that you can recruit from both in Scotland, and across the UK.
A sponsorship licence lasts indefinitely, provided you continue to meet the requirements.
This can be beneficial when you are thinking about long-term workforce planning.
The sponsor licence covers any skilled health and care worker, so practices can use the licence to sponsor other health and care staff such as nurses or AHPs, not just GPs.
Having a visa sponsor licence allows you to also recruit from the European Economic Area (EEA) and from other countries with comparable General Practice systems such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
GP Practice Visa Sponsorship Guidance
Dr Chris Provan, GP in Aberdeenshire, and Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in Scotland, shares how beneficial it has been for his practice to become a visa sponsor in this short video.
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