Visa Sponsorship and IMG Support

If you are an International Medical Graduate looking for Visa Sponsorship, or wanting support in finding a job post CCT, we can help.

Cornwall Training Hub is a Licence Holder for providing Certificates of Sponsorship to enable you to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa.  We can support you to do this whether you are in the UK or moving to the UK from aboard (subject to qualification with the GMC).  This sponsorship will enable you to remain working in Cornwall as a GP, whether this is with Out of Hours or in any GP Practice in Cornwall, or in a portfolio role.  We offer a range of employment contracts to enable you to work in a flexible way while providing you a guaranteed salary to meet your visa requirements.  Choose from:

• Working in a GP Practice in Cornwall
• Working in the Out of Hours Team at Kernow Health
• Working under a portfolio agreement with Practices/Out of Hours
• Working with a range of GP Practices under a flexible Locum arrangement with a guaranteed salary.

In order to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), you will need to have a job offer in place.  We can help you find a job to enable you to apply for a certificate.  Once the Certificate has been assigned, you can then apply for an extension to your visa.  The sooner you have this in place, the better.

Plan ahead

• You should start thinking about visa sponsorship post CCT early in your ST3 year.
• Talk to the VTS and Cornwall Training Hub contacts to find out what options are available to you.
• Don’t miss the annual Cornwall General Practice Recruitment fair, held in May, where you can meet GP practices and talk to them about job vacancies.
• The earlier you contact us, the more time we have to make sure everything is in place for you to start your new role.

Helping you find a Job Post CCT

If you have finished your GP training in Cornwall and want to continue working in Cornwall (or if you have finished training elsewhere in the UK and would like to move to Cornwall), we would be delighted to help you with finding a job, preparing for the interview and with the paperwork that will enable you to meet and achieve your Visa sponsorship requirements.

N:B: you don’t need to go through job adverts, we will help you find the role that works for you.  Although you will need to go through the usual interview process once you have found a suitable role.

Alternatively you can also check the vacancies on our website or on the website of the Local Medical Council 

Our Tips:

• Plan Ahead – you should start thinking about when and how to get visa sponsorship post CCT early in your ST3 year.
• Talk to colleagues in the VTS and Cornwall Training Hub to find out what options are available to you.
• Don’t miss the annual Cornwall General Practice Recruitment Fair held in May via VTS, where you can meet GP Practices and talk to them about job vacancies.
• Allow plenty of time – the earlier you contact us, the more time we have to make sure everything is in place for you to start your new job role.

Additional Support

We recognise that starting out in your career you may want some additional support.  This includes both practical advice on visa applications, and adjusting into your new role.

We have an International Medical Graduate Ambassador working with us to provide you with individual advice and guidance.  Using her own experiences, she will guide you through the application process for visas/ILR, post CCT paperwork guidance and social prescribing specific to your diverse orientation.

We offer a continued programme of education and training via our Primary Care Education Programme, which you can access for free where you are employed by Kernow Health or a Cornwall GP Practice.

We also offer:

• GP Mentors – we have a group of experienced, trained GPs who can provide you with mentorship as you adjust into your new role.
• Peer Support – through our IMG Ambassador, you can join one another for additional support.
• Maternity Coaching – for those of you due to go on maternity, or on maternity, we offer group maternity coaching to help you think about the changes to your working life.
• Locum Support – Even if you are not looking for a salaried GP job, you can contact Cornwall training hub who can support you as a locum in Cornwall.
• Portfolio roles – we can offer a range of portfolio roles to enable you to work flexibly and still meet the visa requirements.

Next steps or to find out more

If you would like to know more please contact Vanshree Patel, our IMG Ambassador vanshree.patel@nhs.net or Liz Symons at Cornwall Training hub elizabeth.symons1@nhs.net We will get in touch to explain in more detail how we can support you.