FAQs for doctors

Yes, many MTI doctors come with their families. They can come on a dependent visa. You should contact the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) for more information.

You will need to cover the fee for the GMC application for full GMC registration and you will also need to cover the tier 5 visa application fee (also applicable for any dependent visas). 

Also, take into account that when you move to the UK you may have to arrange your accommodation and sustain yourself for a month until you receive your first salary.

At present MTI trainees must pay the healthcare surcharge, also known as the Immigration Health Surcharge. This will be reimbursed subsequently; it is currently charged at the point of making the tier 5 visa application and you then can reclaim once working in the UK every 6 months. Read more on Gov.UK about getting an immigration health surcharge refund if you work in health and care.

The matching fee will depend on the country of residence at the time you are matched for the MTI post. Ensure your membership record has been updated with your current home address which you can do on the RCOG website.

Please note the matching fees are subject to VAT at 20% rate.

You can view the RCOG country bandings here: https://www.rcog.org.uk/membership/country-bandings/.

The GMC will have a separate fee for their application and you will also need to cover the visa fees. Also, take into account that when you move to the UK you may have to arrange your accommodation and sustain yourself for a month until you receive your first salary. Other expenditure will include the NHS healthcare surcharge (although this will be reimbursed once you start your training in the UK) for yourself and any dependents and an indemnity insurance (which is highly recommended for doctors practising in the UK). More information on relocation fees can be found in the Academy of Medical Royal College’s Relocation Guide (PDF). All MTI trainees will also need to join the Trainees Register when they arrive in the UK to get access to the Training ePortfolio and eLearning resources.

To ensure the future viability of the MTI scheme the College has introduced a matching fee for those successfully matched for an MTI training post through the scheme to cover some of the administration costs involved in placing doctors, to include administering the GMC registration and obtaining the CoS for the visa, as well as the work involved in supporting them throughout the 2 years of training including administering the MTI events programmes, ARC, buddying scheme and other QA projects.

The RCOG MTI Office has a responsibility to support the quality of training, education and assurance processes to ensure that this period of training and experience in the UK is as useful as possible for overseas doctors and the fees also contribute towards this work including free to attend induction event and materials and annual meeting events.

By introducing a small fee the College can secure a greater package of support and ultimately improve the quality of MTI participant’s time in training within the UK.

The matching fee is only payable if and when you are successfully shortlisted for MTI and matched for an MTI training post in the UK in the MTI 2026 round. You must make the payment as soon as is feasible and within 4 weeks of issue of the fee on your RCOG account.

Please note: Until payment has been received, we cannot start with processing your post, which includes GMC sponsorship and issue of CoS for the visa.

If we haven’t received your payment within 4 weeks of issue and haven’t heard from you we will assume you no longer wish to pursue the MTI training post, the offer will be withdrawn and matched with another candidate on the MTI waiting list.

If you are having any difficulties in making the payment by the deadline, please contact mti@rcog.org.uk to discuss this as soon as possible.

Being pregnant does not disqualify you from applying for the MTI scheme. However, you will need to consider a few issues.

While all NHS staff will be eligible for maternity leave, pay during maternity leave is dependent on duration of service. To be eligible for occupational maternity pay (OMP), the member of staff should have worked for the NHS for 52 weeks and for statutory maternity pay (SMP), should have worked for the current employer for 26 weeks before the start of the 24th week of pregnancy. Hence, a trainee that is pregnant at the time of starting their placement will not be eligible for maternity pay. You must therefore consider the financial implications of being resident in the UK without a regular income during this period of maternity leave.

In addition, as the MTI placement is for 2 years and the tier 5 visa cannot be extended beyond this time, prolonged periods of absence is likely to adversely impact on the training that the MTI doctor will receive during their placement.

If you are pregnant and are considering applying for the MTI scheme, you may choose to defer your application to a subsequent year. If having applied and being successful in obtaining a placement, you then find yourself to be happily pregnant, please liaise with the RCOG MTI office who will be able to offer individualised advice.

The RCOG will set up the online payment of the matching fee on your RCOG account and contact you by email with instructions on how to pay the fee.

Payment must be made in £ GBP sterling and payment should be made online by credit or debit card.

We cannot accept payment by instalments, payment in local currencies or payment by cheque or cash.

The GMC require all references to be received within 3 months of issuing the SRC for GMC sponsorship. As such the MTI Office will need to go back directly to your original referees / HoD referee to obtain a declaration from them that the references they provided in support of your initial application remain unchanged or to request they complete a fresh reference for you if there are any changes from the information provided by them in the original reference. You may wish to notify your referees and HoD of this process so they anticipate these forms and ensure they will complete asap. They must return the declaration / updated reference directly to MTI@rcog.org.uk.

If you have changed jobs since you completed and submitted your initial MTI application then we will require a new additional reference from your current HoD. Please note this on the declaration form and provide a contact email for the HoD so we can follow up directly with them.

The HoD needs to return the reference directly to MTI@rcog.org.uk.

We regret the RCOG cannot provide any funding or grants for MTI applicants.

In some countries, employers or Home Offices request doctors to submit a letter stating they have been selected for two years to join the O&G training in the UK via RCOG.

We are able to issue such letter if necessary on an individual request. If you need this document, please e-mail MTI with following details:

• full name
• country you are coming from
• name and address of the Trust you are joining in the UK
• estimated start date.

You should receive the letter within 5-7 working days.

I have passed the Part 3 exam since I applied for the MTI Scheme

Since the primary focus of MTI training is getting the necessary exposure for passing the Part 3 exams, we ask that you notify the RCOG MTI Office at mti@rcog.org.uk if you have passed the Part 3 exam since making your initial MTI application. 

Once you are matched for a post and have accepted the placement offer you will be send a declarations form to complete in 5 working days. This is to confirm that you still meet all of the eligibility criteria for MTI and GMC registration and notify of any changes since making you application e.g. if you have changed jobs.

To be eligible for the RCOG MTI Scheme you must not have passed the Part 3 exam. This applies from the time of application for MTI through to when you are matched for an MTI post if successfully waitlisted. If you do pass the Part 3 exam whilst on the wait list or after being matched for an MTI post please notify the RCOG MTI Office straight away. If you attempt the Part 3 but do not pass then you would still be eligible.

The RCOG  as your sponsoring body will approve your online MTI Application form as soon as we receive and check through the completed online MTI Application form which will be completed and submitted by your Trust and esigned by HR and your Educational Supervisor. Once the MTI Application form is approved by the RCOG it will then go to the e Academy of Royal Medical Colleges who will process the online form and issue your CoS for the tier 5 visa via the RCOG as sponsoring body.

The time taken to process this will be determined mainly by the speed at which hospitals are able to complete and submit the online MTI Application form. This may vary depending on the individual trust.

The MTI unit is extremely busy and unable to answer all of the individual queries regarding application and assessment. However, we will make sure to contact the candidates when necessary and to provide all of the needed information. After submitting your application and making sure it is complete you should wait for us to contact you. You will not receive a confirmation of a receipt of your application. If your application is complete and you are eligible, your application will be taken forward to the Assessment Panel in January following your application. You will be contacted about the outcome of the assessment only if you are shortlisted for the interview stage of the process.

After your successful application is matched with a UK hospital, you will be informed. At this point you will be provisionally matched and we will put you in touch with the hospital. Depending on the hospital’s preference, you may be asked to schedule an online interview with them. It is yours and hospital's responsibility to undertake this process and the MTI office does not get involved in this part of the process. We will wait for the hospital to let us know whether they are happy to proceed with offering you a post following interview. Should you be successful, we will send you an e-mail with next steps you need to follow. Should the hospital reject your application we will obtain constructive feedback from them and will try our best to allocate you to another hospital, if vacancies are still available at that time.

Later in the process, we will assist you with the GMC application and make sure your application for the Certificate of Sponsorship for your visa is processed as soon as possible, depending on when we collect all of the paperwork from your hospital.
The RCOG MTI will not reply to individual queries unless they are not answered on our website. Please read all of the instructions available on different sections of this website as well as the instructions we send you very carefully.

Trusts offering placements for MTI doctors have to ensure that there is spare training capacity locally before applying for an MTI trainee to be placed in their units. Only posts with sufficient educational and training content which are signed off by the Deanery will be considered by the MTI scheme as suitable. Posts have to meet strict criteria and be approved by the RCOG MTI Officer and RCOG MTI Regional Champion as suitable for MTI training posts as part of the quality assurance processes of MTI.

Some posts (e.g. speciality doctor posts) are service focused or do not have sufficient training content and therefore are not considered suitable for the MTI scheme.

Candidates for the MTI scheme should not directly contact trusts in order to obtain employment. Candidates found to be directly contacting trusts for employment will be disqualified from the process and will not be placed.

If for any reasons you wish to withdraw your MTI application/are unable to join the MTI scheme please email mti@rcog.org.uk as soon as possible. We need to know in order to update our records and fill all of the posts that are being offered.

We appreciate that it can be worrying not to hear from us for a long time. Please be assured that we will contact you as soon as it is feasible and you will be provided with all of the necessary information in time. We kindly ask you to be patient even if you have not been contacted for a long time – we are working on it.

We will contact those shortlisted but not successfully-placed in the scheme in mid-October to advise they have not been successful in this round. If they still meet all the eligibility criteria for the scheme they are welcome to reapply for the following year.

Please read the FAQs for doctors: stages of the MTI process below, which explains in more detail what you should do in different stages of the MTI process. We invite you to revisit this page whilst going through the MTI process.

The Academy's point of reference is the World Bank's income countries, with those classed as low income (LI) and lower-income (LMI) countries given high priority status.

Read more on the AoMRC website here: https://www.aomrc.org.uk/medical-training-initiative/prospective-applicants/

To set up your e-portfolio as an MTI, you must either be a UK Associate Member or register join the Trainees Register For any queries contact ePortfolio@rcog.org.uk.

We understand that relocating to a different country and working under a different system can be stressful. Please allow yourself the first few weeks/months to adapt. However, if you feel that you struggle for a long period of time and it does not seem to change, please visit our page which outlines what the RCOG can do to support you and what steps you should follow before you write to us.

Should you wish to resign from the MTI post, please let us know as soon as possible and we will process the necessary documentation. Please do not leave your post without first notifying the RCOG.

Those leaving the scheme without completing the full 24 months will need to undertake an exit interview with the MTI Office as part of the College's quality assurance of the scheme.

The RCOG’s expectation is that trainees will complete the full 24 months of training and the MTI Office will not issue an end of MTI training certificate to those who do not complete the full duration of MTI training.

Trusts incur substantial costs in hosting MTI Trainees (£3,000 per placement post fee and average cost of induction for IMG is £2,100), so if an MTI Doctor leaves without completing the full 24 months this will impact on the long term viability of the scheme for future IMGs.

The MTI scheme matches trainees with trusts that have offered training placements under the scheme. It is intended that trainees stay in the same trust for the entire 2 years of the placement. Occasionally, the trainee may move to another hospital within the same deanery. Such a move will be agreed by the trust and the deanery and communicated to the RCOG, AoMRC and GMC.

In rare circumstances, the trainee may decide to resign the MTI placement in order to return to their country of origin for personal or professional reasons. While this is regrettable, we recognise that this may be due to circumstances beyond your control.

However, moving from the MTI placement to another job in the UK during the 2 years of the placement is strongly discouraged. The MTI scheme is designed to provide overseas doctors with structured training in the UK, which may not be provided by a non-training post.

Although MTI trainees do not contribute financially to the scheme, individual hospitals have to pay a placement fee (currently £3000/ placement) to the RCOG for each trainee that is allocated to them, which helps to cover the cost of administering the scheme.

If a trainee resigns from the MTI scheme to take up alternative employment in the UK, the employing trust may choose to recover the costs of the placement from the trainee.

The revised O&G Curriculum 2024 will launch in August 2024. You can read more on the Curriculum 2024 hub. The RCOG strongly recommends MTI trainees to apply for SITMs only once they have passed their Part 3 exam and have completed the RCOG MTI Training Matrix competencies as these are the main focus of MTI training. The primary aim of the programme is to pass MRCOG. If the opportunity arises that MTIs can undertake a SITM they need to liaise with their Educational Supervisor/College Tutor and RCOG MTI Regional Champion to select suitable SITMs which can reasonably be completed within the remaining time of their visa. Approval to register for SITMs is dependent on training opportunities available within the region as trainees on the national training programme have priority. It should be noted that the tier 5 visa cannot be extended beyond the 2 years to facilitate completion of SITMs.

Current MTIs should stay on the ATSMs if they have already started these and are due to complete their MTI training by August 2026 as per the transition period. If your MTI training is due to finish after August 2026 and you have already started an ATSM please get in touch with the MTI Office for further individualised guidance.

No, after the implementation of Curriculum 2024 on 7 August 2024, you will no longer be able to register for ATSMs and will have to register for SITMs.

MTI trainees can register for SIPMs as outlined in the SIPM registration process. SIPMs support trainees to develop professional skills in the field of clinical research, medical education and leadership and management above the skills required for the core curriculum. It should be noted that the tier 5 visa cannot be extended beyond the 2 years to facilitate completion of SIPMs.

If you are matched with a hospital and subsequently receive a placement offer, we would expect you to accept this unless there are serious personal/family/career development reasons not to do so. If this is the case, please contact the MTI Office as soon as possible to discuss your concerns and ensure we can offer this placement to another doctor on the waiting list if appropriate. Please note that if you do not accept an offer and there are not legitimate grounds for this, the RCOG will not be able to offer you another placement under the MTI scheme.

Applicants can only defer the start of their MTI placement where there are extenuating circumstances and the deferral is subject to the agreement of the hospital making the placement offer.

This process is governed by the RCOG MTI Extenuating Circumstances Policy

Please note that if there are not extenuating circumstances and the hospital does not agree to defer the start date, the RCOG will not be able to offer the applicant another placement under the MTI scheme.

If you have any queries contact the RCOG MTI Office MTI@rcog.org.uk

Once you register with the GMC online and pay the full registration fee, the GMC will send you an email with the list of documents you are required to send within 28 days.

One of the documents listed is the Sponsorship Registration Certificate (SRC) from an authorised sponsor (RCOG). This document will be issued for you and we will forward this directly to the GMC, copying you into the email. You will then hear from the GMC about next steps within 2 weeks of submitting all of the required evidence. Please note that the GMC now offer a digital ID check so that you can complete this online before your arrival to the UK and no longer need to travel to the GMC offices in London/Manchester to complete this. Please follow all of the GMC’s instructions. Once you have completed your digital ID check your GMC registration will then be issued ahead of your arrival to the UK.

If you have questions regarding GMC registration, please contact the GMC directly. The RCOG is not qualified to offer this advice and does not have access to the forms. GMC registration is the applicant's responsibility.

Once you receive this email from the GMC, please send a copy of the email to mti@rcog.org.uk

Your next step will be applying for the tier 5 visa. In order to apply for the visa, you will need a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). The visa sponsorship is issued by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC).

Once we receive the CoS from the Academy then we will forward this to you by email for you to check

In order to receive the Certificate of Sponsorship, the Academy requires a completed MTI Application form along with supporting evidence (data protection consent form signed by the doctor, copy of doctors passport, evidence of GMC registration and Deanery approval of the post) from your Trust approved by RCOG as the sponsoring body. These online forms are completed and submitted by your employer (s), signed by HR and your Educational Supervisor and then come to the RCOG for checking and approval. It can take a substantial amount of time for the hospitals to complete and submit these. Please be patient and reassured that we are doing everything we can to speed this process up. We ask you to please refrain from contacting us about the CoS during this time, as we are not able to reply to these queries.

Once we have received the completed online MTI Application form and have approved this you will receive an email notification from the AoMRC. There is nothing you are required to do at this stage. Once we receive the CoS from the Academy then we will forward this to you by email for you to check.

Before applying for the Tier 5 visa using the CoS, please check it for any spelling mistakes or errors, and ensure all details are correct and match with those in your current passport. If you spot a mistake, please let us know by emailing mti@rcog.org.uk and we will request the CoS be amended accordingly. We are not responsible for errors on your visa and we will not be able to help if you submit an incorrect CoS.

Once the CoS is corrected, please use this to apply for the visa. For any questions regarding visa application please contact the visa advisor in your country or UKVI. The RCOG is not qualified to give visa advice.