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Overseas qualified nurses and midwives

This page explains how you can extend your stay in the UK as an overseas qualified nurse or midwife to undertake the overseas nurses programme or adaptation to midwifery programme if you have current permission to stay in this category, and have not already spent 18 months here in this category.

The arrangements for overseas qualified nurses and midwives ended on 27 November 2008 - you can no longer apply to come to the UK in this category or switch into this category from within the UK. If you have a job offer from a UK employer, you may be able to apply for permission to work here as a sponsored skilled worker.

You can apply to extend your stay as an overseas qualified nurse or midwife up to the maximum period of 18 months, if you:

  • currently have permission to be in the UK as an overseas qualified nurse or midwife; and
  • would not, as a result of the extension, spend more than 18 months in the UK in this category (including time spent here as a student nurse, where this was granted to undertake an adaptation course); and
  • can provide satisfactory evidence of regular attendance during any previous periods of supervised practice or midwife adaptation course; and
  • can provide your sponsor's written consent to remain in the UK as an overseas qualified nurse or midwife, if any previous study, supervised practice placements or midwife adaptation programme placements were sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency; and
  • meet all of the six original eligibility requirements for the category, as set out below.

Original eligibility requirements

1. You must have obtained confirmation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that you are eligible:

  • for admission to the overseas nurses programme; or
  • to undertake an adaptation programme leading to registration as a midwife.

2. You must have been offered a supervised practice placement, or midwifery adaptation programme placement through an education provider recognised by the NMC.

3. You must not have obtained this offer by misrepresentation.

4. You must be able to and intend to take up the supervised practice placement or midwife adaptation programme.

5. You must not intend to engage in business or take employment, except:

  • in connection with the supervised practice placement or midwife adaptation programme; or
  • part-time work of a similar nature to the work undertaken on the supervised practice placement or midwife adaptation programme.

6. You must be able to maintain and accommodate yourself and any dependants without the use of public funds.

Making your application

To apply for permission to extend your stay (known as 'further leave to remain'), you must use application form FLR(O). You will be able to stay here as an overseas qualified nurse or midwife for a maximum of 18 months (including time already spent there in this category). At the end of this period, you will be expected to leave the UK or switch into another immigration category.

Please note - if you have already spent 18 months in the UK as an overseas nurse or midwife (including time spent here as a student nurse to undertake an adaptation course) or would, as a result of an extension, spend more than 18 months here in this category, we will refuse your application.

You can download application form FLR(O) and the detailed guidance notes from the right side of this page. You should read the guidance notes before you complete the form. You will need to pay a fee when you make your application, and we will not refund your fee if we refuse your application or if you withdraw it.

The application form gives details of the documents you must send with the form. You should send the original documents, not copies. In exceptional circumstances, we may accept a photocopy that is certified as an accurate copy by the body or authority that issued the original, or by a notary. You must include a letter explaining why you are providing a certified copy rather than the original document.

You must be in the UK to apply, and you must apply before your permission to stay in the UK ends.

You can make your application by post or in person. If you apply by post, you must send your application to the address given on the cover of the application form. To apply in person, you must make an appointment at one of our public enquiry offices - this is a same-day service available at a premium fee, and is only suitable for straightforward applications.

More information

  • Application fees for extending your stay using form FLR(O)

     

    Fee if you are applying by post Fee if you are applying in person
    Main applicant £550 £850
    Partner or child aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £275 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form £425 for each family member included on the main applicant's application form


  • How to pay your application fee if you are inside the UK

    If you are applying online, you must pay your fee online as part of your application.

    If you are applying by post or courier, you can choose how to pay your application fee:

    • By cheque in sterling on a UK bank account. The application form will tell you who to make the cheque payable to, you should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the cheque to the front of the completed application form. 
    • With a UK postal order. You should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the postal order to the front of the completed application form. 
    • With a credit or debit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta or Maestro (including Solo). For postal and courier payments, we accept only Maestro cards issued in the UK. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for Maestro cards.

    If you are applying and paying in person at a public enquiry office, you can choose how to pay your application fee:

    • With a UK postal order (except at our Glasgow and Cardiff offices). You should write your full name and date of birth on the back.
    • By banker's draft (except at our Glasgow and Cardiff offices). 
    • With a credit or debit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta or Maestro (including Solo). We can accept any Maestro card for payments at a public enquiry office. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for Maestro cards. The cardholder must be present for the payment to be taken.

    Payment by any other method is not accepted.

    You must send the full amount to cover the total cost of your application. If you do not do this, your application will be invalid and will not be considered. We will return your application and part payment to you.

    We start considering the application when the payment has cleared. Payments are cleared:

    • after 5 working days for cheques
    • after 1 working day for credit or debit cards
    • immediately for postal orders

    Please note that, if you are making numerous payments using your credit card, the anti-fraud measures that banks operate sometimes stop payment being taken. This may be because you have exceeded the maximum limit on a single transaction or the number of transactions allowed in a given period of time. You must ensure that you contact your bank in advance, so that the bank will allow the full payment to be taken without any problems when you submit your applications.

    Payment information on the application form

    It is very important that you complete the payment section of the application form correctly. If this section contains errors, we will not be able to process your payment. This will mean that your application is invalid.