Many students who are thinking about working in the UK ask us this question. The short answer is yes: UK health services still rely heavily on doctors from abroad, but since 2026 graduates of UK medical schools have had priority for training posts. We show the figures from official sources and what they mean for graduates from Poland, Ukraine and Georgia.
Key points at a glance
- Doctors with a degree from outside the UK make up 42% of the doctors who work there (GMC, 2025).
- In the first two recruitment rounds of 2025, 15,723 doctors trained in the UK and 25,257 trained abroad competed for 12,833 specialty training posts.
- Since 6 March 2026 graduates of medical schools in the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have priority for Foundation Programme places.
- Degrees from Poland, Ukraine and Georgia are not in the priority group, but the Act does not close the route to work.
- With a Polish medical qualification that the GMC accepts you register without the PLAB exam, and with a degree from Ukraine or Georgia after passing it.
Doctors from abroad in numbers
According to the 2025 workforce report of the General Medical Council (GMC), doctors with a medical degree from outside the UK make up 42% of the doctors who work there. In 2024, 20,060 new doctors with a degree from abroad joined them. In the same year 4,880 such doctors left, 26% more than a year earlier, and the GMC warns that UK health services risk huge holes if doctors from abroad leave.
- 42% of doctors working in the UK gained their degree abroad
- 26% more doctors with a degree from abroad left in 2024 than a year earlier
- 38% of doctors in Wales are from abroad
The job market is not easy for everyone, though. According to the GMC, of the doctors who registered after passing the PLAB exam, about one in eight started work with a UK healthcare organisation within six months, compared with one in five in 2023. Practice questions for the PLAB 1 exam are available on Medmigrant, our learning platform.
Competition for specialty training posts
According to the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), 15,723 doctors trained in the UK and 25,257 doctors trained abroad competed for 12,833 specialty training posts in the first two recruitment rounds of 2025. A year earlier, 32,623 applicants competed for 12,743 posts. The government cites these figures in its impact statement for the new Act.
| Training posts | 12833 |
| Applicants trained in the UK | 15723 |
| Applicants trained abroad | 25257 |
What the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 changes
The Act has been in force since 6 March 2026 and sets out who has priority for training posts:
- Foundation Programme Places on the two-year programme for newly qualified doctors go first to graduates of medical schools in the UK and in Ireland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and only then to other applicants.
- Specialty training in 2026 Offers go first to the same people and also, among others, to doctors who have completed or are on a relevant training programme in the UK, British and Irish citizens, and people with indefinite leave to remain or with status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
- Specialty training from 2027 Priority will also cover invitations to interview. Regulations laid before Parliament on 14 September 2026 name the priority people by citizenship and residence status: British, Irish and some Commonwealth citizens, and people with indefinite leave or EU Settlement Scheme status.
The government estimates that the number of doctors from outside the UK accepted for training could fall by up to around 5,000, while the number of UK graduates accepted could rise from around 8,500 to as many as 14,000.
What this means for graduates from Poland, Ukraine and Georgia
Degrees from Poland, Ukraine and Georgia are not in the priority group, but the Act does not close the route to work. With a Polish medical qualification that the GMC accepts as a relevant European qualification you register without the PLAB exam, and with a degree from Ukraine or Georgia after passing it. The Act changes the order of offers for the Foundation Programme and specialty training, not registration itself or work outside training programmes. We describe registration step by step in Working as a doctor in the UK with a degree from Ukraine, Georgia or Poland.
In Wales, doctors from abroad make up 38% of doctors, and according to the GMC more and more of them work in posts outside training programmes (locally employed doctors). This is the fastest-growing group of doctors in Wales: it grew by 73% from 2021 to 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still work in the UK with a degree from Ukraine?
Yes. After passing PLAB and registering with the GMC, you can work as a doctor. The 2026 Act changes the order of offers for the Foundation Programme and specialty training, but it does not close registration.
Does Polish citizenship give priority?
Citizenship alone does not. For the Foundation Programme what counts is the country of your medical school, and for specialty training, among other things, status under the EU Settlement Scheme or indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
How can Edumetric help?
We help you choose a university whose degree meets the GMC criteria, plan your exams and English and, if you wish, a transfer to studies in Poland. Book a free consultation.
Read also: Studying medicine in Ukraine: is it a good idea?, Studying medicine in Georgia: admission, costs and recognition in the UK and Studying medicine in Poland in English: admission, tuition and what comes next. We write about working in other countries in Working as a doctor in Germany with a degree from Ukraine, Georgia or Poland and Working as a doctor in the USA with a degree from Ukraine, Georgia or Poland. You will find all universities in the university directory.
Official sources
Official pages in English, checked in November 2026:
- UK health services risk ‘huge holes’ if internationally qualified doctors quit, says GMC (GMC)
- GMC response to the Senedd Health and Social Care Committee consultation (GMC) (PDF)
- Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill: impact statement (Department of Health and Social Care)
- Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Prioritisation for 2027 specialty training recruitment (NHS England)
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