Dorset Local Medical Committee: Written Evidence RTS3592
General-practice evidence on IMG GP trainees, ISC cost, settlement uncertainty and patient access.
Summary
Dorset Local Medical Committee's written evidence RTS3592 focuses on international medical graduates in general practice. It says more than 60% of GP trainees in Dorset are IMGs, with around 200 GPs qualifying annually from the local training area. Because GP training is three years and settlement currently requires five years, newly qualified IMGs often need sponsorship after qualification to stay and work in the UK.
The submission warns that higher Immigration Skills Charge costs, sponsorship risk and longer settlement uncertainty could make it harder for GP practices to employ newly qualified IMG GPs, even where those doctors have been trained with public investment and are needed for patient access.
It says a practice's current cost of employing a newly qualified GP could rise from around GBP2,000 to more than GBP9,000, and asks that GPs be included in any exemption for doctors and nurses from extended settlement timelines.
Why this matters for the archive
This record matters because it links settlement reform to primary-care capacity and the retention of doctors already trained in the UK system. It provides concrete evidence that transitional and exemption design can affect patient access, not only individual immigration status.
Key Observations
- The submission states that more than 60% of Dorset GP trainees are international medical graduates.
- It warns that newly qualified IMG GPs may leave the UK if sponsorship cost and settlement uncertainty make employment unstable.
- It estimates that employing a newly qualified GP could rise from about GBP2,000 to more than GBP9,000 for practices.
- It asks that GPs be expressly included in any doctor and nurse exemption from longer settlement periods.