UKGs & IMGs: How UK Training Prioritisation Works (Without the Noise)

If you’ve opened social media this week and come away more confused than informed, you’re in good company. The new UK approach to training recruitment is being discussed everywhere, often with confident summaries that miss the key definitions.

Here’s the good news: the change is easy to understand once it’s laid out properly. Recruitment is being organised around priority categories. Certain groups of eligible applicants must be considered first when interviews and offers are made.

This guide keeps it simple for UK graduates (UKGs) and international medical graduates (IMGs): what’s changing for Foundation, what’s changing for specialty training in 2026 and from 2027 onwards, and a clear FAQ you can return to when the comments section gets loud.

This change is about priority categories in recruitment, who is considered first for interviews and offers, not a blanket change to eligibility.

At a glance

• Foundation: UK medical graduates are prioritised; the priority group is also prioritised.

• Specialty training (2026 starts): prioritisation applies at the offer stage.

• Specialty training (2027 onwards): prioritisation applies to interviews and offers.

• Priority group: Ireland (with a training-location condition) + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland (GMC-equivalent qualifications).

• The practical focus stays the same: eligibility, evidence, and interview readiness.

  
  

The one-line summary

When interviews and offers are made, certain categories of eligible applicants must be considered before other eligible applicants.

Foundation Programme: who is prioritised?

UK medical graduates

A person with a primary UK medical qualification. This excludes people who spent all or most of their training for that UK qualification outside the British Islands.

The priority group

People whose primary medical qualification is treated by the GMC as equivalent to a primary UK qualification, and who qualified from:

• Ireland (with a training-location condition)

• Iceland

• Liechtenstein

• Norway

• Switzerland

What this means in practice: these categories are prioritised ahead of other eligible applicants for Foundation offers.

Specialty training: what changes for 2026 starts?

For posts starting in 2026, prioritisation applies at the offer stage.

Offers are prioritised for eligible applicants in these categories:

UK medical graduates

(As defined above.)

The priority group

(As defined above.)

Applicants on a relevant qualifying UK training stage

People who have completed, or are currently on, the relevant UK training stage for the role they’re applying to.

Examples: Foundation doctors applying to core training. Core trainees applying to higher specialty training.

Applicants in specified immigration/status categories

This includes, for example:

• British citizens

• some Irish citizens who do not require leave to enter/remain

• people with indefinite leave to remain (ILR)

• certain residence-scheme related statuses

• plus a small number of other specified categories

What this means in practice: in 2026, prioritisation mainly shapes who gets offers first.

Specialty training: what changes from 2027 onwards?

From 2027, prioritisation applies to:

Interview offers

Priority categories are considered first for interviews.

Training offers

Priority categories are also considered first for offers.

The prioritised categories include:

• UK medical graduates

• the priority group

• applicants on a relevant qualifying UK training stage

• additional categories defined later, which can include people likely to have significant NHS experience, and categories described by immigration/status

What this means in practice: from 2027, prioritisation can influence both interview access and final offers.

What programmes are covered?

This applies broadly to Foundation and most specialty training programmes.

It does not cover everything. For example, it excludes:

• programmes wholly in public health

• programmes where most training takes place outside the UK

• and any programmes excluded later by rules

  
  

What to do next

1) Confirm eligibility early

Don’t leave assumptions to the last week. Make sure the role matches your level and required competencies.

2) Make evidence easy to verify

Keep dates, job titles, supervisors, and key documents tidy and consistent. A clean evidence trail helps in any system.

3) Prepare properly for selection

Prioritisation affects sequencing. Preparation still affects outcomes. MSRA/portfolio/interviews remain decisive within any category.

FAQs

FAQ 1 — Are UK medical graduates prioritised above the priority group?

Both are prioritised ahead of other eligible applicants. The policy does not set a clear “UK grads first, then priority group” order.

FAQ 2 — Can IMGs still apply for Foundation and specialty training?

Yes, if you meet the programme’s eligibility criteria. The change affects who is considered first for interviews/offers among eligible applicants.

FAQ 3 — Who exactly is in the priority group?

People with GMC-equivalent primary medical qualifications from Ireland (with a training-location condition), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland.

FAQ 4 — What does “UK medical graduate” mean here?

Someone with a primary UK medical qualification, excluding those who spent all/most of their training for that qualification outside the British Islands.

FAQ 5 — What does “eligible applicant” mean?

It means you meet the programme’s normal requirements (registration, competencies, correct level, documentation). Prioritisation is applied after eligibility is confirmed.

FAQ 6 — What’s the main difference between 2026 and 2027 for specialty training?

2026: prioritisation applies at the offer stage.

2027 onwards: prioritisation applies to interviews and offers, with scope for additional categories (including likely significant NHS experience).

FAQ 7 — Does this change how MSRA is scored?

This change is about prioritisation for interviews/offers. It doesn’t automatically rewrite MSRA scoring. The main impact is how invitations and offers are distributed among eligible applicants.

FAQ 8 — Is this only about citizenship?

No. Priority categories include UK qualification status, the defined priority group, progression through UK training stages, and certain immigration/status categories (notably in 2026 offers).

FAQ 9 — If I’m a UK national who studied medicine abroad, am I treated as a UK medical graduate?

Not automatically. “UK medical graduate” relates to holding a primary UK medical qualification (with an exclusion based on where training occurred). Nationality and “UK medical graduate” are not the same thing here.

FAQ 10 — If I’m an IMG already working in the NHS, does NHS experience matter?

Yes. From 2027 onwards, further rules can include people likely to have significant NHS experience. Even now, NHS experience remains important for competencies, references, and interview performance.

FAQ 11 — Does this apply to every specialty and pathway?

It applies broadly, but there are exclusions (e.g., programmes wholly in public health, programmes mostly outside the UK), and programmes can vary in how selection is delivered.

FAQ 12 — Does this guarantee posts for anyone?

No. It changes sequencing of interviews/offers among eligible applicants. Competition still depends on the number of posts and applicants.

This change is best understood as a re-ordering of recruitment, not a verdict on anyone’s value. The NHS has always depended on both UK graduates and internationally trained doctors, and most applicants, whatever their route, succeed by doing the same things well: staying eligible, keeping evidence clear, and preparing properly for selection.

If you take one thing away from this post, make it this: tune out the rumours and hot takes, understand which priority category you fall into, and keep your evidence organised, consistent, and effortless to check. That combination is what helps you stay confident and in control, even when the rules around you are changing.