How much does it cost to move to the UK?
Estimate your real up-front budget — visa, TB test, English test, regulator exams, flights and your first month — from published Home Office, regulator and ONS figures. Free, honest, information only.
Moving to the UK as an internationally-qualified health worker typically costs a few thousand pounds up front, before your first NHS payslip. For a single doctor moving from India to England, an indicative budget is about £5,828–£6,823. The main costs are the Health and Care Worker visa (£284 per person, with the Immigration Health Surcharge exempt — a saving of about £1,035 per person per year versus other routes), a TB test where required (£75–£210), an English test (IELTS UKVI ≈ £200 or OET ≈ £310), your regulator’s exam and registration fees (for doctors, the £1,304 PLAB exams), flights, and your first month’s rent and deposit. Every summed figure below is a real published fee with its source; flights and first-month living costs are clearly labelled estimates. Current as of 2026/07 — always confirm live amounts before you budget.
Estimate your arrival budget
We only list source countries that are not on the WHO 2023 Safeguards List. The pathway applies wherever you trained.
Each dependant adds a visa fee and, where required, a TB test.
Indicative up-front budget to move as a Doctor (GMC registration) from India to England (average)
£5,828 – £6,823
Real published fees + labelled estimates. Immigration Health Surcharge is £0 (exempt) — saving about £3,105 over a three-year visa. As of July 2026.
Visa & immigration
£359–£494
Exams & registration
£1,504–£1,614
First month in the UK
£3,565–£3,965
Moving to the UK as an internationally-qualified health worker costs a few thousand pounds up front — for a single doctor from India to England, an indicative £5,828–£6,823 before the first NHS payslip, with the Immigration Health Surcharge exempt.
- Health and Care Worker visa
- £284
- PLAB 1 + PLAB 2 (GMC)
- £1,304
- First month rent + deposit (England avg)
- £3,065
- Immigration Health Surcharge
- £0 (exempt)
+ 8 more not shown here. As of July 2026. Source: GOV.UK, GMC/NMC/GPhC/GDC/HCPC published fees & ONS Price Index of Private Rents.
Get your full personalised arrival budget
Enter your email and we send your complete month-by-month cash-flow plan, the region-by-region rent comparison, and the checklist of costs your NHS employer may reimburse — plus an alert when a fee or rule changes. Information only: you apply directly, we do not place you and charge no fee.
What goes into your up-front budget
| Cost | Indicative figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Health and Care Worker visa | £284 per person (CoS ≤ 3 yrs) | GOV.UK |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £0 — exempt on this visa | GOV.UK |
| TB test (where required) | £75–£210 per person | GOV.UK tb-test-visa |
| English test | £200 (IELTS UKVI) – £310 (OET) | British Council / OET |
| Doctor — PLAB 1 + 2 | £1,304 | GMC 2025–26 schedule |
| Nurse — NMC Test of Competence + reg. | £1,170 | NMC published fees |
| Pharmacist — GPhC eligibility | £783 | GPhC, 2025 |
| Dentist — ORE Part 1 + 2 | £7,567 | GDC, 6 May 2026 |
| First month rent + deposit | region-dependent (ONS) | ONS PIPR + Tenant Fees Act 2019 |
Indicative snapshots as of July 2026. Flights and first-month living costs are labelled estimates, not cited public figures. Confirm all fees on the relevant regulator, GOV.UK and ONS websites before you budget.
A note on ethical international recruitment
We provide information and do not actively recruit from countries on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023 — which includes Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan, Nepal, Kenya and others. If you are a health worker from one of those countries you may still apply directly, of your own accord, to a UK employer that is advertising a role. We simply do not build targeted recruitment funnels or country-specific corridor guidance for those countries, in line with the UK Code of Practice for International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel (DHSC, March 2023).
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to move to the UK as a healthcare worker?
For a single internationally-qualified doctor moving from India to England, the indicative up-front budget is about £5,828–£6,823 before the first NHS payslip. That combines the Health and Care Worker visa (£284, with the Immigration Health Surcharge exempt), a TB test, an English test, the GMC PLAB exams (£1,304), flights and the first month's rent and deposit. Nurses, pharmacists, dentists and allied health professionals differ mainly on the regulator exam fees — use the estimator to price your own situation.
Do healthcare workers pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)?
No. Health and Care Worker visa holders and their dependants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge. On other visa routes the IHS is £1,035 per person per year, so the exemption is the single largest saving on this route — often several thousand pounds for a family over a three-year visa. Source: GOV.UK.
What is the Health and Care Worker visa application fee?
The Health and Care Worker visa application fee is £284 per person where the Certificate of Sponsorship is for three years or less, and £551 where it is for more than three years. The Certificate of Sponsorship itself is issued and paid for by your licensed UK employer, not by you. Fees are set by the Home Office — confirm the current amount on GOV.UK.
Do I need a TB test, and how much is it?
If you are resident in a country on the GOV.UK TB-test list (which includes India, the Philippines, Egypt, the Gulf states and many others), you must pass a tuberculosis test at a Home Office–approved clinic before you apply. Clinics set their own fee, typically £75–£210 per person aged 11 and over. Applicants from the EEA/EU, Ireland, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States generally do not need one — check gov.uk/tb-test-visa.
Are the fees in this estimator accurate?
The summed figures are real published fees shown as indicative snapshots with their source and date (as of July 2026): the Health and Care Worker visa and TB test from GOV.UK; PLAB from the GMC 2025–26 schedule; the NMC Test of Competence fees; the GPhC £783 eligibility fee (2025); the GDC ORE fees confirmed 6 May 2026; and average rents from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents. Flights and first-month living costs are clearly labelled estimates. Fees, rents and rules change — always confirm the current position before you budget.
Is GeraClinic a recruitment agency?
No. GeraClinic and Gera Services Ltd do not recruit or place health workers, do not match you to specific UK vacancies, and never charge a health worker a placement fee. This is free, general information for people independently planning a move to the UK. You apply directly, of your own accord, to NHS trusts and other licensed employers.
Plan the rest of your move
UK registration checklist
The step-by-step regulator pathway for your profession, with every fee and document.
For doctors
Remote telemedicine work and the UK doctor pathway.
For nurses (NMC)
The full NMC Test of Competence pathway — English, CBT and OSCE.
NHS pay scales
What you will earn once you start — Agenda for Change bands and medical grades.
Pharmacists (GPhC / OSPAP)
The OSPAP route, GPhC registration and UK pharmacist pay.
Dentists (GDC / ORE)
The Overseas Registration Exam, GDC registration and dentist pay.
Important — please read
This tool is a general planning estimate to help internationally-qualified health workers budget for moving to the UK. It is not legal, immigration, financial or careers advice, and it is not a job offer or a quote. Summed figures are real published fees (Home Office, the professional regulators, ONS) shown as indicative snapshots with their source; flight and first-month living costs are clearly labelled estimates. Gera Services Ltd is not a professional regulator and is not a recruitment agency: we do not register anyone, do not match candidates to specific vacancies, and never charge a health worker a placement fee. You apply on your own account, directly to NHS trusts and other licensed employers. Fees, rents and rules change — always confirm the current position with the relevant regulator, GOV.UK and the ONS before making any decision.