HCPC Registration from the UAE: Allied Health Professionals
Allied health professionals currently working in the United Arab Emirates who want to move to the UK must join the HCPC Register through its international application route, which assesses the education and experience behind your original qualification — this page explains that route as general information, not a job offer.
The United Arab Emirates is a high-income country and, on the current lists, is not on the WHO 2023 Safeguards List or the UK red/amber list. Importantly, the WHO Code and the UK Code look at your country of TRAINING, not your current country of work — so if you trained in a red-list country but now work in the UAE, the safeguards for your country of training still apply. Confirm the current lists on the NHS Employers website.
Your qualification at home
Practising in the UAE means you are licensed by a UAE health authority (for example DoH Abu Dhabi, DHA Dubai or the MOHAP), but many professionals in the UAE trained and first registered elsewhere. The HCPC international assessment is based on where you originally qualified as a professional, not simply where you currently hold a licence — so gather the evidence for your primary qualification.
English-language evidence
UAE-based applicants usually evidence English through IELTS Academic 7.0 (no section below 6.5) or OET Grade B, unless a specific HCPC exemption applies (for example, where you trained and practised in English).
The pathway, step by step
The HCPC route is the same wherever you trained. Full detail is on the international application guide.
- 1
Confirm your profession is HCPC-regulated
Physiotherapists and radiographers (diagnostic and therapeutic) are among the 15 professions the HCPC regulates. Check that your exact profession and title are on the HCPC list before you begin.
- 2
Gather your qualification and experience evidence
You will need certified proof of your professional qualification, a detailed breakdown of your training (curriculum, hours, clinical placements) and evidence of your professional experience. The HCPC compares this against the UK standards of proficiency for your profession.
- 3
Meet the English-language requirement
Provide evidence of English proficiency — the HCPC accepts IELTS Academic 7.0 (no section below 6.5) or OET Grade B. Some applicants are exempt where they trained and practised in English; the HCPC website sets out who qualifies.
- 4
Submit your international application and pay the fee
Complete the HCPC international application and pay the international application (scrutiny) fee. The HCPC then assesses whether your education and experience meet UK standards. Confirm the current fee on the HCPC fees page before you apply.
- 5
Respond to any assessment outcome
The HCPC may approve your application, or ask for more information, or require you to address a shortfall (for example through further study or supervised practice) before it can register you. Follow the decision letter carefully.
- 6
Join the Register and arrange the right to work
Once registered you may use the protected title and practise. Working in the UK also requires the right to work — many applicants use the Health and Care Worker visa, which needs a job offer from a Home Office-licensed sponsor. HCPC registration and immigration are separate processes.
How people apply for roles
Because the United Arab Emirates is not on the WHO 2023 safeguards list or the UK red/amber list, a UAE-based professional can explore and apply for UK roles on their own initiative. In practice that means, once you are HCPC-registered (or eligible) and have the right to work, you apply directly to advertised NHS or private vacancies with the employer. GeraClinic does not place, sponsor or match candidates — it simply explains the pathway. Always confirm the current red/amber list on the NHS Employers website (as of July 2026), as it is revised periodically.
Whatever your country of training, the NHS pays every HCPC profession on the national Agenda for Change scale — a newly registered practitioner starts on Band 5, about £29,970 full-time (2024/25).
- Band 5 — Newly HCPC-registered / entry practitioner
- £29,970–£36,483
- Band 6 — Specialist practitioner
- £37,338–£44,962
- Band 7 — Advanced / clinical specialist / team lead
- £46,148–£52,809
- Band 8a — Consultant practitioner / clinical lead
- £53,755–£60,504
As of 2024/25. Source: NHS Employers, Agenda for Change.
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Frequently asked questions — from the United Arab Emirates
I work in the UAE but trained elsewhere. Which country counts for the WHO Code?+
Your country of training. The WHO Code and the UK Code of Practice look at where you were educated and first registered as a health professional, not simply where you currently work. If you trained in a WHO safeguards-list (red-list) country but now work in the UAE, the safeguards for your country of training still apply.
Can a professional currently working in the UAE apply for UK HCPC registration?+
Yes. You apply through the HCPC international registration route, based on the qualification and experience behind your original registration. Securing the right to work in the UK is a separate step. GeraClinic does not place, sponsor or match candidates — this page is information only.
Is the UAE on the UK ethical-recruitment red list?+
On the current lists, no — the UAE itself is not on the WHO 2023 Safeguards List or the UK red/amber list. But because the Code looks at your country of training, check the status of the country where you originally qualified, not just the UAE. Confirm the current lists on the NHS Employers website.
Does GeraClinic recruit health workers from the Gulf into the NHS?+
No. GeraClinic is a telemedicine platform, not a recruitment agency. It does not recruit, sponsor, place or supply staff to the NHS, and never charges applicants a placement fee. This page is general educational information only.
Explore the rest of this guide
By profession
By country pathway
Guides
Related on the wider Gera network: healthcare jobs on GeraJobs. Applying to any specific vacancy is always done directly with the advertising employer — GeraClinic does not place, sponsor or match candidates.
Sources & further reading
These are the primary, official sources for everything on this page. Where figures appear, confirm the current value at the source before relying on it.
- HCPC — International registration
Application route and assessment process for professionals qualified outside the UK.
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
UK statutory regulator for 15 health and care professions, including physiotherapists and radiographers.
- UK Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel (DHSC)
The ethical-recruitment framework and the red/amber country list.
- WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023
The 55 countries facing the most pressing health-workforce shortages.
- NHS Employers — Agenda for Change pay scales
National NHS pay bands for England, 2024/25.
- GOV.UK — Health and Care Worker visa
Immigration route for eligible medical and social-care roles with a Home Office-licensed sponsor.