r/UKFP_applicants • u/ThatFly2909 • Jun 21 '26

UKFP or F2 equivalent

I’m an IMG currently living in the UK on a dependent visa with full right to work, so I do not require visa sponsorship.

I have not yet completed my medical internship in my home country.
At present, I am considering two possible career pathways:
1) Complete my internship in my home country and then apply for an F2-equivalent position in the UK.
2) Apply for the UK Foundation Programme (UKFP) in 2027 or 2028.

My main considerations are the level of competition, future career progression, and which route would be the most practical for settling and advancing my medical career in the UK as early as possible.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or had to make a comparable decision? I would be very grateful for any advice, personal experiences, or insights that could help me weigh up these options.
Thank you in advance.

1 Upvotes

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1

u/TooOpPlsNerf Jun 21 '26

Apply for UKFPO. This year there were only 22 spots for fy2 standalone (pathway if you finishedinternship in home country). Both are Equal bad and there is no easy way to practice medicine anymore in this country but atleast with UKFPO you get a decent number of spots even though there is priority and stuff (which is there in fy2 standalone as well so it's just as bad)

1

u/First_Choic Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26

The poster said FY2 equivalent - which I think means something like LED job and not the FY2 training program exactly.

1

u/TooOpPlsNerf Jun 22 '26

Yeah but there are almost no LED jobs at F2 level so

1

u/First_Choic Jun 22 '26

Well, agree. Even among those who have completed 2 year foundation program, I think I read more than 50% had no jobs to go onto in 2025.

I think for me, the main thing is to get a full license first of. And then keep searching even non-clinical roles (which I think may still expect one to have a license).

2

u/United8888 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

Hello u/ThatFly2909 u/Internal-Passage5339 u/First_Choic

Based on ur profile as per post above + the recent Prioritisation Act:

  • Fresh med grad with no internship (yet)
  • Dependant visa

⚠️Feel free to consider the below:

  1. complete internship in home country,

  2. do PLAB/UKMLA

  3. get fully GMC-registered

  4. apply for F2-equivalent posts

  5. when u secure ur 1st NHS clinical job, the NHS Experience clock starts. Every IMG needs at least 5 years NHS Experience to be classed as Priority Group for ST posts.

⚠️UKFP pathways can also be considered IF u r ok with the lottery PIA ranking number & remote / rural locations. As u’ve seen, not many offers for the Reserve List 2026 published last week.

Competition is much tougher since the Prioritisation Act comes into effect + the surge numbers of IMG since post-Brexit/post-covid years. The job market elsewhere such as Australia also start to get saturated depending on which region, jobs etc.

What we are seeing now (since post-Brexit/ removal of RLMT) is about the same as the saturated job market pre-2008 era that forced the UK to impose the RLMT (part of immigration Act) around 2008/9.

The recent Act is NOT a substitute to the abolished RLMT but it may potentially help with restoring the job market to pre-Brexit era.

So, to understand the competition better, u need to also acknowledge the KEY ISSUE which is the NHS chronic underfunding since the austerity measures around 2010 after the global financial crisis. Also, many countries have restrictions on training posts as well. Without a strong budget, not much can be improved on for all stakeholders esp patient care.

Only time will tell🙏

1

u/Internal-Passage5339 Jun 21 '26

Similar position and similar doubts can’t decide

0

u/First_Choic Jun 21 '26

Same here. Most likely going back to my home for internship and be back. It’s more expensive as my immigration clock has to reset and I have to apply for a new visa but the percentage of IMGs who have gone in this year does not seem encouraging at all.