Important Update for Applicants Interested in 2027 Medical Specialty Recruitment

We understand that many of you are keen to find out more about the criteria for prioritising applicants for the 2027 medical specialty recruitment rounds.

We recognise the stress and uncertainty that questions about priority status can create for applicants, and we understand the importance of having clear information as early as possible to support career planning and application decisions.

Under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 individuals with certain immigration statuses were among the groups prioritised for specialty training places starting in 2026. Immigration status was used as a proxy to capture individuals with significant NHS experience. Collaboration across the four nations of the UK continues with an aim to agree a consistent approach, to be set out in regulations, for places starting in 2027. As soon as the details of the regulations have been confirmed, we will publish updated information on our website. We anticipate this information will be available ahead of the 2027 application round opening this October.

Therefore, the National Specialty Recruitment team is currently unable to update you on the contents of regulations which will set out which groups will be prioritised as the team is waiting for this work to be agreed across the four UK Nations.

We would encourage applicants to continue to check our information about the prioritisation Act for the latest updates and Frequently Asked Questions, which will help support preparation for the 2027 recruitment round.

Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.