The questions nurses actually ask

A career network for nurses. We publish practical guidance on the UK nursing route, and we keep a register of nurses in India. When a UK employer we work with has a live role, we contact the nurses on the Register whose profile suits it.

We are not a job board, an immigration consultancy or a visa service.

No, and treat anyone who does with real suspicion. We can tell you how the route works and let you know when a live role suits you. Whether you get it is between you and the employer, and the visa is between them and the Home Office.

No — that is rather the point of the Register. Plenty of nurses join while still studying, still preparing for an exam, or thinking about it for two or three years’ time. We would rather know you early.

Not at the moment. Northward Care is for nurses, and keeping it that way is what lets us write properly about the NMC route rather than vaguely about everything.

Realistically somewhere between a year and two years from a standing start — English, CBT, the Test of Competence, finding a role, the visa, and then the OSCE once you arrive. The Journey sets out the stages with what each one involves.

There are two separate requirements and they are easy to confuse. The NMC sets one standard for registration; the Home Office sets another for the visa, assessed per component rather than on an overall score. Check both at source before booking — the NMC and GOV.UK.

In the UK, at an approved test centre, after you arrive — so it comes after the job and the visa, not before. It is a practical examination and there are a limited number of centres. Nurses consistently underestimate it, which is why we cover it properly in the guide.

No. Giving immigration advice in the UK is regulated and we are not registered to give it. We explain how the process generally works and point you at the official source, and if you need advice on your own position you should speak to an adviser. Where it helps, we can point you towards a visa consultant we work with.

Not necessarily, and we would rather say so. It can mean a real change in the work you do and how your career progresses. It also means distance from family, a long and demanding process, and starting again somewhere the systems are unfamiliar. It suits some nurses enormously and others not at all. Understand it properly, then decide.

We confirm we have you, review your profile, and keep you informed. When a live role suits you we get in touch directly. If nothing suitable comes up for a while, we will say so rather than go quiet — and we will not invent something to keep you engaged.

Occasionally, and only with something worth your time: a new guide, a change that affects you, or a live role. If that is still too much, tell us and we will only contact you about roles.

The guide asks for a few details and puts you on our mailing list. The Register asks about your qualification, your experience and your NMC progress, because we cannot match you to anything without knowing those. Downloading the guide does not put you on the Register.

We hold them so we can tell you about suitable roles, and we share them with a UK employer only once you have said you want to be introduced to a specific role. We do not sell them and we do not pass them to anyone else.

Reply to any message from us, or email hello@northwardcare.com. We remove your details the same day and confirm that we have.