I started my journey on 22nd August 2016, when I made a rough sketch in my head.
| 22 Aug 16 |
Decided upon a rough date for exam |
| 22 Aug 16 |
Started filling visa application form |
| 22 Aug 16 |
Started writing cover letter |
| 22 Aug 16 |
Informed my Employer of my plans |
| 22 Aug 16 |
Contacted Academy for Course Reg. |
| 22 Aug 16 |
Contacted London Accommodation |
| 23 Sep 16 |
Booked Manchester Accommodation |
| 27 Sep 16 |
Received NOC from work |
| 27 Sep 16 |
Booked PLAB 2 exam |
| 07 Oct 16 |
Applied for Visa Online |
| 10 Oct 16 |
Submitted Documents for Visa |
| 01 Nov 16 |
Got my Visa |
| 01 Nov 16 |
Confirmed Course |
| 01 Nov 16 |
Confirmed London Accommodation |
| 04 Nov 16 |
Booked my return airline ticket |
| 04 Nov 16 |
Booked Manchester Accommodation |
| 03 Dec 16 |
Started Course |
| 17 Dec 16 |
Applied for CGS* |
| 18 Dec 16 |
Finished course |
| 24 Jan 17 |
Took PLAB 2 |
| 25 Jan 17 |
Booked my GMC ID Check app. |
| 31 Jan 17 |
Received my CGS* |
| 22 Feb 17 |
Passed PLAB 2 |
| 23 Feb 17 |
Applied for GMC registration |
| 23 Feb 17 |
Started applying for jobs |
| 10 Mar 17 |
First interview |
| 15 Mar 17 |
First job offer |
| 30 Mar 17 |
Accepted a job offer |
| 31 Mar 17 |
GMC approval for registration |
| 06 Apr 17 |
GMC ID Check |
| 23 Apr 17 |
Returned back to Karachi |
.
Important Points:
The following points are worth noting from this.
- I decided a rough exam date 5 months before time.
- I booked my exam 4 months before time.
- I applied for my visa 3 months before my exam and 2 months before my course.
- I applied for my CGS 2 months before my PLAB 2 result.
- I got my visa a month before my travel date.
- I had more than a month after my course ended.
- I booked my GMC ID check appointment a day after my PLAB 2 exam.
- I got my first job offer nearly a month after I had started applying.
- I accepted a job offer even before I got GMC registration.
When I made my plan for PLAB 2 on 22nd August 2016, I kept all of the above in my mind.
*CGS = Certificate of Good Standing.
Conclusion
Making proper plans well ahead of time is important.
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Published by Dr. Naseer Khan
Dr Naseer Khan works as a GP trainee in Kettering. He has been guiding medical students and doctors since 2014. His aim is to make the UK journey as easy as possible for everyone else.
View all posts by Dr. Naseer Khan
Very relaxed timeline, I must say.
As we have to go too apply for certificate of GS in person and I would be giving both my exams in UK
Should I come back after plab 2 and then go back again for registeration.I don’t think I can do all that in 6 months🙁
Thank you! 🙂
I’m not sure what would be best for you. Circumstances are different in different countries.
Ok, thanks anyhow☺
Heyy! How can we apply for jobs before getting the GMC registration?
This link will guide you. 🙂
https://naseersjourney.wordpress.com/2017/03/19/applying-for-non-training-jobs-in-the-uk/
i am planning to take my plab 1 27th of june and then plab 2 late september. however, i will have only 3 weeks from september to both take the course and take the exam. is this a wise move. i will practise the exam on both july and august b4 taking the course in september.
so take the course in the first two weeks of september and appear for the plab2 by the end of third week. is this a sound plan? ( i am on a training program back home so i have tight vacation time )
I don’t think it’s a wise plan. You’re not giving yourself enough time to be ready for the exam. And there’s not a lot that you can study or practice before you join the academy. I’m not saying that it’s impossible. People pass their exam in less time. But it becomes highly difficult.
Is it possible to apply for Certificate of good standing while you’re in uk your self??
Yes, it is. This might help you.
https://naseersjourney.wordpress.com/2017/04/08/applying-for-certificate-of-good-standing/
Aoa. It is written on vfs global website that one can apply for visa maximum 3 months before date of travelling. However, i want to apply even earlier due to my circumstances which I dont want to interfere at the last moment. Can u ease elaborate about this?
Moreover, someone told that there is a specific period after ur visa is stamped during which u have to set foot in uk while my understanding is that u can travel and come back any time within 6 months of visa being stamped. Please guide me on this as well.
1. You are right. They have changed the rules. Now you can only apply within 3 months of your intended date of travel.
2. Your understanding is correct. Once you get a 6-month multiple-entry visa, you can travel to the UK as many times as you like within that window. But yes, at the UK border, you will be asked about your plans and reasons for traveling each time that you enter the country.
Also, i am facing another problem. I want to apply for visa this month. For this, my passport will be with UK embassy or related persons. However, there are chances that I might have to travel to another country (for which i already have visa) during the same period when my passport will be with UK embassy. Can u please guide if there is any chance how can I travel in such circumstances?
Ummmm … there is no way around this. I’m sorry about this. You’ll have to wait to get your passport back. Maybe you can apply for priority service visa, in which you can get your passport back within a week or less.
JAZAKALLAH. Ur blog is very much helpful.
Thank you for visiting the blog! 🙂
I think that There is an option that allow you to retain the passport while your application is being processed
You are one hundred percent correct. They have introduced this option at certain visa offices now. I got to know about it today. You will have to contact your visa office to confirm this. And, of course, you will have to pay extra for this.
dear naseer
i have my plab 2 exam on 7 november 2017 and my ielts will be expired on 30 jan 2018 mean after plab 2 result i will have less than 2 months for gmc registrstion before my ielts will expire. How should i plan so that i get register before my ielts expire? Plzzz guide
Thanks
You should email the GMC to ask if you need your valid IELTS for your GMC ID check or just when you submit your GMC registration application. Because if it is the latter, then you should be fine. If I was in your shoes, I would have taken another IELTS to be on the safe side. I actually did take another IELTS to be on the safe side in February 2016, because I was in exactly the same situation as you.
Hi naseer.
I hope u r fine.
It seems that ur GMC registration took 5 weeks. Why such delay??
I heard it may take only 1 to 2 weeks..
How I can make my registration fast as soon as I can ??
I started my internship before I got registered with my local medical council. Therefore, I had to arrange employer reference form and an explanatory letter from my local medial council. And then my university took 3 weeks in replying to a simple email. That is why it took so long. Otherwise it would’ve taken a week or two.
So please do not worry about it. Best of luck! 🙂
Hi naseer.. need your help again please.. naseer is it possible to have I’d check with in few weeks of result. What apart from CGS,
I need for id check appointment? How can I book earlier. . Thankx in advance
You can take your ID check whenever you like. But your GMC registration application must have been approved by then. The approval can take a few days or weeks. Mostly, it takes a couple of weeks. But it depends on how smooth your documents are.
This might help:
https://naseersjourney.com/2017/04/06/how-to-apply-for-gmc-registration/
hey, i have two questions:
i have a gap of 20 days between my house job, will that be a problem?
how to apply for id check? and when is the ideal time, that is how long before plab2?
1. It should be okay. But there’s no way of knowing if the GMC will accept this or not. So it’s best to ask people who’ve gone through the same, by posting on Facebook groups.
Apply for ID check via GMC online. Get guidance for this via my blog.
You can not apply for ID check until you take PLAB 2. I applied for ID check a day after taking PLAB 2. But the GMC has been recently asking people to book their ID check only after their GMC registration application has been approved.
20-day gap should be fine. But you will have to explain this gap in writing.
Check guidance for ID check from my website. I booked mine a day after I took PLAB 2. You can not book it before you take PLAB 2.
You got a job a month before you left UK..then why you had to leave when you had work..dun they extend your visa based on it?
If we are on PLAB visa, we have to go back to our home country to be able to apply for Tier 2 visa.
I see..how about tourist visit visa? Can that be extended if one gets a job while still there or we need to be back in order to apply for tier 2 visa? N roughly how long does tier 2 visa take to process?
N thank you for being such a good soul n guiding us ..loads of prayers your way!
Hello doc,
I have taken my plab 1 exam recently and now waiting for my result, I have few concerns:
What should be the decent time for your part 2 exam after attending the academy, as I have noticed that you took almost a month after you finshed your academy.
Secondly, how much time ot would take for character certificate, since I am not a fresh gaduate, would you suggest me to apply for that before my result come out?
Thanks alot.
I have seen people pass PLAB 2 by taking the exam within a week of the end of their course and pass the exam.
However, the ideal time to take PLAB 2 is 4 to 5 weeks after the course ends.
I think you are referring to the Certificate of Good Standing. It depends entirely on which country you are from and how things run there. As you can see, I am from Pakistan and I applied for my CGS more than a month before my exam. It took 43 days for the PMDC to send my CGS to me.
Hi doctor. Really appreciate the great work you’re doing by helping others. So my question is regarding gaps in cv? In the worst case scenario what will happen? They will refuse registration? How can one explain the gaps caused by illnesses of close family?
As long as you can explain all gaps, you will get your registration.
And yes, the worst case scenario is that you’ll be refused registration. But I’m hoping it won’t come to that. I’ve seen people with 10 years of gaps getting registration. So you should be okay. Good luck! 🙂
I got my registration and license to practice on 23rd October 2017 and started applying for jobs after that. I am a little confused as to which path to take. Im getting married at the end of april next year.
So should i accept a job offer if i get one (iv just heard back for an interview from 1 hospital till now) (i’ll also need tier 2 visa ofc ) and then apply for a leave in april to attend my wedding .. or second option being relinquish my license and apply for jobs in Feb so I can leave with my husband at the end of April or in May.
– Confused
P.S my husband will be applying for dependant visa as well when i do apply for a visa. (don’t know if that info changes anything)
Hi, how did you book accommodation in Manchester?
By going online. I booked an accommodation at Travelodge.
Hi doc need 1 suggestion.
After plab 2 pmdc will pmdc accept my uk PLAB qualification and I can start job in pakistan? Or when I came back to pakistan I am only MBBS?
PLAB is not a degree or a diploma. It is only a licensing exam for working in the UK. It holds no value in Pakistan.
For CGS, is it the local medical authority(state based) or the country based?. I will do from a state in india, so for CGS i need to have it from state medical council or medical council of india? And can u please send a photo as to what exactly we need to have in CGS?
What is that course u mentioned in ur timeline?
I attended PLAB 2 course at Common Stations, London.