Sri Lankan nurses follow the same route to the UK register as every internationally educated nurse. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) checks your qualification with your nursing regulator in Sri Lanka, you pass an English test, you sit a two-part Test of Competence (a computer test and a practical OSCE), and you come to the UK on a visa sponsored by an employer.
This guide walks through each step in order, with the official fee for each stage and a link to where we checked it. Every fee below was checked on 1 Nov 2026. Fees change, so open the official link before you pay anything.
ملخص سريع
| المرحلة | الجهة المسؤولة | Official fee (checked 1 Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| تقييم الأهلية والمؤهل | NMC | GBP 167, non-refundable (NMC costs) |
| CBT (الجزء 1 من اختبار الكفاءة) | Pearson VUE، لصالح NMC | GBP 83 (NMC costs) |
| OSCE (الجزء 2 من Test of Competence)، في المملكة المتحدة | مركز اختبار معتمد من NMC | GBP 794 (NMC costs) |
| رسوم التسجيل | NMC | GBP 182 (NMC costs) |
| تأشيرة Health and Care Worker | UK Home Office | GBP 324 (up to 3 years) or GBP 628 (more than 3 years), same from inside or outside the UK (GOV.UK) |
| TB test for a UK visa | Home Office-approved clinic | Set by the clinic; check the Sri Lanka clinic page |
The NMC's own page lists a total of GBP 1,226 for the evaluation, both test parts and registration, before any resits. The same page says the NMC's fees increased on 1 October 2026, and it does not list the new amounts. Confirm the figures on the NMC costs page before you pay.
الخطوة 1: تأكدوا من جاهزيتكم
قبل أن تفتحوا حسابًا لدى NMC، جهزوا ما يلي:
- Your nursing qualification certificate and transcripts.
- Your registration with your nursing regulator in Sri Lanka. That regulator verifies your record for the NMC.
- A valid passport.
- An English test result, or a plan to take one soon.
- Police clearance. Sri Lankan citizens living in Sri Lanka apply at the officer-in-charge (OIC) of their local police station, with a Grama Niladhari certificate of residence and a National Identity Card. The police say local applicants receive the certificate within 48 hours, after inquiries and verification. Citizens living overseas apply online at police.lk, at a fee of Rs. 5,100 (Sri Lanka Police, clearance certificates). The Police page does not state the fee for applicants in Sri Lanka, so confirm it at your station.
الخطوة 2: اجتازوا اختبار اللغة الإنجليزية
The NMC accepts two tests. These are the minimum scores (NMC accepted tests, scores as published in our UK from India guide, checked 31 Oct 2026):
| الاختبار | الاستماع | القراءة | الكتابة | التحدث |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
| OET (التمريض) | B (350+) | B (350+) | C+ (300+) | B (350+) |
أمور قد تفاجئ الكثيرين:
- Sri Lanka is not on the NMC's list of majority English-speaking countries. The list, last updated in January 2025, does not include Sri Lanka, so you need a test (NMC list of accepted English-speaking countries).
- النتائج صالحة لمدة سنتين ويجب أن تكون سارية عندما تقيّم NMC طلبكم الكامل.
- You can combine two sittings of the same test taken within 12 months of each other, provided each score meets the floor.
- اختبار IELTS Online غير مقبول. أما OET@Home فهو مقبول.
- لا يمكنكم الجمع بين نتيجة IELTS ونتيجة OET.
Step 3: Apply to the NMC and pay the evaluation fee
You open your application on the NMC portal, enter your qualification and registration details, and pay the GBP 167 evaluation fee. The NMC then contacts your regulator in Sri Lanka and, where needed, your nursing school to verify your record (NMC costs).
Once you are found eligible, you have a set period to complete registration, including both parts of the Test of Competence. Do not open an account before you are ready to take the English test, because the NMC closes applications that do not progress.
الخطوة 4: اجتازوا CBT (الجزء 1 من Test of Competence)
The computer-based test checks nursing knowledge and numeracy. You book it with Pearson VUE once the NMC tells you to, and you must book the correct exam code. Check the Pearson VUE site for the nearest test centre.
The first sitting costs GBP 83. A full resit is GBP 83, a clinical-only resit is GBP 70, and a numeracy-only resit is GBP 50 (NMC costs).
Step 5: Pay the registration fee
Once the NMC asks you to, submit your registration application through the NMC portal and pay the GBP 182 registration fee. The NMC's cost page says this fee is refundable in certain circumstances (NMC costs).
الخطوة 6: احصلوا على عرض عمل وتأشيرتكم
Most nurses from Sri Lanka take the OSCE after arriving in the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa, with their employer booking and often paying for it. Key visa facts from GOV.UK:
- You need a confirmed job offer and a certificate of sponsorship from a Home Office licensed sponsor.
- Visa fee: GBP 324 for up to 3 years, GBP 628 for more than 3 years. The same fee applies from inside or outside the UK.
- You need GBP 1,270 in your bank account. The money must be available for 28 days, and the 28th day must fall within 31 days of your application.
- Sri Lanka is on GOV.UK's list of countries where a TB test is needed for a UK visa. Book the test at a Home Office-approved clinic. GOV.UK's countries list links to a Sri Lanka clinic page. Read GOV.UK's TB test guidance for the stay length that triggers the test and the certificate validity.
Check the visa conditions on the GOV.UK pages linked above against your offer letter before you accept a role.
الخطوة 7: اجتازوا OSCE وانضموا إلى السجل
The OSCE is a practical exam taken at a UK test centre. The first sitting costs GBP 794. If you fail up to seven stations, the partial resit is GBP 397. If you fail eight or more stations, you pay the full GBP 794 again (NMC costs).
Until you pass, many employers will hire you in a pre-registration role. Ask your employer in writing what your pay and role will be before you register.
الجدول الزمني المعتاد
These are planning ranges from our own estimate. They are not official figures, and they depend on your English score, the NMC's and your regulator's response times, and your employer.
| المرحلة | الدليل الرسمي | نطاق التخطيط |
|---|---|---|
| الاستعداد لاختبار اللغة الإنجليزية | لا يوجد رقم رسمي | من بضعة أسابيع إلى عدة أشهر |
| تقييم NMC | NMC response depends on your regulator | Weeks, longer if your regulator is slow |
| حجز CBT واجتيازه | Depends on test centre availability | أسابيع |
| عرض العمل والتأشيرة | GOV.UK processing times | من 1 إلى 3 أشهر |
| OSCE والتسجيل | NMC decision after the OSCE | بعد مرور من 1 إلى 3 أشهر على الوصول |
تحذير من الاحتيال
- Never pay a UK-based agency to find you work. A recruiter in Great Britain may not charge you a fee to find you a job, and employers may not use agencies that charge candidates. See the UK Code of Practice for the international recruitment of health and social care personnel.
- Do not pay employer costs such as the certificate of sponsorship fee or the Immigration Skills Charge. Those belong to the sponsoring employer.
- Check the Sri Lankan side too. Every Sri Lankan who leaves to work abroad should register with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) before departure. The SLBFE page does not say whether nurses on a direct employer contract must register, so confirm this with SLBFE. Registered workers get SLBFE insurance free of charge for the length of their contract. The SLBFE helpline is 1989, and the SLBFE page lists the WhatsApp number for enquiries from abroad (SLBFE, registration of migrant workers).
- Never buy test results or use a proxy. The NMC has invalidated every CBT taken at one overseas centre after finding fraud there. Honest nurses who tested at that centre had to resit. Our UK from India guide explains the 2023 case.
هل لديكم شك في أحد الوكلاء؟ أدخلوا بياناته في أداة التحقق من الوكلاء المزيفين المجانية لدينا.
تدرّب مجاناً
NurseFlyAbroad is free for nurses, always. Try our OET Nursing mocks and NMC CBT-style questions, and get a free PDF report card after each test. Check the UK checklist for your personal steps, and see our UK jobs hub for listing sources. Read the full UK destination page for the NMC route.
FAQ
Is Sri Lanka on the WHO safeguards list? Sri Lanka is not on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023, which has 55 countries. The UK Code of Practice does not restrict active recruitment from Sri Lanka on that basis, so you may apply for an advertised job.
Do I need a police certificate from Sri Lanka? The NMC asks for police clearance for the countries where you have lived for the period it sets. Apply through police.lk if you live overseas, or at your local station if you live in Sri Lanka, and check the NMC requirements before you apply.
Is the CBT available in Sri Lanka? You book the CBT with Pearson VUE once the NMC tells you to. Check Pearson VUE for the nearest centre to you.
Sources (checked 1 Nov 2026)
- NMC: Costs, Accepted English-speaking countries list (last updated Jan 2025), Accepted English tests (scores as published in our UK from India guide, checked 31 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker visa: how much it costs, TB test countries, TB test guidance, Sri Lanka TB clinic, UK Code of Practice
- Sri Lanka Police: Clearance certificates
- SLBFE: Registration of migrant workers
- WHO: Health workforce support and safeguards list 2023, Questions and answers on the list, including the 2026 update
- Our guides: UK from India
- Destination page: United Kingdom