Brexit - Information for professionals

Brexit advice for professionals

• Advice for registrants

  If you are registered with HCPC, regardless of where in the world you were qualified, your registration status is unaffected.

  You will be able to remain on the register and renew your registration as normal.

  Beyond HCPC’s processes, the end of the transition period may affect you in other ways. The Government has issued guidance on its website:

  • the New Immigration System
  • the EU Settlement Scheme
  • the Right to Reside; and
  • obtaining a Health and Care Visa.

  You will also have to go through a different process if you want to work in Europe after the transition period. Processes differ from country to country, so you will need to contact the regulator in the country you wish to work in, to find out how you can register.

  https://www.healthregulation.org/ lists regulators and professional bodies for health professionals internationally.

• Advice for applicants

  
  Currently, there are three routes to HCPC registration:

  • UK route;
  • International route and
  • European Mutual Recognition (EMR) route.

  The current routes will be available as normal until 11pm (GMT) 31 December 2020.

  After the transition period, we will no longer be able to offer the EMR route to most applicants.

  UK and International applicants

  If you are applying for registration through the UK or International route, your application will be unaffected by Brexit.

  Whether or not you apply before or after the transition period, the application process will remain the same.
  
  

  EMR applicants

  If you are applying for registration via the EMR route and submit your application before 11pm (GMT) 31 December 2020, your application with progress as normal.

  If you are a physiotherapist and applied via the European Professional Card, please be aware you may need to submit your application earlier in order to guarantee this is processed before 31 December 2020. The Registration team will be reaching out to you to confirm next steps.

  If you submit your application after 11pm (GMT) 31 December 2020, you will need to follow a different process. For most applicants, this will be the International registration process.

• Advice for future applicants

  After 11pm (GMT) 31 December 2020, the EMR route for registration will no longer apply for most applicants.

  Applicants with EU qualifications will therefore need to apply via the International registration route instead.

  Swiss nationals and dependents

  There are exceptions to the above if you are:

  • A Swiss national
  • A non-EEA member state national who is the spouse or dependant of a Swiss national
  • A UK national settled in Switzerland
  • A non-EEA member state national who is the spouse or dependant of UK nationals settled in Switzerland

  AND

  • your qualification is obtained in the EEA or Switzerland by 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
  • you have started but not completed a Swiss or EEA qualification by 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
  • you hold a third country qualification that is recognised in Switzerland by 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020
  • you have completed an application to have your qualification recognised in Switzerland by 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020

  If you fall into the above list, you are subject to the Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement.

  This allows you to continue to apply via the EMR route for at least the next four years.

• Advice for temporary and occasional registration

  From 1 January 2021 the HCPC will not be able to accept new requests for registration for temporary and occasional (T&O) services.

  If you are already registered to undertake T&O work before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020, you can continue to provide these services until your temporary registration expires.

  The Registration team will be writing to you to explain when this will be. You will not be able to renew your temporary registration after 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020.

  Swiss nationals and dependents

  There are exceptions to the above if you are:

  • A Swiss national
  • A non-EEA member state national who is the spouse or dependant of a Swiss national
  • A UK national settled in Switzerland
  • A non-EEA member state national who is the spouse or dependant of UK nationals settled in Switzerland

  AND

  • you hold a direct contract with a UK health or social care provider to deliver T&O health and care services, your contracts to deliver those services is in place by and including 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020 and the service under the contract has started by 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020

  OR

  • you are employed by a company or body established in the UK or Switzerland and are posted to the UK for the purposes of carrying on professional activities in the UK, and your contract for those services is in place before 11pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020

  Please note, temporary and occasional services can only be provided for a maximum of 90 days per calendar year.

• EPC changes

  Currently, the European Professional Card (EPC) is supported by the Europa and IMI database, which allows the transfer of information between regulators in different EU member states. After the end of the transition period (from 1 January 2021 onwards), the UK will no longer have access to the Europa and IMI database.

  We will endeavour to process all EPC applications submitted before 31 December 2020. However, it may not be possible to fully process those submitted close to the deadline before the database access expires. Applicants are therefore encouraged to apply for registration through the international route rather than the EPC route.

  More information on EPC applications >