Chriso wrote:Hi there,
There is sometimes two ways of becoming qualified, go to a university or institution that offers a course that leads to the awarding of a degree or instead sit examinations run by a professional body that are generally testing the same level of knowledge as a university degree does, and be awarded a professional qualification. Universities award degrees and professional bodies award professional qualifications. The curriculum for both are probably almost exactly the same. If the curriculum of a professional qualification is seen to be at the standard of someone undertaking a degree or at a higher level of a masters degree then points will be awarded according to what the studies are equivalent to.
There are not very many professional bodies that offer these professional examinations anymore, most now require you to complete a degree at a recognised university to become qualified and gain membership. Some do however run examinations in order to gain further accreditation that a degree would not itself allow, and in this situation maybe considered as the same as undertaking postgraduate study at a university. Again however, if you undertake a masters degree at a university you apply under the educational qualification and if you sit examinations considered at the same level as a masters through a professional body, then you apply under professional qualification.
Being granted membership to a professional body on the basis of a degree awarded by a university is not what they are referring to in the application for having a professional qualification. If you refer to the guidance notes you will see that they are requesting the award certificate, this being the same as the request for the award certificate for a degree under the educational qualification. As mentioned above, Professional bodies do not award degrees, so for those who completed a professional qualification instead of going to a university, they would not have a degree and hence require another option to the educational qualification on the form to apply under, hence the professional qualification option.
Vinay - I am assuming that the MBBS was completed as a degree at a university and not completed by undertaking examinations through a professional body. If that is the case, apply under the educational qualification. You would only look at a professional qualification option if you have since completing the MBBS undertaken further studies though a professional body, and not a university, of which would be at the same level as a masters degree at a university.
Same as for the architect, if the degree is the award that you have than you are applying on the basis of having completed a degree and not from having undertaken further examinations run by a professional body. The professional body may recognise your degree equivalent to a certain level within the Professional body, but the award that you have is a degree.
hi Chriso
i understand the logic about mbbs being an academic qualification, BUT for non EU mbbs qualifications to be registered by the GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL (which is a professional body regulating the medical profession in the uk) one needs to take the IELTS exam then the PLAB exam and only after passing these is one eligible to be registered by the GMC after getting the 1st job offer in the UK. one has to pass PLAB or get an exemption from the exam. to get exemption it is generally by being sponsored under the Overseas Doctors Training Scheme or British Council Sponsorship. for getting either sponsorship one has to have further postgraduate training and qualifications and work experience of atleast 3y post MBBS qualification. only then do they give one an exemption from the PLAB exam. so one needs to be more qualified than just having an academic qualification
. in either case of having PLAB exemption or passing PLAB and subsequently registered with GMC one works as a professional regulated by a professional regulatory body in the UK
. so is there any official guidance to say that points as per professional qualification should be awarded or is there any precedence of cases being awarded points as per professional qualifications.
also another reason for it being a professional qualification is that in most countries even after passing exams, a further period of work experience as internship is required before awarding the qualification. so professional work experience is needed after exams before the qualification is awarded.
i already have HSMP
. am just enquiring incase they make more retrospective rules which affect doctors HSMP renewals with the TIER system set to replace the HSMP scheme early next year. this is from what i understood from a work permits uk presentaton on the international organization of migration website. see work permits uk
European & International Policy Manager's presentation
http://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/site/my ... ndrell.pdf
looks like only professions on the shortage occupations list will get into tier 1. so guess all others on HSMP will get stuffed and even if some get work permits / tier 2 permits their ILR clock will get reset to zero and will need 5y more for ILR
. ingenius home office ploy to deny HSMPs ILR by another new rule with retrospective effects for legal migrants already in the UK. just my educated guess, once bitten twice shy, after the new immigration rules affected people already admitted on old rules earlier.
have a nice weekend ...
