Speech and language therapist in the UK: HCPC route (2026)

• You trained and gained your speech and language therapy qualification outside the UK.
• You have never been on the HCPC Register; if you have, you apply for readmission instead.
• Your qualification is the one that first allowed you to practise as a speech and language therapist or speech-language pathologist in your country.
• Your university can complete, stamp and sign the HCPC course information form, with learning outcomes, content, assessment and theory and practical hours for each course.
• You can show through training and experience that you meet every HCPC standard of proficiency for speech and language therapists, across children and adults, communication and swallowing.
• You meet the HCPC English requirement for your profession (IELTS 8.0 with no element below 7.5, OET Speech Pathology 1800 with no element below 400, or the speech and language therapist TOEFL iBT scores), unless your qualification is from a listed English-speaking country.
• You can provide certified copies of your documents, with certified translations where they are not in English.
• You meet the HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics and can make the health and character declarations.
• If you trained or practised in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you use the separate Free Trade Agreement route.

Check your route with the route finder

• HCPCHealth and Care Professions Council

  Physiotherapists, radiographers, paramedics and other allied health professions

  How to register with the HCPC

1. 1

   Check your degree against the standards of proficiency

   Read the HCPC standards of proficiency for speech and language therapists against your transcript. Note where you were taught and assessed in developmental and acquired communication disorders, dysphagia, voice and fluency, and with both children and adults. This tells you early whether your experience section must carry part of the weight.
2. 2

   Book the English test early

   Unless you are exempt, plan for IELTS 8.0 with no element below 7.5 or OET Speech Pathology 1800 with no element below 400. These are the highest English scores the HCPC sets, and many good clinicians need more than one sitting. IELTS one-skill retakes count if taken within six months and shown on the same report, and certificates must be under two years old when the HCPC receives your application.
3. 3

   Send the course information form to your university

   The HCPC course information form must be completed by the institution that awarded your qualification, with the hours for each course and the institution's stamp and signature. Universities can take months, so request it before anything else.
4. 4

   Prepare and certify your documents

   You need certified proof of identity and address, your qualification certificate, any change of name document and your English certificate, with certified translations where needed. Documents must be certified by a person of standing in the community and be machine-readable. Poor certification is a common cause of delay.
5. 5

   Write your experience section and mapping document

   Describe your experience in your own words, most recent first, and map your training and experience against each standard of proficiency, pointing to the evidence. The HCPC checks applications for plagiarism and AI use and says you must not use either. Because it no longer asks for more information after submission, a gap here can lead straight to a test of competence or refusal.
6. 6

   Arrange your referees

   Referees must have supervised you or been professionally responsible for you and use an official work email address; the HCPC does not accept personal addresses such as Gmail. Warn them that the HCPC will contact them during verification.
7. 7

   Submit online and pay the scrutiny fee

   Complete the online application and pay the £678.38 scrutiny fee by card. Your application is not submitted until the fee is paid. Tell your bank about the international payment first, because blocked card payments are common.
8. 8

   Assessment and any test of competence

   Two speech and language therapist assessors review your application and the HCPC emails a first decision with a Record of Assessment. You may be accepted, referred for a test of competence, or refused. A test of competence must be completed within 12 months of referral.
9. 9

   Verification and registration

   After acceptance the HCPC verifies your details with your education provider, regulators and referees, then invites you to pay the registration fee, £370.02 for most international applicants. Only once you have your registration number can you use the title speech and language therapist.
10. 10

    Apply for jobs and your visa

    Look for Band 5 posts in NHS trusts and community services, and Band 6 posts once you have relevant experience. Many employers interview while your HCPC application is in progress. With a job offer and certificate of sponsorship you can apply for the Health and Care Worker visa.

• HCPC test of competence (structured professional discussion)

  If assessors need more information, you are referred for a test of competence: a structured professional discussion with two registered speech and language therapists, tailored to the gaps in your application. The HCPC says it is usually held online on Microsoft Teams, sometimes in person. You must complete it within 12 months, you can reschedule or cancel once, and the pass or fail result arrives by email within two weeks.

• English language test

  IELTS Academic or General (UKVI or non-UKVI) at 8.0 with no element below 7.5; OET Speech Pathology at 1800 with no element below 400; or TOEFL iBT (118/120 if taken before 21 January 2026, or Reading 5.5, Listening 5.5, Writing 6, Speaking 6 and Overall 6 from that date). All must be taken at a test centre, not at home.

• The HCPC sets a higher English standard for speech and language therapists than for its other 14 professions. We confirmed this on the HCPC English language page on 20 October 2026.
• IELTS: 8.0 overall with no element below 7.5. Academic or General Training, UKVI or non-UKVI, taken at an official test centre. One-skill retakes are accepted within six months if shown on the same test report.
• OET: the Speech Pathology test, with 1800 overall and no element below 400. Other professions need 1400 with no element below 300.
• TOEFL iBT taken before 21 January 2026: 118 out of 120. Taken on or after 21 January 2026: Reading 5.5, Listening 5.5, Writing 6, Speaking 6, Overall 6. Tests taken in the UK, combined scores, superscores and MyBest scores are not accepted.
• Certificates must be no more than two years old when the HCPC receives your application.
• You are exempt if the qualification that first let you practise was gained in a listed country where English is the predominant language, such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand or the USA.
• The visa has its own English rule at CEFR B2. An IELTS for UKVI result that meets the HCPC scores also meets the visa level.

Estimate your total cost

• Allow several weeks, often longer, for your university to return the course information form and for an English score at the higher speech and language therapist level.
• The HCPC says you can expect an update within 10 working days of its review of a new application, and you have six months to supply anything missing before it is withdrawn.
• The HCPC currently says it takes about 3 months from a complete application to a first decision, and that high application volumes may mean longer waits.
• If accepted, the HCPC verifies your information with your education provider, regulators and referees before inviting you to pay the registration fee.
• A test of competence must be completed within 12 months of referral, with results by email within two weeks.
• After you pay the registration fee, allow up to three days before you are added to the Register. A Health and Care Worker visa decision usually takes about 3 weeks after you prove your identity.

NHS speech and language therapists are paid on Agenda for Change. NHS Health Careers says they typically start on Band 5. Figures are NHS Employers 2026/27 annual pay points from 1 April 2026 for England; pay in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can differ and London posts add a high cost area supplement. Independent practice and schools set their own pay.

• Band 5 (newly registered)

  £32,073 to £39,043

  Intermediate point £34,592.

• Band 6 (specialist speech and language therapist)

  £39,959 to £48,117

• Band 7 (highly specialist or team lead)

  £49,387 to £56,515

• Band 8a (advanced practitioner or service lead)

  £57,528 to £64,750

See your NHS band and annual pay

• NHS community children's services, including early years, schools and special educational needs teams.
• NHS hospital trusts: stroke units, neurology, head and neck cancer, critical care and dysphagia services.
• Adult community and rehabilitation teams, including home visits and care homes.
• Mental health and learning disability services.
• Local authorities, special schools and academies (these may not qualify for the Health and Care Worker visa).
• Independent practices and charities.

• Speech and language therapists are occupation code 2223, which GOV.UK lists as eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa.
• You need a confirmed job offer and certificate of sponsorship from a Home Office approved employer that is the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an adult social care provider. School and local authority jobs may need the Skilled Worker visa instead.
• GOV.UK says you will usually need to be paid at least £25,000, or the going rate from its table of national pay scales for eligible healthcare jobs if higher.
• The fee is £324 for up to 3 years or £628 for more than 3 years, per person. Health and Care Worker visa holders and their dependants do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.
• English for the visa is separate from English for the HCPC: CEFR B2, proved by a Secure English Language Test, an English-taught degree assessed by Ecctis, or nationality.
• The visa can last up to 5 years before you extend it, and your partner and children may be able to join you as dependants.

1. 1

   A DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP or other GCC licence does not transfer. The HCPC assesses the qualification that first let you practise, plus your experience.

2. 2

   Gulf experience counts as evidence. Use it in your experience section and mapping document to cover gaps, for example adult dysphagia in hospital or acquired neurological communication disorders.

3. 3

   Much Gulf caseload is bilingual or in Arabic. Describe how you assessed and treated clients and which languages you worked in, because assessors judge you against UK practice in English.

4. 4

   GCC countries are not on the HCPC's English-speaking list, so you need IELTS 8.0 with no element below 7.5 or OET Speech Pathology 1800 unless your degree came from a listed country.

5. 5

   List every Gulf registration in the application and request letters of good standing from each authority, because the HCPC contacts regulators during verification. Ask your clinical lead to act as referee on an official work email before you leave the job.

• Application plan with every step, fee and deadline

• Document checklist tailored to you, and a review of each document before upload

• Timeline built around the regulator's closure windows and document validity periods

• Help completing the application forms accurately and consistently

• Support with profession-specific evidence, such as the HCPC standards of proficiency mapping

• Guidance on certificates of good standing, references and certified translations

• Preparation for identity checks and declarations on health and character

• Tracking your application and help responding to regulator requests

• Next steps after the decision: exams, adaptation, PIN or licence and your first job

Regulators make all registration decisions and set all fees. Our fee is separate from the regulator's fees, exam fees and translation costs.

What our registration and licensing support includesPackages and fees