The Social Work England overseas (international) route requires: evidence of the social work qualification plus transcript; training/development evidence; a course-provider contact for verification; skills-and-knowledge evidence if qualified more than 2 years ago; employment and previous-regulator details; and English language evidence (academic IELTS, or a recent qualification taught and examined in English in a majority-English-speaking country, or practice evidence, or the citizenship list). The scrutiny fee is £670, non-refundable (on the SWE fee escalator). The devolved nations run their own inbound assessments: Wales charges a £350 qualification assessment plus a possible £200 aptitude test; Northern Ireland charges £435 for the first application.
Entry requirements & restrictions
- SWE updating skills and knowledge days required
- 30 days (210 hours) if qualified 2-5 years ago; 60 days (420 hours) if over 5 years ago; completed within the 12 months before applying[4]
Sources & verification
- The SWE overseas route requires qualification evidence + transcript, training/development evidence, a course-provider verification contact, skills-and-knowledge evidence if qualified >2 years ago, employment and previous-regulator details, and English language evidence, source, Last verified 2026-10-14
- The SWE international scrutiny fee is £670, non-refundable (raised from £495 on the multi-year fee escalator), source, Last verified 2026-09-11 🔶
- Wales runs its own inbound assessment for internationally qualified social workers (£350 qualification assessment plus a possible £200 aptitude test); Northern Ireland charges £435 for a first application, source, Last verified 2026-06-10
- SWE updating skills and knowledge days required: 30 days (210 hours) if qualified 2-5 years ago; 60 days (420 hours) if over 5 years ago; completed within the 12 months before applying, source, Last verified 2026-10-14 source re-checked
Verified reference information, not professional, medical, legal or careers advice. Regulations change; always check the cited primary source before relying on it.