Mobility and recognition: refugee engineers

This page provides a quick guide for refugee engineers seeking to work in the UK.

The Engineering Council is working with the Refugee Employment Network to provide a mentoring programme so engineering professionals with refugee status can find the support they need to rebuild their lives in the UK.

Mentoring opportunities for refugees

UK ENIC is able to provide support in the recognition of qualifications and skills of refugees and individuals in refugee-like situations.

If you need guidance on recognition of refugee qualifications, or information on support they can offer, email UK ENIC at refugee@ecctis.com.

Engineering Council registration is an internationally-recognised benchmark of competence and is recognised as desirable in many fields of engineering, but is not mandatory to work as an engineer.

Professional registration entitles you to the use of legally protected titles which may only be used by individuals who are registered with the Engineering Council:

To become professionally registered, engineers and technicians must be a member of and individually assessed by one of the licensed professional engineering institutions (PEIs) licensed for this purpose by the Engineering Council. You will need to join one of the Licensed PEIs in order to become registered and they can offer advice on the requirements for registration, based on your individual circumstances. Many of the Licensed PEIs offer reduced fees for members in financial difficulty; ask your Licensed PEI for more information about this.

Registration is renewable annually and requires continued membership of a Licensed PEI and compliance with codes of professional conduct, including a requirement to carry out Continuing Professional Development (CPD). You can find a short profile of each of the PEIs, with a guide to the professional registration process, in our Guide to Professional Registration.

General advice on visas and immigration is available on the UK Government website, with specific information for Ukrainian nationals. An overview of the Global Talent visa is available on the Royal Academy of Engineering website.

A resource hub from the European Training Foundation (ETF) offers information about accessing education and training in the EU, finding work and recognition of skills and qualifications in EU member states.

For the benefit of Ukrainians and others who have been displaced or have lost their jobs due to war, the jobsforukraine.net, website has been created to help people who have fled to other countries and need to earn a living in order to support their families.

The City of Sanctuary network runs 'Conversation Cafes' in most towns and cities where they are represented. These are for any asylum seekers or refugees to use as a drop in, with volunteers who are happy to sit and chat with anyone to improve their English and to signpost other help they might need.

City of Sanctuary can also help with food, clothing, housing, legal issues, access to English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes etc and their website has a resources page for Ukraine.

The Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) provides urgently needed help to academics in immediate danger, those forced into exile, and many who choose to work on in their home countries despite serious risks.

Led by The British Academy in partnership with CARA and other national academies, a new programme of Fellowships for researchers at risk will be supported by The Royal Academy of Engineering and funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Please email any enquiries about the scheme to researchersatrisk@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.