09 Jul Do you need to submit a TB test result?
Under Appendix T of the Immigration Rules, migrants might need to have a tuberculosis (TB) test if they are entering the UK for more than 6 months and are resident in any of the listed countries. The applicant will need to take a chest x-ray for TB test confirming that he/she has undergone a screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that such tuberculosis is not present in the applicant’s lungs.
Please note that if the x-ray is not clear, the migrant may also be asked to have a sputum sample.
If the test shows the applicant does not have TB, he/she will receive a certificate which is valid for 6 months from the date of the x-ray. The migrant has to submit this certificate with his/her visa application.
Who needs to have a TB test?
The applicant must be tested at a clinic that has been approved by the Home Office. Residents from the following countries need to take a TB test:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroon, China, Congo, Congo, Democratic Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong or Macau, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Togo Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Who does not need to be tested?
A migrant will not need a TB test if any of the following applies:
- You are a diplomat seconded to the UK
- You are a returning UK resident and have not been away for more than 2 years and you have resided for at least 6 months in a country where TB screening is not required by the UK.
Children
All children must see a clinician who will decide if they need a chest x-ray. Children under 11 will not normally have a chest x-ray.
Parents must take their child to an approved clinic and complete a health questionnaire. If the clinician decides the child does not have TB and then they will provide a certificate, and this medical certificate has to be submitted with the child’s UK visa application.
Pregnant women
If you are a pregnant woman, you can choose:
- An x-ray with an extra shield to protect you and your unborn child in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters
- A sputum test (phlegm coughed up from your lungs) – there may be an extra fee and you could wait up to 8 weeks for results
- To wait until after delivery
Paragraph C39 of the Immigration Rules states that ‘where a person has lawfully been present in a country not mentioned in Appendix T for more than six months and they are applying for entry clearance as in A39 in a country in Appendix T but have not been in that country or any other country mentioned in Appendix T for more than six months immediately before making their application, they will not be required to produce a medical certificate showing they are free from active pulmonary TB. This does not alter the discretionary powers as in paragraph 39 below’. For example, if a migrant is a national of Indonesia, and he/she has resided in USA from January 2019 to June 2019, the applicant then returned to Indonesia. The migrant does not need to provide a TB test result with the application if submitting the visa in Indonesia.
Contact Our Immigration Team
For expert advice regarding any aspect of the UK visa application, please contact our immigration team on 0203 384 3075 or contact us here.
