Immunisation: migrant health guide
Advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients for healthcare practitioners.
Main messages
New migrants to the UK may be at increased risk of certain infections.
Healthcare practitioners should:
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provide new migrants with the migrant immunisation information leaflet – it advises migrants on the need to register with a GP to get up to date with their routine vaccinations
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always ask new migrants about their vaccine history
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assume that patients aren’t immunised, unless they can give a reliable history of vaccination
Individuals do not need to provide proof of identity, address or of immigration status in order to register with a GP practice to access immunisations. This also applies to asylum seekers, refugees, homeless patients or overseas visitors, whether lawfully in the UK or not. If in doubt, contact the local Screening and Immunisation Team for further advice.
Individuals who arrive in the UK part way through their immunisation schedule should be transferred onto the UK schedule and immunised as appropriate for their age. If a course of immunisation has been started but not completed, continue from where it was interrupted: there is no need to repeat doses or restart the course
See the immunisation algorithm for advice on immunising individuals with uncertain or incomplete immunisation status.
Further advice
The World Health Organization’s ‘vaccine-preventable diseases monitoring system’ has information on immunisation schedules by region, country and vaccine and reported cases of vaccine-preventable diseases and estimated coverage levels of vaccines by country and region.
If you are updating a patient’s immunisations, give as many necessary vaccines as possible simultaneously, in different sites, over the least number of visits to protect the person in the shortest time possible.
Consider asking any other family members who have accompanied the patient about their vaccination histories, and update them during the same visit, if possible.
Ask opportunistically about future travel plans to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin, and arrange for provision of appropriate travel advice as necessary.
Resources
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has further advice and information for health professionals and immunisation practitioners on:
- immunisation
- vaccines and vaccination procedures (The Green Book)
- vaccine uptake and the latest coverage data
Find public health resources can be used to find resources about immunisations in different languages.
Updates to this page
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Updated links, rewritten for clarity.
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Rebranded page to UKHSA. No change to content.
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Added new animated video explaining the entitlements to vaccination for migrants in England.
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Added link to COVID-19: migrant health guide.
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Added new link to migrant immunisation information leaflet.
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Updated and made editorial changes to meet GOV.UK style.
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First published.