New Delhi, September 2025 - Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) who cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) in early 2025 are still waiting for compulsory internships (known as Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship, CRMI), prompting legal intervention and widespread protests. Graduates from states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra allege that state authorities and medical councils have delayed issuing internship notifications, causing career stagnation.
The All FMGs Association (AFA) has said that students who passed FMGE sessions in July 2024 and December 2024 remain without internship slots in several states.
FMGs from Tamil Nadu and Kerala have filed a petition in the Supreme Court, asking the National Medical Commission (NMC) and state authorities to begin the CRMI process immediately.
The petitioners assert that they fulfill all eligibility criteria, including provisional registration with state medical councils, but have yet to receive internship allocation, even though more than six months have passed since their FMGE results were declared.
In another instance, FMGs in Bihar held protests in Patna. They reported that about five months had passed since they cleared FMGE in January 2025, but they still had no clarity on when or where they would begin their internships. They said that authorities gave vague timelines, repeatedly delaying action without formal notifications.
On August 13, 2025, the Supreme Court issued notice to the NMC over the delay in starting CRMI for FMGs from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The court case, Association of Doctors and Medical Students vs. National Medical Commission, argues that delaying the internship process is “arbitrary and unreasonable,” as FMGs have been left unemployed and unable to practice or apply for further training.
CRMI Regulations, 2021, under the National Medical Commission, mandate that FMGs who clear the FMGE must complete internships across clinical departments before they can receive permanent registration. Rule 4 of these regulations states that permanent registration cannot be granted without completing the CRMI.
Many FMGs say they cannot proceed to NEET-PG examinations because internship completion is a prerequisite. The delay thus threatens their eligibility for postgraduate medical training.
In states like Rajasthan, administrative issues such as limited internship seats, stipend conflicts, and delayed issuance of joining deadlines have exacerbated frustration.
FMGs also report financial strain, with months passing without internship stipends or clarity on when they can legally perform clinical duties under supervision.
The NMC has acknowledged verification checks as one key cause of delay, since FMGs must submit documents from foreign institutions, and state medical councils check credentials before allowing internship placements.
In addition, state medical councils are arranging counselling or allotment of internship slots in several states, but FMGs argue that lack of uniform timeline and differences in administrative procedures across states contribute significantly to the wait.
FMGs, through associations like AFA, want the NMC and State Medical Councils to enforce a uniform timeline: beginning internships within two months of FMGE result declaration, and for internship notices to be issued within a short, fixed period.
They are also asking for standardized documentation and clearer communication from authorities to reduce uncertainty and delay.
(Rh/Eth/TL/MSM)