One of the most significant advantages of the SQE pathway is that qualifying work experience gained overseas can count towards your QWE requirement. If you have worked in a legal role outside England and Wales, you may already have the experience you need — the key is getting it properly confirmed.
This guide explains how international candidates can use their overseas experience to satisfy the QWE requirement and qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales.
Can Overseas Experience Count as QWE?
Yes. The SRA has confirmed that there is no geographical restriction on where QWE is gained. Experience from any country counts, as long as it involved providing genuine legal services and meets the standard QWE criteria:
- At least two years' full-time equivalent experience
- The work involved providing real legal services (not simulated or purely academic)
- Exposure to at least two competences from the Statement of Solicitor Competence
- Gained in no more than four organisations
Importantly, the experience does not need to relate to English and Welsh law. Work in any legal system can qualify, whether you practised corporate law in Dubai, litigation in India, or regulatory work in Singapore.
Who Can Confirm Overseas QWE?
Here is where it gets slightly more involved. QWE must be confirmed by a solicitor regulated by the SRA (i.e. someone on the roll in England and Wales) or a Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP). If you worked overseas, it is unlikely that your former employer has an SRA-regulated solicitor on staff.
The solution is to use an external confirming solicitor based in England and Wales. The external solicitor will review your evidence remotely and speak with your former supervisor to gather feedback — all of which can be done across time zones without you needing to be physically present in the UK.
What About Overseas Qualified Lawyers?
If you are already qualified as a lawyer in another jurisdiction, the rules differ depending on your situation:
- Registered Foreign Lawyers (RFLs) who are regulated by the SRA are automatically exempt from the QWE requirement.
- Lawyers qualified overseas who are not registered with the SRA will generally still need to satisfy the QWE requirement, but their existing professional experience is very likely to count.
If you are an experienced overseas lawyer, your years of practice will almost certainly meet the two-year QWE threshold — the main task is arranging the formal confirmation with an SRA-regulated solicitor.
Common Scenarios for International Candidates
You worked in a legal role overseas and now live in the UK
Your overseas experience counts. You need an SRA-regulated solicitor to review your evidence and confirm it. Your overseas supervisor can provide feedback by phone or email.
You are still overseas and want to qualify in England and Wales
The entire confirmation process can be completed remotely. You do not need to be in the UK for any part of the QWE sign-off. You would only need to be in the UK for the SQE exams themselves (which are available at test centres internationally in some cases).
You completed a mix of UK and overseas experience
QWE from up to four different organisations can be combined, regardless of location. Your UK experience and overseas experience can be put together to reach the two-year requirement.
What Evidence Should International Candidates Prepare?
The evidence requirements are the same as for UK-based candidates, but there are a few additional considerations:
- Translation: If your work was conducted in a language other than English, you may need to provide translated summaries of key documents or a description of the work in English.
- Supervisor availability: The confirming solicitor will need to speak with your supervisor. Confirm in advance that your former supervisor is contactable and willing to provide feedback (a brief video or phone call is usually sufficient).
- Competence mapping: Prepare a clear summary of how your overseas work maps to the SRA's competences. Even if the legal system was different, the underlying skills (research, drafting, advising, advocacy) are transferable.
Frequently Asked Questions for International Candidates
Does my overseas experience need to involve English and Welsh law?
No. The SRA has confirmed that QWE can involve work in any legal system. What matters is that the work involved providing genuine legal services and that you can demonstrate the required competences — regardless of which jurisdiction's law you were applying.
Can I complete the QWE confirmation process entirely remotely?
Yes. The entire process — submitting evidence, supervisor feedback, and receiving formal confirmation — can be completed online and across time zones. You do not need to be in the UK for any part of the QWE sign-off.
My supervisor does not speak English fluently. Is that a problem?
Not necessarily. The confirming solicitor needs to obtain feedback from your supervisor, but this can be accommodated in various ways. If your supervisor can communicate in basic English, a brief phone or video call is usually sufficient. In some cases, written feedback or a translated summary may be acceptable — discuss this with the confirming solicitor in advance.
I am already qualified as a lawyer overseas. Do I still need QWE?
It depends. If you are registered as a Foreign Lawyer with the SRA (an RFL), you are exempt from the QWE requirement. If you are not an RFL, you will generally need to satisfy the QWE requirement — but your existing professional experience is very likely to count. The main task is arranging the formal confirmation.
How long does the process take for international candidates?
The timeline is similar to UK-based candidates — typically two to four weeks from submitting your evidence to receiving formal confirmation. The main variable is how quickly your overseas supervisor can be contacted for feedback. Planning ahead and confirming your supervisor's availability can speed things up.
Getting Started
If you are an international candidate wondering whether your overseas legal experience qualifies as QWE, the best starting point is an informal assessment. At QWE Confirmed, you can email your documentation to [email protected] for a free initial review — no obligation and no sign-up required.
The SQE pathway was designed to be more accessible to international candidates than the old system, and many people working in legal roles overseas already have the experience they need. The sign-off process is usually straightforward once you know what is required.