UK Health and Care Worker Visa

The Health and Care Worker Visa is available to qualified doctors, nurses, and other health and adult social care professionals who want to work in eligible roles within the NHS, NHS suppliers, or adult social care settings.

The Health and Care Worker Visa offers a pathway to settlement in the UK after five years, allowing applicants to bring their dependent partners and children with them.

Requirements for a Health and Care Worker Visa

In order to qualify for a Health and Care Worker Visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:

The specific requirements you must meet will depend on your individual circumstances. It’s advisable to consult an immigration lawyer for personalized expert guidance.

The specific requirements you need to meet depend on your personal situation. It’s best to consult an immigration lawyer for customized expert advice.

Health and Care Worker Visa Occupational Codes

The relevant Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes that qualify for the Health and Care Worker visa eligibility are as follows:

This is a comprehensive list, and roles within the same sector but classified under different codes are not eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa. However, some of these roles might still qualify under the broader Skilled Worker category.

Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) Requirement

To apply for a Health and Care Worker Visa, you must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from an eligible employer. This is a digital certificate issued by a UK employer authorized by the Home Office to sponsor applicants under the Health and Care Worker route.

Typically, your employer will be the NHS, an organization offering NHS services, or one providing adult social care. If an employer isn’t already approved, they can apply for a Sponsor Licence if eligible.

The CoS must include a short explanation of how the applicant meets the visa eligibility criteria. If the employer provides NHS-commissioned services, evidence of the contract with the NHS may also be needed.

Your Certificate of Sponsorship must be issued within three months before the date of your visa application.

Your Certificate of Sponsorship must include certain mandatory information, including:

- Salary Threshold Requirement

General salary requirement

Employers hiring under the Health and Care Worker visa route must generally offer a minimum salary of £20,480 per year or the specific 'going rate' for the job—whichever is higher.

Each job is assigned an occupation code with its own standard salary rate. For NHS positions, pay is structured into different bands, and these bands may vary depending on the region—England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Different salary requirement

There are separate salary requirements for those working in the following occupation codes:

If your job falls under one of the eligible occupation codes, you’ll typically need to earn at least £25,600 per year or £10.10 per hour—whichever is higher. If the designated ‘going rate’ for your specific role exceeds both of these figures, then you must be paid at least that higher amount.

You may be paid less than £25,600 or your job’s ‘going rate’ in the following circumstances (you must still be paid at least £10.10 per hour):

What is a ‘job in a shortage occupation’?

The Home Office provides a list of skilled roles that are hard to fill due to a shortage of qualified workers. A separate shortage occupation list specifically for healthcare and education includes roles such as doctors, nurses, midwives, psychologists, speech and language therapists, radiographers, paramedics, and social workers. If you have a job offer for a role listed under this shortage occupation list, the salary threshold you need to meet is typically lower.

English Language Requirement

To be eligible for a Health and Care Worker visa, you must demonstrate English language proficiency at a minimum of level B1 (intermediate) on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in all four components: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Prospective employees applying for entry clearance or leave to remain as a Health and Care Worker will satisfy the English language requirement if they:

If you are being sponsored to work as a doctor, dentist, nurse, or midwife, you are not required to prove your English language proficiency separately, provided you have already passed an English language assessment that is accepted by the relevant professional regulatory body.

Financial Maintenance Requirement

To apply for a Health and Care Worker Visa, you must usually show that you have sufficient funds to support yourself in the UK.

You need to have at least £1,270 in your bank account. This amount must be held for at least 28 consecutive days, and the last day of that period must be within 31 days of submitting your visa application.

If you have already been living in the UK legally for 12 months or more at the time of your visa application, you are exempt from providing proof of funds.

You can also be exempt from the financial requirement if your employer agrees to support you during your first month in the UK with at least £1,270. This commitment must be confirmed in the Certificate of Sponsorship under the “Sponsor certifies maintenance” section.

Criminal Record Certificate Requirement

Applicants applying from outside the UK must typically submit a criminal record certificate as part of their visa application.

This requirement does not apply if your job falls under the occupation codes for biological scientists and biochemists (2112) or physical scientists (2113).

Duration of a Health and Care Worker Visa

Once your Health and Care Worker Visa application is approved, you will receive entry clearance or permission to stay in the UK.

This permission typically lasts until 14 days after your Certificate of Sponsorship ends, which can be up to a maximum of 5 years from the start date of your sponsorship. Your Certificate of Sponsorship will clearly state the duration your employer is sponsoring you.

You can usually apply to extend your Health and Care Worker visa if you still meet the salary requirements and:

Is there a maximum time in the Health and Care Worker route?

Under the old Tier 2 (General) visa, applicants could only stay in the route for a maximum of six years.

With the Health and Care Worker visa, the six-year limit has been removed. There is no cap on the total length of stay, and you can be granted up to 5 years’ leave at a time.

Conditions of Stay as a Health and Care Worker

Visa holders can work only in the job they have been sponsored for. They may take on additional work if it’s in the same occupation code or involves fewer than 20 paid hours per week, as long as they continue their main sponsored job.

You are not eligible for most benefits or the State Pension. Changing jobs or employers requires updating your visa.

You must apply to update your Health and Care Worker visa if you change employers, switch to a different occupation code (unless in a graduate training programme), or move from a shortage occupation job to one not on the list.

If you work more than 20 hours weekly or change to a different occupation code, you need a new certificate of sponsorship from your new employer and must provide a letter explaining your reasons for changing your visa conditions.

Settlement as a Health and Care Worker

In order to qualify for Settlement as a Health and Care Worker, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:

Application Fees and Fee Reduction

Applicants for the Health and Care Visa benefit from reduced application fees when their employer confirms eligibility on the Certificate of Sponsorship. This fee reduction also applies to partners and dependents.

The fee discount is applied automatically during the online application process.

Since December 1, 2020, the published fees are the same for entry clearance applications made outside the UK and for leave to remain or switch applications made within the UK.

Exemption from Immigration Health Surcharge

Health and Care Worker visa applicants and their dependents are exempt from paying the Immigration Health Charge, providing significant savings on healthcare costs during their stay in the UK.

Fast track Entry & Expedited Visa Processing Times

The Home Office guidance states that UK Visas and Immigration prioritizes Health and Care Worker visa applications, aiming to process most applications within three weeks from the date biometrics are taken.

Dependents of Health and Care Workers

Health and Care Workers can be joined or accompanied by a dependent partner aged over 18 and/or dependent children under 18.

The visa fee reduction and exemption from the Immigration Health Charge also apply to these dependents when they apply alongside the main Health and Care Worker visa applicant.

COVID-19 visa extensions for Health Workers

If you are a health worker employed by the NHS or an independent healthcare provider in an eligible role, and your visa expires between 1 October 2020 and 31 March 2021, you may qualify for a free one-year extension to your current leave.