Find out more about the requirements for this visa and the application process if you are a medical professional interested in working in the UK. You may be eligible for the Health and Care Worker Visa if this describes you.
The visa aims to mitigate the skills shortage in the healthcare industry in the United Kingdom. It aims to provide an appealing pathway for foreign individuals to migrate to the UK for employment, allowing them to be accompanied by their immediate family members. Additionally, this visa offers the possibility of obtaining permanent residency in the UK.
The approved candidates have the opportunity to engage in employment within the United Kingdom for a duration of up to five years. They can submit multiple visa extension applications as long as they meet the necessary eligibility criteria.
The Health and Care Worker Visa is available to qualified medical professionals, registered nurses, and other health and adult social care workers who seek to accept a position with the National Health Service (NHS). This organisation supplies the NHS, or in adult social care. Applicants for the Health and Care Worker Visa can bring their dependent partners and children to the United Kingdom once they have been there for up to five (5) years. After this time, you can apply to extend your visa to continue working in the UK.
You can extend your Health and Care visa as many times as you like if you continue to meet the eligibility requirements. If you want to make the UK your permanent home, you may also be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after residing there for at least five years on this visa.
Qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals can apply for the Health and Care Worker visa.
It is open to individuals applying under the skilled worker route for entry clearance or leave to remain who will be taking up a job offer in one of the occupations specified within a prescribed list of Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes.
Before determining if your occupation is eligible, you must have its four-digit occupation code.
Ask your employer for the occupation code if you already have a job offer.
The list of eligible professions is subject to change and, at present, includes the following:
| 4-digit SOC code | Eligible job roles | 4-digit SOC code | Eligible job roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1181 | Health services and public health managers and directors | 2213 | Pharmacists |
| 1242 | Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors | 2214 | Ophthalmic opticians |
| 2112 | Biological scientists and biochemists | 2215 | Dental practitioners |
| 2113 | Physical scientists | 2217 | Medical radiographers |
| 2211 | Medical practitioners | 2218 | Podiatrists |
| 2212 | Psychologists | 2219 | Health professionals not elsewhere classified eg audiologists and occupational health advisers |
| 2221 | Physiotherapists | ||
| 2222 | Occupational therapists | 6141 | Nursing auxiliaries and assistants |
| 2223 | Speech and language therapists | 6143 | Dental nurses |
| 2229 | Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified eg osteopaths and psychotherapists | 6145 | Care workers & home carers |
| 2231 | Nurses | 6146 | Senior care workers |
| 2232 | Midwives | 3216 | Dispensing opticians |
| 2442 | Social workers | 3217 | Pharmaceutical technicians |
| 3111 | Laboratory technicians | 3218 | Medical and dental technicians |
| 3213 | Paramedics | 3219 | Health associate professionals not elsewhere classified |
In addition to falling inside one of the SOC as mentioned above categories, an applicant must also possess a job offer from a licenced sponsor to meet the eligibility requirements for the visa. The sponsoring entity must be either an NHS body or trust, a medical services provider to the NHS, an organisation offering adult social care, or one of the several medical and social care organisations specified in the official advice. This may encompass individuals who are employed, involved, or registered with any of the subsequent industrial organisations:
To establish eligibility for a Health and Care Worker visa, it is necessary to furnish an explanation and potentially supporting documentation on the contractual agreements between the National Health Service (NHS) and the private organisation serving as the sponsor in the United Kingdom. This is particularly relevant if the sponsor provides healthcare services commissioned by the NHS.
To qualify for a Health and Care Worker Visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration:
The precise requirements you are expected to fulfil will change based on the specifics of your situation. Consult with an advisor to get professional guidance on this matter.
To apply for a Skilled Worker visa in the UK, you must prepare numerous documents proving your identity or skills and otherwise supporting your application. The most necessary papers you’ll be asked to submit include:
Employers who want to hire people through the Health and Care Worker route are often required to give their Health and Care Workers a wage of at least £20,480 per year or the ‘going rate’ for the position, whichever is higher. The Health and Care Worker route is more competitive than other employment pathways.
Every occupation code has its own “going rate” for yearly compensation. Different jobs are available within the National Health Service (NHS), pay bands depending on whether one is in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
There are separate salary requirements for those working in the following occupation codes:
If the occupation code of your employment is one of those listed above, you will typically be required to be paid at least £25,600 per year or £10.10 per hour, whichever is higher. This is the minimum wage required by law. If the ‘going rate’ is higher than both, you will often need to be paid at least the ‘going rate’ to be satisfied with the transaction.
In the following situations, it is permissible for you to be paid an amount that is lower than £25,600 or the “going rate” for your job, but you must still be paid at least £10.10 per hour:
You can be paid 80% of the usual going rate if your job is in a shortage occupation and your salary is at least £20,480 per year;
The Home Office keeps a list of skilled positions for which it is difficult for companies to recruit appropriate numbers of workers who possess the essential abilities to fill their openings. The Home Office maintains this list. On the website of the Home Office, there is a separate list that details jobs that are in short supply in the fields of healthcare and education. This list contains, amongst other things, all medical practitioners, nurses, midwives, psychologists, speech and language therapists, medical radiographers, paramedics, and social workers. As was discussed, if you obtain a job offer for a position included on the shortage occupation list, the minimum wage criterion will be lowered.
If you want to demonstrate that you can maintain yourself in the UK, you must establish that you have cash funds totalling at least £1,270, with a few exceptions.
You must have kept the funds for at least 28 consecutive days, with the final day falling 31 days before the date you want to apply for a Health and Care Worker Visa.
Suppose you seek permission to stay in the United Kingdom and have already been authorised to be there for at least a year before the date of your application. In that case, you will be considered to have met the financial criteria and will not be required to present proof of finances.
If your company can cover your costs during your first month in the UK to a minimum amount of at least £1,270, then you will also be excluded from paying this tax. By filling out the “Sponsor certifies maintenance” portion of your Certificate of Sponsorship, your sponsor must attest to the fact, as mentioned earlier.
Suppose you are applying from outside the UK. In that case, you must provide a criminal record certificate unless your job is one of the following occupation codes: biological scientists and biochemists (2112) or physical scientists (2113).
Upon reception, the Health and Care Worker visa application will be given priority and expedited by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
Consequently, a significant proportion of healthcare professionals who pursue this pathway can often anticipate a determination on their application within three weeks after submitting their biometric data. The proposed timescale for skilled worker visa processing is significantly shorter than the existing duration, which typically ranges from 8 to 20 weeks. Nevertheless, it is essential to note that the processing of UKVI applications has been affected by delays resulting from the epidemic and the prioritising of Ukrainian scheme applicants. Therefore, seeking guidance regarding the current processing periods is advisable before submitting your application.
Additionally, those seeking assistance with the application process or determining their eligibility for the Health and Care visa can get support through a specialised team inside the National Health Service (NHS). This team is specifically dedicated to providing aid and facilitating the visa processing for applicants and sponsors.
Suppose your application for a Health and Care Worker Visa is approved. In that case, you will be granted entry clearance or permission to stay for a period ending 14 days after the end date of your Certificate of Sponsorship (which may be up to a maximum of 5 years after the start date of your Certificate of Sponsorship). Your certificate of sponsorship will state for how long 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 :
To qualify for Settlement as a Health and Care Worker, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:
Suppose an applicant’s employer has certified on their Certificate of Sponsorship that they meet the eligibility criteria for the route. In that case, the applicant will pay reduced application fees when applying for the Health and Care Visa. The charge discount applies to partners, dependents, and the primary member. The application price reduction ought to occur mechanically through the use of the online application process.
The announced fees, which will become effective on December 1, 2020, are the same for applications for entry clearance submitted outside of the UK and for leave-to-remain made within the UK, including applications to switch into this category.
Suppose you are a citizen of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, or Turkey. In that case, this fee will automatically be reduced by £55. This discount only applies to the person using; partners and dependents will still be required to pay the full application fee.
When living in the UK on a Health and Care Visa, there are specific immigration rules that you must adhere to. This visa allows you to do the following:
You won’t be able to do a few things in the UK if you have this particular visa. You won’t be able to access most public funds or the state pension, and you can only switch employers if you update your visa.
You, as the employer, are required to acquire official authorisation from the Home Office to sponsor the particular employment post that your potential candidate is looking for through the Health and Care Worker route to be able to offer a certificate of sponsorship to those who are interested in working in the health care industry. The National Health Service (NHS), organisations that provide medical services to the NHS, and organisations actively engaged in adult social care are examples of typical recipients of this authorisation. You can apply for a Sponsor Licence even if the firm you work for is not already authorised, providing that you satisfy all of the prerequisite conditions for eligibility.
You will be responsible for providing a clear and brief explanation of how you meet the requirements to be eligible for the Health and Care Visa and including this explanation within the Certificate of Sponsorship. You may be required to reveal any existing contractual relationships with the NHS if your company provides services that the NHS commissions.
The Certificate of Sponsorship must comply with several vital recommendations and standards. It must be issued up to three months before the day the application for the Health and Care Worker visa is due. In addition, it needs to include important information, such as the name of the person applying for the job, the particulars of the job, and the compensation data. The start date mentioned in the Certificate needs to be at least three months after the day they applied for their visa. In addition, the Certificate must include a statement confirming that it has not been used in any previous application, regardless of whether it was approved, declined, or withdrawn. In addition, it should indicate that neither the Home Office nor the organisation funding it has cancelled it.
When you sponsor foreign nationals for either the Skilled Worker visa or the Senior/Specialist visa, as an employer, you must pay a fee known as the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC). When you issue the Certificate of Sponsorship, you must pay this cost, which is either £1,000 per sponsored worker per year for more significant organisations or £364 per year per sponsored worker for smaller companies and charities. Depending on the company’s size, this price can be either. It is necessary to pay the Immigration Skills Charge because failure to do so will result in the worker’s visa application.
Health and Care Worker Visa holders are exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge. The Immigration Health Surcharge is a fee that most temporary immigrants in the UK must pay to access NHS services; the surcharge is usually £624 per year.
With a Health and Care Worker visa, you do not need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, and you can access NHS services for free.
Yes, as long as you continue to meet the eligibility requirements, you can extend the Health and Care Worker Visa as often as you like. You will need to be in the same job as when you were previously granted entry clearance; your job must be the same occupation code, have the same employer, and still meet the salary requirements.
If you plan to make the UK your permanent home, you can also apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after living in the UK for 5 years on this visa. Indefinite Leave to Remain will allow you to live, work and study in the UK without being subject to time limits.
The Health and Care Worker Visa does come under the Skilled Worker route; applications are made by applying for a Skilled Worker Visa and answering yes when asked if you are applying for a Health and Care Visa as part of your application.
However, the Health and Care Visa does differ from the regular Skilled Worker visa. Only certain healthcare professionals are eligible for this visa. As well as this, applicants for the Health and Care Worker Visa pay reduced visa fees and do not need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. Health and Care Visa applications are also processed quicker.
Yes. To qualify for the health and care worker visa, you must demonstrate that you can read, write, speak and understand English at least B1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.
To prove you meet that level, you must do one of the following:
• Pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider
• Have a GCSC, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, or Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English that you obtained through studying at a UK school when you were under 18
• Have studied at a degree level for a course taught in English. If the course was done outside the UK, you must apply through Ecctis to confirm your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD
• Are from an English-speaking country that is exempt from proving their language ability through any of the above
In addition to having an income sufficient for your needs, you need to have a minimum of £1,270 in liquid assets to demonstrate that you can live independently in the UK.
You must have owned that sum for at least 28 days before the date on which you submitted your application.
If you have already been in the UK on a visa for 12 months or more before the date you apply for your health and care worker visa, you do not need to meet this condition to be eligible for the visa.
If your company pays for your living expenses during your first month in the UK, you will also be excluded from paying the tax. They can verify this information in your Certificate of Sponsorship (Cos).
