Health and Care Worker visa

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa Name	Health and Care Worker visa
Stay Length	Up to 5 years per application
Visa Cost	£324 (≤3 years) or £628 (>3 years)
Healthcare Surcharge	Exempt (£0)
Savings Requirement	£1,270 (held 28 days)
Eligibility Timing	Apply up to 3 months before start
Processing Time	Usually 3 weeks (8 weeks dependants in-UK)
Work Rights	Eligible sponsored job; permitted secondary work
Study Rights	Permitted
Public Funds	Not permitted (no access to benefits)
Travel Facility	Travel abroad and return to UK
Family Sponsorship	Eligible partner and children permitted
Settlement Pathway	Indefinite leave to remain after 5 years
Visa Record	Electronic Certificate of Sponsorship

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Purpose and Overview

The Health and Care Worker visa allows qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals, and adult social care professionals to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier, or an adult social care provider.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Job and Sponsorship

• Approved Sponsor: You must have a confirmed job offer from a Home Office-approved UK health and care sector employer (NHS, medical services provider to the NHS, or adult social care organisation). Employers sponsoring care workers (code 6135) or senior care workers (code 6136) in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS): You must have an electronic CoS reference number issued by your employer. You must apply for your visa within 3 months of receiving it.
• Eligible Occupation Codes: Your job must fall within eligible 4-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes:
  • Standard eligible codes: 1171, 1232, 2113, 2114, 2211, 2212, 2221, 2222, 2223, 2224, 2225, 2226, 2229, 2231, 2232, 2233, 2234, 2235, 2236, 2237, 2251, 2252, 2253, 2254, 2255, 2256, 2259, 2461, 3111, 3212, 6131.
  • Extending, updating, or switching: Medium-skilled codes 6135 and 6136 (must have worked legally for the sponsor for ≥3 months if switching).
  • Extending/updating (CoS issued before 22 July 2025): Codes 1231, 3211, 3213, 3219, 6132, 6133 (must have continuously held a Health and Care or Skilled Worker visa).

2. Salary Requirements

Your salary must equal or exceed both the UK National Minimum Wage and the applicable threshold:

• Standard Healthcare Roles (National Pay Scales): Paid according to the relevant NHS pay scale, usually at least £25,000 or the specific going rate for your role/band.
• Specific Occupation Codes (1171, 1231, 1232, 2113, 2114, 3111, 3211, 3212, 6135, 6136): Usually at least £31,300 per year or the occupation’s lower going rate, whichever is higher.
• Salary Reductions (70%–90% of going rate, minimum £25,000/year):
  • Under 26, recent graduates, or professional trainees: 70% of lower going rate (max total stay of 4 years under this rate).
  • Postdoctoral scientific positions (codes 2113, 2114): 70% of lower going rate (max stay of 4 years).
  • STEM PhD relevant to job: 80% of lower going rate (minimum £25,000).
  • Non-STEM PhD relevant to job: 90% of lower going rate (minimum £28,200).
  • Immigration Salary List: At least £25,000 or the job's full going rate (salary discounts cannot be applied).

3. Knowledge of English

Applicants must prove English language proficiency at CEFR Level B2 (or Level B1 if extending/updating a visa held before 8 January 2026). This can be proved via:

• A Secure English Language Test (SELT) with an approved provider.
• A GCSE, A Level, or Scottish equivalent begun while under 18 at a UK school.
• A degree taught in English (awarded by a UK institution, or assessed by Ecctis if awarded abroad).
• Passing an English assessment accepted by a relevant UK regulated professional body (doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives).
• Being a national of an exempt English-speaking country.

4. Financial Maintenance

• You must have at least £1,270 in personal savings, held continuously for at least 28 consecutive days (ending within 31 days of applying).
• Exemptions: You have lived in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or your sponsor certifies maintenance on your CoS under "Additional data".

Costs and Fees

Item	Cost (Up to 3 Years)	Cost (More than 3 Years)
Main Applicant Fee	£324	£628
Dependant Partner Fee	£324	£628
Dependant Child Fee	£324 per child	£628 per child
Immigration Health Surcharge	£0 (Exempt)	£0 (Exempt)

Biometrics collection carries no additional fee. Successful applicants and dependants access free NHS care from the visa start date, excluding standard out-of-pocket charges (e.g., prescriptions, dental, eye tests).

Stay, Extensions, and Settlement

• Initial Duration: Up to 5 years (as stated on the CoS).
• Extensions: Unlimited extensions permitted as long as eligibility requirements continue to be met.
• Settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain): Eligible after 5 continuous years in the UK.

Permitted and Prohibited Activities

You Can:

• Work in your sponsored, eligible job.
• Study.
• Do unpaid voluntary work for a charity, voluntary organisation, fundraising body, or statutory body.
• Travel outside the UK and return.
• Take on additional work:
  • Overtime in your sponsored role (unlimited hours).
  • NHS "bank shifts" for your sponsor.
  • Up to 20 hours per week in a secondary job (or self-employment) if it is higher-skilled, on the immigration salary list, or in the same sector/level as your main job.
  • Work for 4 months following completion of GP training.

You Cannot:

• Access public funds (most state benefits) or the State Pension.
• Work in a second job for more than 20 hours per week without applying for a visa update.
• Change jobs or employers without successfully applying to update your visa.

Family Dependants

Eligible partners and children (under 18, or over 18 if currently UK dependants) can apply to join or stay.

Eligibility Restrictions:

• Care workers and senior care workers: Cannot bring dependants unless continuously employed on a Health and Care/Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, or child was born in the UK, or special single-parent/dual-sponsored rules apply.
• Medium-skilled occupations: Dependants permitted only if the primary applicant has held continuous permission since before 22 July 2025 (or child born in the UK/specific parental exceptions apply).
• Dependant Maintenance Savings: £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child, £200 for each additional child (held for 28 days unless exempt).

Required Documents

• Valid passport or travel document.
• CoS reference number, employer name, and sponsor licence number.
• Job title, occupation code, and annual salary.
• Proof of English language proficiency.
• Bank statements showing maintenance funds (unless exempt or sponsor-certified).
• Proof of relationship for dependants.
• Tuberculosis test results (if applying from a listed country).
• Criminal record certificate from relevant countries lived in (for overseas applicants in specified occupations).
• Certified translations for any non-English/Welsh documents.

How to Apply

1. Submit Online: Apply online via GOV.UK for a Skilled Worker visa and select "Yes" when asked if applying for a Health and Care Worker visa.
2. Link Family: Use a "family linking code" (or primary applicant's UAN/GWF number) to connect dependant applications.
3. Verify Identity:
   • Use the "UK Immigration: ID Check" smartphone app to scan your identity document, OR
   • Book an appointment to submit biometric information (fingerprints and photo) at a Visa Application Centre (abroad) or UKVCAS service point (inside the UK).
4. Decision Times:
   • Standard applications: usually within 3 weeks.
   • Dependants applying inside the UK: usually within 8 weeks.
   • Priority options to expedite decisions may be available for a fee.

Important Warnings

• Travel Restrictions During Application: If applying inside the UK to extend, update, or switch, you must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands while your application is pending. Traveling will cause your application to be automatically withdrawn.
• Switching Ineligible Visas: Individuals in the UK on a visit visa, short-term student visa, seasonal worker visa, domestic worker visa, Parent of a Child Student visa, immigration bail, or leave outside the immigration rules cannot switch to this visa in-country and must apply from abroad. Students must have completed their course or completed at least 24 months of PhD study before switching.
• Updating Visa for Job Changes: You must apply for an updated visa before starting work with a new employer or before starting a role with a different occupation code.