The Health and Care Visa is for healthcare professionals and workers from around the world to come to work in the UK’s health and social care sector.
For UK healthcare employers, faced with persistent staffing shortages, the Health and Care visa offers a recruitment lifeline. For applicants, the benefits of the Health and Care Worker visa include fast-tracked entry to the UK, together with reduced visa fees and exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge. It also includes the support of a dedicated UKVI application processing team.
In this guide, we look at the key requirements for Health and Care visa applications, including eligibility criteria and the application process, Health & Care visa costs and processing times.
Please note, DavidsonMorris can assist once an applicant has secured an offer of employment. We are not able to sponsor candidates.
Section A: What is the Health and Care Visa?
The Health and Care visa is for overseas workers with specialist skills who want to come to the UK to work for licensed employers in eligible roles. The visa is open to specific healthcare professionals, including doctors, registered nurses, pharmacists, and adult social care workers.
The visa is designed to help address the skills crisis within the UK healthcare sector by offering an attractive route for foreign nationals to come to the UK for work, with the potential to settle in the UK permanently.
Successful applicants can work in the UK for a period of up to five years and can apply to extend their visa as many times as they like, provided they remain eligible.
Health and Care visa holders can also become eligible to apply for UK indefinite leave to remain after five years. With ILR status, you are no longer subject to UK immigration control, and you are no longer restricted by visa sponsorship rules, meaning you can change employers and jobs without the need to apply for additional visas.
There are many advantages to the Health and Care route over the Skilled Worker visa, including fast-tracked processing of visa applications, lower application fees and an exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge. While the Skilled Worker visa is open to workers in eligible occupations across many areas of the economy, the Health and Care Worker Visa is specifically limited to medical professionals and individuals working in eligible health and care roles.
If you are not taking up a job role in one of the prescribed occupations for a designated organisation, you will not be eligible for the new Health and Care visa, although it remains open to applicants who fall outside the visa requirements to apply under the Skilled Worker visa, provided they meet the visa criteria.
Section B: Who Can Apply for a Health and Care Visa
The Health and Care visa is open to individuals applying under the Skilled Worker visa who will be taking up a job offer in one of the occupations specified within a prescribed list of Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes, which currently includes qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals.
1. Eligible Occupations
Before you can determine if your occupation is eligible, you must have its four-digit occupation code. If you already have a job offer, you should ask your employer for the occupation code.
The list of eligible professions is subject to change and at present, includes the following:
| Code | Job Title |
|---|---|
| 1171 | Health services and public health managers and directors |
| 1231 | Health care practice managers |
| 1232 | Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors |
| 2113 | Biochemists and biomedical scientists |
| 2114 | Physical scientists |
| 2211 | Generalist medical practitioners |
| 2212 | Specialist medical practitioners |
| 2221 | Physiotherapists |
| 2222 | Occupational therapists |
| 2223 | Speech and language therapists |
| 2224 | Psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists |
| 2225 | Clinical psychologists |
| 2226 | Other psychologists |
| 2229 | Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified |
| 2231 | Midwifery nurses |
| 2232 | Registered community nurses |
| 2233 | Registered specialist nurses |
| 2234 | Registered nurse practitioners |
| 2235 | Registered mental health nurses |
| 2236 | Registered children’s nurses |
| 2237 | Other registered nursing professionals |
| 2251 | Pharmacists |
| 2252 | Optometrists |
| 2253 | Dental practitioners |
| 2254 | Medical radiographers |
| 2255 | Paramedics |
| 2256 | Podiatrists |
| 2259 | Other health professionals not elsewhere classified |
| 2461 | Social workers |
| 3111 | Laboratory technicians |
| 3211 | Dispensing opticians |
| 3212 | Pharmaceutical technicians |
| 3213 | Medical and dental technicians |
| 3219 | Health associate professionals not elsewhere classified |
| 6131 | Nursing auxiliaries and assistants |
| 6132 | Ambulance staff (excluding paramedics) |
| 6133 | Dental nurses |
| 6135 | Care workers and home carers |
| 6136 | Senior care workers |
2. Sponsor Requirements
As well as the role coming under one of the eligible SOC categories, to qualify for the visa, an applicant must also have been offered a job with an employer that holds a valid sponsor licence, and that is either be an NHS body or trust, a medical services provider to the NHS, an organisation providing adult social care, or one of several other medical and social care organisations listed in the official guidance. This could include, for example, someone who is employed or engaged by, or registered with one of the following industry bodies:
a. General Chiropractic Council
b. General Dental Council
c. General Medical Council
d. General Optical Council
e. General Osteopathic Council
f. General Pharmaceutical Council
g. Health and Care Professions Council
h. Northern Ireland Social Care Council
i. Nursing and Midwifery Council
j. Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland
k. Scottish Social Services Council
l. Social Care Wales
If your UK sponsor is a private organisation that provides healthcare services commissioned by the NHS, an explanation and possibly documentary evidence as to the contractual arrangements with the NHS will also need to be provided as proof of your eligibility for a Health and Care Worker visa.
New rules introduced with effect from 11 March 2024 also require that care providers in England applying to sponsor migrant workers will need to be registered by the Care Quality Commission. This requirement does not apply retrospectively; care workers already on the route prior to this date are able to extend their permission with the same sponsor and settle without the CQC regulation requirement being applied to them.
Section C: Health and Care Worker Visa Eligibility Requirements
The Health and Care visa applicants have to meet all the relevant criteria under the Skilled Worker visa route, which are:
a. Have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a UK-licensed sponsor
b. Have the offer of a qualifying job that meets the relevant salary threshold
c. In some cases, to have sufficient personal savings so that you can support yourself on arrival in the UK
d. Have a good working knowledge of the English language
e. Be able to show that you can travel, as well as providing your travel history over the preceding five years
f. Have valid tuberculosis test results if you are from a listed country
g. Be able to provide a criminal record certificate from any country where you have lived for 12 months or more within the last ten years, if you will be working with vulnerable people as a healthcare professional.
1. Health and Care Worker Visa Minimum Salary
As part of the eligibility criteria, you will need to meet the salary requirement. This means you must be paid either at least the minimum salary threshold or the appropriate ‘going rate’ for the job you have been offered, whichever is higher. Every eligible role is assigned a going rate by the Home Office.
For applications made on or after 4 April 2024, the minimum salary threshold for most Health and Care Worker visa applicants is £23,200 (up from £20,960) or the national pay scale for the role, whichever is higher. Workers applying for a role that is not on a national pay scale will have to meet a general annual salary threshold of £29,000.
These new thresholds apply when applying for a first Health and Care Worker visa or when extending permission.
In some cases, you may still be able to apply for a Health and Care visa even if your salary is lower than the required level. The rules allow you to be paid between 70% – 90% of the going rate for your position, provided you meet the relevant lower threshold and that you meet the specific requirements under the specific Option, as detailed in table 1 of the Home Office guidance. For example:
a. Option G: You have a relevant PhD: £26,100 minimum salary applies
b. Option H: You have a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) PhD relevant to the job you have been offered: £23,200 minimum salary applies
c. Option I: You have an offer for a job on the Immigration Salary List (previously known as the Shortage Occupation List): £23,200 minimum salary applies
d. Option J: You are a ‘new entrant’ i.e. under 26 and are studying, a recent graduate or in professional training: £23,200 minimum salary applies
Table 1:
Option |
Minimum Salary Threshold from 4 April 2024 |
Points Available |
| F | The applicant’s salary equals or exceeds both:
|
20 |
| G | The applicant has a PhD in a subject relevant to the job and their salary equals or exceeds both:
|
20 |
| H | The applicant has a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job and their salary equals or exceeds both:
|
20 |
| I | The applicant is being sponsored for a job on the Immigration Salary List and their salary equals or exceeds both:
|
20 |
| J | The applicant is a new entrant at the start of their career and their salary equals or exceeds both:
|
20 |
| K | The applicant is being sponsored for a job in a listed health or education occupation and their salary equals or exceeds both:
|
20 |
2. Maintenance Requirement
Some applicants will also have to evidence that they can financially support themselves. If you are applying from overseas, you must prove you have had £1,270 in your bank account for at least 28 consecutive days. Day 28 must be within 31 days of the date you applied for your visa.
You will be exempt from this financial requirement if you are applying from within the UK and have held a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if your sponsor is A-rated, it may submit a letter of support confirming they can cover your costs for the first month you are in the country.
3. English Language Requirement
Unless you are exempt, for example, because you are a national of a majority English-speaking country, you will need to prove your knowledge of English. To do this, you will usually need to show that you have passed an approved English language test with at least CEFR level B1 in reading, writing, speaking and listening, or have an academic qualification that was taught in English and is recognised by Ecctis as being equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD.
If you are applying as a doctor, dentist, nurse or midwife, you will be able to rely on the assessment of your professional body as proof of your language ability.
Section D: How to Apply for a Health and Care Worker Visa
To apply for the Health and Care visa, you will first need to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) by your UK sponsor. This is a unique reference number that you can use to apply online on the Home Office website.
Once you have completed all the relevant information, the next stage of the application process is to pay the appropriate fee. You will also need to provide various documents in support of your application.
On receipt of the application, the Home Office will assess the information and documents, and you may be offered to either book a biometrics appointment, (it is not possible to reuse any biometrics supplied with a previous application), or you will be advised how to enrol biometrics using an ID app.
As with any UK visa application, you will need to provide various documents and information in support including, where relevant, the following:
| Document Description | Details |
|---|---|
| Current, valid passport or travel document | To prove you can travel |
| Any expired passports or travel documents | To show your travel history |
| Certificate of Sponsorship (reference number) from your employer | Required for the visa application |
| Employer’s name and sponsor licence reference number | Needed for the application |
| Job details, including job title, SOC code, and salary | To verify employment details |
| Statement or letter from your bank or building society showing you have enough personal savings | Required unless your CoS shows your A-rated sponsor can support you |
| Proof of your knowledge of English | To meet the language requirement |
| Tuberculosis test results (if you are from a listed country) | Health requirement |
| Criminal record certificate (unless your role is exempt) | To ensure no criminal history |
| Proof of relationship for dependants (e.g., marriage certificate for spouse, birth certificates for children) | For dependant applications |
Section E: Health and Care Worker Visa Costs and Processing Times
One of the key benefits of the Health and Care visa is that it offers reduced visa application fees compared to the main Skilled Worker route, as well as fast-tracked processing.
1. Visa Fee
The fees apply to applicants and dependants and are the same for both leave to enter the UK or to remain applications for those who qualify under this visa.
Fees for Health and Care Worker visa applications made outside the UK |
|
| Skilled Worker – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less – main applicant and dependants | £284 |
| Skilled Worker – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years – main applicant and dependants | £551 |
| Skilled Worker – Shortage Occupation – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less – main applicant and dependants | £284 |
| Skilled Worker – Shortage Occupation – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years – main applicant and dependants | £551 |
Fees for Health and Care visa applications made within the UK |
|
| Skilled Worker – Health and Care Worker Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less – main applicant and dependants | £284 |
| Skilled Worker – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years -main applicant and dependants | £551 |
| Skilled Worker – Shortage Occupation – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less – main applicant and dependants | £284 |
| Skilled Worker – Shortage Occupation – Health and Care Visa – where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years – main applicant and dependants | £551 |
Applicants and dependants who are eligible to apply under this visa are also exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge.
2. Processing Times
Health and Care Worker visa applications benefit from fast-tracked processing as standard. As a result, the majority of healthcare professionals applying on this route can usually expect a decision on their application within 3 weeks from the date they provide their biometric information. This is substantially quicker than the current timeframe for Skilled Worker visa processing.
Support is also available by way of a dedicated NHS support and visa processing team, enabling visa applicants and sponsors to contact UKVI’s specialist team if they have any issues with the application process or eligibility for the Health and Care visa.
Section F: Health and Care Visa Dependants
Most Health and Care Worker visa holders can be joined by qualifying dependants. Following a change in the law in March 2024, Health and Care Worker visa holders with SOC codes ‘6135 Care workers and home carers’ and ‘6136 Senior care workers’ (previously ‘6145 Care workers and home carers’ or ‘6146 Senior care workers’) are no longer permitted to bring family members with them to the UK under the dependant visa route. They would instead need to apply for an alternative visa, such as a work visa or student visa.
This rule does not apply retrospectively to visa holders who were already in the UK under this route; immediate family members of sponsored care workers already in the UK remain eligible to accompany or join the primary visa holder. This includes their spouse or partner and any dependent children.
If you are already in the UK and would like your dependants to join you, your UK sponsor will need to provide written confirmation that your family member is eligible to do so based on your occupation. This should be in the form of a letter or email from the sponsor, setting out the organisation for which you work and, if not an NHS body, how the organisation qualifies.
For those in roles that are eligible, their partner and children may be eligible to join or remain with them in the UK as ‘dependants.’ If their application is approved, their visa will typically expire on the same date as the main visa holders. In cases where a child’s parents hold visas with different end dates, the child’s visa will match the earlier expiry date.
A dependant partner or child includes:
a. Spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner
b. Child under 18
c. Child over 18, provided they currently have permission to be in the UK as a dependant
When applying, you must submit evidence proving your relationship with your dependant.
Section G: Visa Conditions
Health and Care workers must comply with the specific conditions of their visa, which includes notifying the Home Office of certain changes in circumstances.
1. Taking on Additional Work or a Second Job
Sponsored workers are permitted to take on additional work or employment, provided they remain employed in their sponsored role and that the relevant conditions are met. In some cases, you may also need to update your visa with the Home Office, submitting a letter with your application detailing why you want to change your current permission to stay. You can then be assigned a new CoS. Whether or not you need to update your visa depends on how many hours a week you’ll be working and the type of work you’re doing.
Under current rules, as a Health and Care worker you can work an unlimited number of hours without having to update your visa if the work is overtime for the job you are sponsored for, or if you are working ‘bank shifts’ for your NHS sponsor.
You can take on up to 20 hours of additional work for a different employer to your sponsor or on a self-employed basis, without having to update your visa if the work falls within the same occupational code as the role you are sponsored for, or if the work is for a role on the Immigration Salary List (or the former Shortage Occupation List).
In summary, Health and Care Workers will not need to update their visa if:
a. Their additional work also qualifies as an occupation under the Health and Care Worker route – in which case, there are no restrictions on the hours they can work in this role.
b. The additional work is overtime for their sponsored role or is work undertaken as ‘bank shifts’ for their NHS sponsor.
c. Their additional job is on the Shortage Occupation List – in which case, they can work up to 20 hours a week without having to update their visa.
d. Their additional job is an unpaid, voluntary role.
They do have to update their visa:
a. If the additional work is for more than 20 hours per week, the visa will need to be updated.
b. If the additional work is for less than 20 hours per week, but it is in a different occupational code to the primary sponsored work, or if the work has the same occupational code but is at a different level, they will need to update their visa.
2. Changing Jobs with a Health and Care Visa
Health and Care workers have to notify the Home Office when they change jobs or employer by applying to update their visa. Specifically, you have to update your visa if:
a. You are starting a new job with a new employer.
b. You are starting a new job which has a different occupation code to what is on your Certificate of Sponsorship and you are not working as part of a graduate training programme.
c. You will no longer be working in a shortage occupation role – this refers to you leaving a job which is on the shortage list, and starting a job which is not on the list. It does not refer to when a role is taken on the shortage list by the government.
Section H: Extending a Health and Care Visa
Health and Care visas are granted for up to five years. To remain in the UK lawfully, you may need to apply to extend your visa before it expires.
You can apply for an extension provided you continue to be eligible under the visa requirements. This means that you continue to be employed by the same sponsor that issued your current Certificate of Sponsorship, that you are still employed in the same role with the same occupation code as per your previous visa application, and that you continue to satisfy the salary threshold requirement.
However, after 5 years in the UK, rather than applying to extend your status, you may wish to apply to settle under Indefinite Leave to Remain.
If your family are with you in the UK with dependant visas, they too will need to apply for an extension and show they continue to be eligible as dependants, or apply for ILR before their visa expires.
Section I: Applying for ILR with a Health and Care visa
Health and Care workers who have lived in the UK for five years under the visa, or in combination with other permitted work visa categories, can become eligible to apply for ILR. You will be able to include time spent with lawful status under any combination of the following visas:
a. Any Tier 1 visa – except Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)
b. Skilled Worker or Tier 2 (General)
c. Health and Care
d. Scale-up Worker
e. T2 Minister of Religion or Tier 2 (Minister of Religion)
f. International Sportsperson, T2 Sportsperson or Tier 2 (Sportsperson)
g. Innovator
h. Global Talent
i. Representative of an Overseas Business
Your qualifying period begins on the date your initial application for entry clearance or leave to remain was approved. You can apply for ILR 28 days before the 5-year qualifying period expires.
Health and Care workers use application form SET (O) to apply for ILR. You will need to show that you meet the UK ILR requirements, which include:
a. Living and working in the UK for a minimum of five years immediately preceding the date of your application
b. Spending no more than 180 days outside the UK in any consecutive 12-month period during the qualifying five-year period of UK residence
c. Continuing to be sponsored by your employer
d. Continuing to meet the minimum salary threshold
e. Passing the Life in the UK test
f. Meeting the English language requirement
g. Not failing under the general grounds for refusal
Read more about applying for UK ILR here >>
Section J: Need Assistance?
DavidsonMorris has specialist expertise in advising healthcare employers on recruiting overseas workers, including sponsor licence management and compliance, HR training and managing applications for Health and Care visas. We have extensive experience in providing guidance on eligibility criteria, including minimum salary thresholds and occupation codes, as well as the practicalities of the application, such as supporting documents, fees and processing times. For advice on any aspect of a Health and Care visa application, contact us.
Section K: Health and Care visa FAQs
What is the Health and Care Visa?
The Health and Care Visa is a specific category within the UK’s points-based immigration system designed to attract healthcare professionals from around the world to work in eligible health and social care roles in the UK.
Who is eligible for health and care visa?
The Health and Care visa is open to workers in certain healthcare and adult social care roles with an eligible job offer for an authorised sponsor.
Does the NHS offer visa sponsorship?
NHS organisations can sponsor workers provided they have a valid sponsorship licence and that the visa conditions are met by the worker and the role.
What is the minimum salary for health and care visa UK?
From 4 April 2024, most health and care workers have to earn at least £23,200 or the national pay scale for the role, whichever is higher. Workers applying for a role that is not on a national pay scale will have to meet a general annual salary threshold of £29,000. Lower thresholds may be available for certain applicants.
Can a dependent apply for a Health care visa in UK?
Health and Care workers applying after 11 March 2024 are not permitted to be joined in the UK by family members as visa dependants. The family members would need to secure alternative permission to come to the UK, such as applying for their own work visa.
Do health workers pay the healthcare surcharge?
Health and care workers are exempt from the UK Immigration Health Surcharge.
Are care workers eligible for the Health & Care visa?
Only workers employed in eligible roles are eligible for the Health and Care visa. Carers are included on the Immigration Salary List – previously known as the Shortage Occupation List – but this status remains subject to government review and change.
Section L: Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Health and Care Visa | A visa category in the UK that allows medical professionals to work in eligible health and care roles. |
| NHS | National Health Service; the publicly funded healthcare system of the UK. |
| Tier 2 (General) Visa | The previous visa category for skilled workers which included health and care workers. |
| Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) | A document that a UK employer provides to a foreign worker as part of the visa application process. |
| Shortage Occupation List | A list of job roles in the UK that are in short supply of workers, making it easier to get a visa. |
| Skilled Worker Route | The visa route for skilled workers coming to the UK to take up a job offer. |
| Home Office | The UK government department responsible for immigration, security, and law and order. |
| Points-Based System | The immigration system used by the UK, where visa applicants must score a certain number of points. |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) | A fee paid by non-UK citizens to access the NHS during their stay in the UK. |
| Occupational Code | A code used to identify job roles for visa applications. |
| Salary Threshold | The minimum salary required to qualify for a visa under the points-based system. |
| English Language Requirement | A requirement for visa applicants to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) | The status allowing a person to live and work in the UK indefinitely. |
| Dependants | Family members (spouse/partner and children) who can accompany the visa holder to the UK. |
| Immigration Rules | The laws and regulations governing immigration to the UK. |
| Right to Work | The legal right to work in the UK, typically granted through visa status. |
| Visa Application Centre | A location where visa applicants submit their biometric data and documents. |
| Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) | A card that proves a visa holder’s immigration status and right to be in the UK. |
| Home Office Reference Number | A unique number assigned to an individual’s immigration application. |
| Healthcare Professional | A person qualified to work in health and care services, including doctors, nurses, and carers. |
Section M: Additional Resources
UK Government – Health and Care Visa Guidance
https://www.gov.uk/health-care-worker-visa
NHS Careers – Working in the NHS
https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) – Applying for a Visa
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration
Home Office – Immigration Rules
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules
British Medical Association (BMA) – International Doctors
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/international-doctors
Royal College of Nursing – Immigration Advice
https://www.rcn.org.uk/get-help/rcn-advice/immigration-advice-for-overseas-nurses
Health Education England – International Recruitment
https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/international-recruitment
Gov.uk – Visa Application Centres
https://www.gov.uk/find-a-visa-application-centre
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
