Health & Care Worker Visa

The Health and Care Worker visa allows overseas nationals with relevant medical or care skills to work in the UK in eligible roles within the NHS, an approved NHS supplier, or the adult social care sector. Successful applicants can live and work in the UK for five years, with the option to extend as many times as needed. After five years of continuous residence, holders may also become eligible to apply for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain).

How Does It Differ From the Skilled Worker Visa?

The Health and Care Worker visa is technically a category of the Skilled Worker visa, reserved specifically for medical professionals and those in eligible health and care roles — the standard Skilled Worker visa covers other professions. It also offers several practical advantages:

• Faster processing. Applications are fast-tracked by UKVI and typically processed within three weeks of biometric information being provided, compared with eight to twenty weeks for some other work visas
• Lower application fee. £590 for a grant of more than three years, compared with £1,519 under the standard Skilled Worker route
• No healthcare surcharge. Unlike most work visas, there's no requirement to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (normally £1,035 per year of stay)

New Rules for 2026

From 22 July 2025, the minimum skill level for the Skilled Worker route rose to RQF Level 6 (broadly, degree level). As a result, roles below this level are no longer eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa, unless they appear on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage Occupation List. This affects several previously eligible roles, including:

• SOC 6135 — care workers
• SOC 6136 — senior care workers
• SOC 1231 — healthcare practice managers
• SOC 3213 — medical and dental technicians
• SOC 3219 — health associate professionals (not elsewhere classified)
• SOC 6132 — ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)
• SOC 6133 — dental nurses

Some roles at RQF Level 3 to 5 remain eligible where they're included on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, though applicants in these roles can no longer bring dependants. Migratia notes that existing health and care workers already in RQF Level 3–5 roles can still extend or switch visas, provided they continue to meet the other requirements.

Eligible Occupations

The following occupation codes (SOC) are currently eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa:

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

• Have a job offer for an eligible role, together with a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a UK employer
• Meet the minimum salary requirement
• Meet the English language requirement
• Have sufficient personal savings to support themselves in the UK

Migratia's Skilled Worker visa solicitors can help confirm eligibility before an application is submitted.

Job offer. The role must correspond to one of the eligible occupation codes above — employers can confirm this, or applicants can use the ONS occupation checking tool. The job offer must come from the NHS, an organisation providing services to the NHS, or an adult social care provider, and the employer must be licensed to sponsor Health and Care Worker visas. The Home Office publishes a full list of eligible sponsor organisation types.

Minimum salary. The required salary depends on the role:

• Where pay isn't based on national pay scales, applicants generally need at least £31,300 per year, or the job's going rate, whichever is higher
• Where pay follows national pay scales, the minimum is £25,000, or the going rate, whichever is higher

Going rates are set by the government and vary by profession — these can be checked in Appendix Skilled Occupations, Table 3, of the Immigration Rules.

A lower salary — typically £25,000, or 80% of the going rate, whichever is higher — may apply where:

• The role appears on the Immigration Salary List
• The applicant qualifies as a new entrant
• The applicant holds a relevant STEM PhD

English language requirement. This can be met by:

• Passing an approved English test at CEFR level B1 or above across reading, writing, speaking, and understanding
• Holding a GCSE, A level, or Scottish National/Higher qualification in English
• Holding a degree-level qualification taught in English
• Qualifying for a country-based exemption

Evidence of savings. Applicants must generally show £1,270 held in a bank account for 28 days, unless they've already been living in the UK for a year or more on a valid visa. Where personal savings aren't sufficient, an employer letter of support is also accepted by the Home Office.

How to Apply

Applications from outside the UK are submitted online via the Home Office website, once the applicant has a job offer, Certificate of Sponsorship, and supporting documents in place. Progress can be saved and completed later if needed.

The general steps are:

1. Confirm eligibility for the Health and Care Worker visa
2. Secure a job offer from a licensed sponsor
3. Receive a Certificate of Sponsorship from the employer
4. Prepare the required supporting documents
5. Complete the online application form
6. Pay the application fee
7. Upload supporting documents
8. Attend a biometric appointment, if required, either at a visa application centre or via the Home Office's "UK Immigration: ID Check" app

Decisions are typically issued within 3 weeks of the application date for those applying from outside the UK, with UKVI making direct contact if further information is needed. Migratia can manage the full application process on behalf of applicants and their family members, from eligibility checks through to submission.

Required Documents

Applicants should generally expect to provide:

• A valid passport, with a blank page
• Their Certificate of Sponsorship reference number
• Job title and annual salary details
• The occupation code for the role
• The employer's name and sponsor licence number
• Evidence of sufficient personal savings
• Proof of relationship to a spouse, partner, or children, where applicable (e.g., marriage and birth certificates)
• A criminal record certificate, for applicants applying from outside the UK — except those in biological scientist and biochemist (2112) or physical scientist (2113) roles
• Evidence of English language proficiency
• TB test results, where required based on country of origin
• A UK PhD certificate, or an Ecctis reference for a PhD gained outside the UK

Extending the Visa

Visa holders can extend, provided they continue to meet the eligibility criteria — specifically, they must:

• Remain in the same role and occupation code as their current permission
• Continue working for the employer who issued their current Certificate of Sponsorship
• Continue meeting the salary requirement

Partners and children can also extend their visas, though each must apply separately, either alongside the main applicant or before their own current visa expires.

Costs

The application fee depends on the length of the grant:

• Up to 3 years: £304 per person
• More than 3 years: £590 per person

The fee is the same whether applying from inside or outside the UK.