UK Health and Care Worker Visa

The UK Health and Care Worker Visa is designed for qualified healthcare professionals from around the world who want to work in the UK. This visa allows individuals to join the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) or other eligible organizations in the health and care sector.

It provides a streamlined process to immigrate to UK with reduced fees and fast-tracked entry for those with a job offer in this field. With this visa, professionals can live and work in the UK for 5 years at a time, bringing essential skills to support the country's healthcare system. After 5 years, candidates may also be eligible to apply for UK PR Visa and move to the UK permanently.

Check Eligibility to Work in the UK

UK Health and Care Worker Visa Eligibility

1. Your Job

To be eligible for a UK Health and Care Worker Visa, you must:

• Be a qualified doctor, nurse, healthcare professional or adult social care professional.
• Work in an eligible health or social care job.
• Work for an employer in the UK that has been approved by the Home Office.
• Have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with your job details.
• Be paid a minimum salary.

You must have a confirmed job offer before you can apply for the UK Health and Care Worker Visa.

Eligible occupations for UK Health and Care Worker Visa

Before you check if your job is eligible, you will need to find out its 4-digit occupation code. If you do not know your code, you can search for your job in the CASCOT occupation coding tool. Take note that every job title is not included. If you can’t find the exact job title, you can try searching for similar jobs. You just need to make sure that the job description matches your job title.

You must be in one of the following occupation codes to be eligible for the UK Health and Care Worker Visa:

Approved UK Health and Care sector employers

To apply for UK Health and Care Worker Visa, you must have a job offer from an approved UK employer, also known as a sponsor, who will support your move to or stay in the UK.

You must have a job offer from:

• The NHS,
• An organization providing medical services to the NHS, or
• An organization providing adult social care.

If your employer is not yet approved, they can apply for a sponsor licence if eligible. The fee is £536 for small businesses and charities or £1,476 for medium and large organizations. The licence application typically takes around 8 weeks to process.

2. Salary Requirements

You will usually need to be paid a minimum salary of £23,200. If the ‘going rate’ of your job is higher than £23,200, you will need to be paid at least the going rate. Each of the occupations eligible for the UK Health and Care Worker Visa has its own annual going rate.

When you need to meet different salary requirements

You will need to meet different salary requirements if your job is in one of the following occupation codes:

3. Knowledge of English

To apply for UK Health and Care Worker Visa, you must prove that you can read, write, speak, and understand English to at least Level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

You can provide proof of your English language proficiency by:

• Passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT).
• Having a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher, or Advanced Higher in English, gained through study at a UK school that you began when you were under 18.
• Having a degree-level academic qualification that was taught in English. If you studied abroad, you will need to apply through Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) for confirmation that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree, master's degree, or PhD.

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UK Health and Care Worker Visa Documents Required

When applying for the UK Health and Care Worker Visa, you will need to provide:

• Your certificate of sponsorship reference number.
• Proof of knowledge in English.
• A valid passport and other identity documents.
• Your job title and annual salary.
• Your job’s 4-digit occupation code.
• The name of your employer and their sponsor licence number.

Other documents you might need

Depending on your situation you might also be asked to provide:

• Proof of funds to support yourself in the UK.
• Proof of relationship with your partner and dependents if they are applying with you.
• Your tuberculosis test results.
• A police background check certificate.

If you’ve lived in more than one country, you might need to provide a certificate from each country you’ve lived in.

How to apply for UK Health and Care Worker Visa?

You must apply for UK Health and Care Worker Visa online. How you apply depends on whether you are:

• Outside the UK.
• Inside the UK and extending your current visa.
• Inside the UK and switching from a different visa.

If you want to change your job or employer, you must apply to update your visa.

Note: The process can get a bit complex, especially for first-timers. Seek guidance from the best UK Immigration Consultants in India at Nationwide Visas if you are having trouble.

UK Health and Care Worker Visa Costs

Application costs

The standard application fee for the UK Health and Care Worker Visa depends on whether you will be in the UK for:

• Up to 3 years - £284 per person
• More than 3 years - £551 per person

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

Money to support yourself

You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show that you can support yourself in the UK. You will need to have these funds available for at least 28 days in a row. The 28th day must be within 31 days of applying for the visa. Your partner and children will also need to prove that they can support themselves while they are in the UK. You - or your partner or child - will need:

• £285 for your partner
• £315 for one child
• £200 for each additional child

Healthcare Surcharge

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge for each year of your stay - this is usually £1,035 per year.

UK Health and Care Worker Visa Processing Time

The latest UK Visa processing time to apply for the Health and Care Worker Visa is 3 weeks. You may be able to pay to get super-priority faster service.

UK Health and Care Worker Visa Validity

The UK Health and Care Worker Visa is valid for 5 years. After 5 years, you may be eligible to apply for an extension. You can apply for this extension as many times as you like - as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.

After 5 years, you may also be eligible to apply for UK PR Visa and settle permanently in the UK. A UK PR Visa, also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’, allows you to live, work, and study in the UK as long as you like.

UK Health and Care Worker Visa Extension

You can apply for UK Health and Care Worker Visa extension if all of the following conditions are true:

• You have the same job as when you were given the visa before.
• Your job is in the same occupation code.
• You are still working for the employer who gave you your current certificate of sponsorship.
• You still meet the salary requirements.

You must stay within the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man while awaiting a decision, or your application will be withdrawn.

Need help?

Connect with Nationwide Visas, one of the best UK Immigration Consultants in India. Our team will evaluate your case, offering the best solutions to immigrate to UK. Whether you need help with your application, documentation, finding jobs, or else, we’ve got you covered. Get a free consultation session and determine the best option to apply for your situation.