Health and Care Worker Visa

Key takeaways

The Health and Care Worker visa is for qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals with a job offer from a Home Office-approved sponsor.
Applicants and their dependants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge, and sponsors do not pay the Immigration Skills Charge — a major saving over the standard Skilled Worker visa.
The minimum salary is usually £25,000 a year or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher, with NHS roles assessed against national pay scales.
Overseas recruitment of care workers and senior care workers closed on 22 July 2025; these roles are now open only to people already in the UK, with transitional arrangements until 22 July 2028.
From 8 January 2026 new applicants must meet English at CEFR level B2, raised from B1.
The visa can lead to indefinite leave to remain after 5 years’ continuous residence.

The Health and Care Worker visa lets qualified medical and adult social care professionals come to the UK to work for an approved employer in the NHS, an NHS supplier or adult social care. It is a branch of the Skilled Worker route, but with lower costs and faster processing, and it leads to settlement.

The route remains open in 2026 for doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and other eligible roles. However, the rules for care workers and senior care workers changed significantly in 2024 and 2025, and the English language requirement rose in January 2026.

The UK Health and Care Worker visa
Health and Care Worker visa: advantages and limitations
How the Health and Care Worker visa differs from the Skilled Worker visa
Who can apply for the Health and Care Worker visa?
New rules for care workers and senior care workers
Eligibility conditions for the UK Health and Care Worker visa
Application procedure for a UK Health and Care visa
Documents for a UK Health and Care Worker visa
Processing times for a Health and Care Worker visa
Fees for a Health and Care Worker visa
Bringing dependants
Permissions and restrictions
Visa extension
How can we help?
FAQ

The UK Health and Care Worker visa

The Health and Care Worker visa is a work route for people with a confirmed job offer in an eligible health or social care role from a UK employer that holds a sponsor licence. It sits within the Skilled Worker route but offers reduced fees, exemption from the healthcare surcharge and priority processing, in recognition of the roles it supports.

The visa can be granted for up to 5 years at a time. After 5 years’ continuous lawful residence you can usually apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), the UK’s form of settlement, provided you meet the requirements in force at that time.

Health and Care Worker visa: advantages and limitations

The main advantages are financial and practical: there is no Immigration Health Surcharge for the applicant or their dependants, the application fee is lower than the standard Skilled Worker fee, sponsors are not charged the Immigration Skills Charge, and applications are usually prioritised. The route also allows dependants and counts towards settlement.

The limitations are that the visa ties you to your sponsor and the sponsored role, you cannot rely on public funds, and — as explained below — care workers and senior care workers now face significant restrictions on new applications and on bringing family members.

How the Health and Care Worker visa differs from the Skilled Worker visa

Both visas belong to the same points-based Skilled Worker route, but the Health and Care Worker visa is a preferential version for eligible health and care roles. The practical differences are:

Feature	Health and Care Worker visa	Standard Skilled Worker visa
Immigration Health Surcharge	Exempt	£1,035 per year
Immigration Skills Charge (paid by sponsor)	Not payable	Payable
Minimum salary floor	£25,000 or going rate	£41,700 or going rate
Application fee	Lower (see fees below)	Higher standard fee

If your role is not on the eligible health or care list, the standard Skilled Worker visa may still be open to you.

Who can apply for the Health and Care Worker visa?

You can apply if you are a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional, you have a job offer in an eligible occupation code from a licensed sponsor, and that sponsor has assigned you a Certificate of Sponsorship. Eligible roles span medical practitioners, registered nurses, midwives, pharmacists, allied health professionals, social workers and a defined list of other occupations.

Care worker and senior care worker roles (occupation codes 6135 and 6136) are treated differently. If you are a care worker in England, your employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

New rules for care workers and senior care workers

Overseas recruitment of care workers and senior care workers closed on 22 July 2025. From that date, an employer can no longer sponsor a new care worker or senior care worker coming from outside the UK.

These roles remain available only to people who are already in the UK — for example, switching from another visa — and only where the worker has been employed by that sponsor for at least three continuous months before the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned. Limited transitional arrangements for people already in the care sector run until 22 July 2028. Finding a sponsor alone is not enough; payroll evidence must support the application.

Eligibility conditions for the UK Health and Care Worker visa

Salary condition

You must usually be paid at least £25,000 a year or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. Many NHS and other nationally pay-scaled roles are instead assessed against the relevant published pay band. The Health and Care Worker visa is not subject to the £41,700 general threshold that applies to most standard Skilled Worker applications.

English language condition

You must prove your knowledge of English. From 8 January 2026 new applicants must demonstrate English at CEFR level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening, raised from the previous B1 standard. If you held this visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating it, level B1 still applies.

Job offer condition

You need a genuine job offer in an eligible role from a UK employer approved as a sponsor, evidenced by a Certificate of Sponsorship. The role must meet the salary and skill requirements for its occupation code.

Personal savings requirement

Unless you are exempt, you must have at least £1,270 available and held for 28 consecutive days before you apply, to show you can support yourself. Applicants already in the UK for 12 months or more, or whose A-rated sponsor certifies maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship, do not need to show this.

Application procedure for a UK Health and Care visa

You apply online, pay the fee, and prove your identity either through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application centre where you give your biometric information. You must apply after receiving your Certificate of Sponsorship and, for entry clearance, no more than 3 months before your intended start date. You can normally stay in the UK while a valid in-time extension is being decided.

Documents for a UK Health and Care Worker visa

You will generally need a current passport or travel document, your Certificate of Sponsorship reference number, evidence you meet the English language requirement, and proof of savings unless exempt. Depending on your circumstances you may also need:

proof of your relationship to any dependants;
a criminal record certificate for certain health and care roles;
a valid tuberculosis test result if you are from a listed country;
Ecctis confirmation where a qualification or English is evidenced by a degree taught abroad.

Documents not in English or Welsh must be provided with a certified translation.

Processing times for a Health and Care Worker visa

Because the Health and Care Worker route is prioritised, a decision is usually made within 3 weeks, whether you apply from outside or inside the UK. UK Visas and Immigration will tell you if a case needs longer, for example to verify documents or arrange an interview.

Fees for a Health and Care Worker visa

The application fee is charged per person, for the main applicant and each dependant, and is the same whether you apply from outside or inside the UK:

Certificate of sponsorship length	Fee per person
Up to 3 years	£324
More than 3 years	£628

Crucially, there is no Immigration Health Surcharge to pay on this route for you or your dependants, which typically saves £1,035 per person for each year of the visa. You must still meet the £1,270 maintenance requirement unless exempt.

Bringing dependants

Your partner and children can usually join you or stay with you as dependants, and can work and study in the UK. Care workers and senior care workers are the exception: a new dependant can generally only be added if you have been continuously employed in the UK as a care worker or senior care worker, on a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa, since before 11 March 2024. Narrow exceptions apply — for example a child born in the UK, or where you are the child’s only living parent.

Permissions and restrictions

On this visa you can work in your sponsored role, take supplementary work in some circumstances, do voluntary work and study alongside your job. You cannot claim public funds, and you must not work outside the terms of your sponsorship. If you change employer or role you normally need a new Certificate of Sponsorship and a new application.

Visa extension

You can apply to extend the Health and Care Worker visa for as long as you continue to meet the requirements and remain sponsored in an eligible role, and time on the route counts towards settlement. Extensions are made from inside the UK before your current visa expires.

How can we help?

Sterling Law advises healthcare professionals, care workers and the organisations that employ them across the whole Health and Care Worker route, from a first application to settlement, and helps sponsors stay compliant.

Our work can include:

confirming whether your role and employer qualify for the Health and Care Worker visa or the standard Skilled Worker visa;
advising care workers already in the UK on switching and the three-month employment rule;
applying for or maintaining a sponsor licence and assigning Certificates of Sponsorship correctly;
checking salary and going-rate requirements for the occupation code;
preparing entry clearance, switching and extension applications;
advising on dependants, including the care worker dependant rules;
preparing indefinite leave to remain applications after five years;
helping graduates and other work-visa holders switch into eligible roles;
responding to sponsor compliance duties and Home Office queries;
representing you if an application is refused.

Speak to us before you apply, so any issue is dealt with while it can still be fixed. Contact us to arrange a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Health and Care Worker visa and the Skilled Worker visa?

Both are part of the Skilled Worker route, but the Health and Care Worker visa is for eligible health and care roles and is cheaper: there is no Immigration Health Surcharge, no Immigration Skills Charge for the sponsor, and a lower application fee and salary floor.

Can care workers still be recruited from overseas?

No. Overseas recruitment of care workers and senior care workers closed on 22 July 2025. These roles are now open only to people already in the UK, with transitional arrangements until 22 July 2028.

Do Health and Care Worker visa holders pay the Immigration Health Surcharge?

No. Applicants and their dependants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge.

What is the minimum salary?

Usually £25,000 a year or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher; NHS roles are assessed against national pay scales.

What English level do I need?

From 8 January 2026 new applicants must meet CEFR level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening. If you held the visa before that date and are extending, level B1 still applies.

How much does the visa cost?

£324 per person for up to 3 years or £628 per person for more than 3 years, with no Immigration Health Surcharge, plus £1,270 in maintenance funds unless exempt.

Can I bring my family?

Yes for most roles. Care workers and senior care workers can only add a new dependant if they were continuously employed in the role since before 11 March 2024, subject to narrow exceptions.