Health and Care Worker Visa

The Health and Care Worker Visa is available to people who have a confirmed job offer from a licensed sponsor in an eligible occupation. Eligible roles include medical practitioners, nurses, midwives, paramedics, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers, and a range of other allied health professions listed in the Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations.

Adult social care roles — including care workers and senior care workers — are also eligible, but only when the sponsoring employer provides regulated activity to adults and is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This requirement was introduced to address concerns about exploitation in the social care sector.

The applicant must be paid at least the minimum salary for the role (the higher of the general Skilled Worker threshold or the specific occupational going rate), must hold an appropriate qualification, and must demonstrate sufficient English language ability. The sponsor must be on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors.

One of the most significant advantages of the Health and Care Worker Visa over the standard Skilled Worker route is cost. Application fees are substantially reduced — currently around £247 for up to three years rather than the standard Skilled Worker fee of £827. Dependants of Health and Care Workers also pay reduced fees.

Holders of the Health and Care Worker Visa and their dependants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge, which for other visa holders can amount to £1,035 per year. This exemption represents a very significant saving for a family of four over a five-year visa period.

In all other respects — conditions, rights to work, path to settlement — the Health and Care Worker Visa operates identically to the Skilled Worker visa. After five years of continuous lawful residence on this or another qualifying route, applicants can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Applications are made online through the UKVI portal. Before applying, the employer must assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to the worker. The CoS number is entered into the online application form. Supporting documents typically include a valid passport, the CoS reference, evidence of English language proficiency, and proof of qualifications where required.

If applying from outside the UK, the applicant must also book a biometric appointment at a Visa Application Centre. If switching from within the UK (for example, from a student visa or a different work visa), the application is made online without leaving the country in most cases.

Processing times for Health and Care Worker Visa applications from outside the UK are typically three weeks for standard service. A priority service is available in many countries for an additional fee, reducing the wait to five working days.

The Home Office has made specific processing commitments for Health and Care Worker Visa applications that are more favourable than the standard Skilled Worker route. Outside the UK, standard processing targets three weeks from biometric enrolment. In the UK (switching or extending), the target is eight weeks for standard service. A priority service is available in most overseas locations for an additional fee of around £500, reducing the target to five working days. A super priority service offering next-day decisions is available in the UK for in-country applications.

These commitments are targets, not guarantees — during periods of high demand processing can take longer. However, the existence of a priority service specifically designed for health and care workers reflects the Government's recognition of the critical need to staff the NHS and social care sector. Employers should factor realistic processing times into workforce planning, particularly where roles require the employee to be in post by a specific start date.

The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) — now replaced by the Immigration Salary List (ISL) following the January 2024 Migration Advisory Committee review — previously provided a 20% discount on salary thresholds for roles on the list. Many health and care roles are eligible roles under Appendix Skilled Occupations and continue to benefit from occupational going rates that reflect NHS pay bands. However, the broader 20% SOL discount has been removed. Applicants for nursing, medical, and allied health roles must now meet the full Skilled Worker minimum salary (£38,700 from April 2024 for most roles) or the occupational going rate, whichever is higher. The NHS pay banding system provides a relatively straightforward salary reference point for many healthcare roles, but employers should check current occupational going rates before assigning a CoS to avoid a rejection at the sponsorship stage.