UK Health and Care worker visa falls under the Skilled Worker category. The visa is for healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and people working in the adult social care sector.
The Health and Care visa can lead to settlement in the UK. Most of the Health and Care workers are allowed to bring their dependents except codes 6145 and 6146, which has been the case since
11 March 2024, however if you were granted

UK Health and Care Worker Visa takes less time to process, has a lower visa fee and the applicants are exempt from paying Immigration Health Surcharge.

What is the UK Health and Care Worker Visa?

The visa allows health and care workers from overseas to come and work in the UK. Therefore, the health and care visa requires you to have a job offer and sponsorship from a licensed sponsor in the UK. Your job must be one of those in the occupation code list which includes but is not limited to the following:

• Health services and public health managers and directors
• Healthcare practice manager
• Physical scientists
• Generalist medical practitioners
• Specialist medical practitioners
• Physiotherapists
• Clinical psychologists
• Midwifery nurses
• Registered community nurses
• Registered specialist nurses
• Registered nurse practitioners
• Registered mental health nurses
• Pharmacists
• Optometrists
• Dental practitioners
• Medical radiographers
• Social workers
• Laboratory technicians
• Dispensing opticians
• Care workers and home carers
• Senior care workers

The visa is usually valid for 5 years which means that after spending 5 years in the UK on this route you may apply for indefinite leave to remain. Once you have ILR you may apply for British Citizenship after holding the ILR for 12 months.   

Eligibility for UK Health and Care Worker Visa

If you are applying for a visa for health and care workers visa in the UK you need to meet the UK health and care visa eligibility requirements. The health and care worker visa requirements are the following:

• You must be aged 18 or over.
• You must be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional, or adult social care professional.
• 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 you have applied for a care worker or senior care worker your employer must be registered with the CQC (Care Quality Commission)
• The job you have been offered must be eligible (occupation code is eligible) for this visa.
• You must be issued a certificate of sponsorship from an approved sponsor.
• Your employer must be an eligible employer which means operating in England's health and care sector, and must be approved by the Home Office.
• In most cases, you must be paid the minimum salary or the ‘going rate’ - whichever is higher for the type of work you will be doing.
• You have enough money to support yourself without relying on public funds.
• In most cases, unless you come from an English-speaking country or you proved it in your previous visa application, you have to prove your knowledge of the English language at the CEFR Level B1 or above.

You may have to meet other eligibility conditions depending on your circumstances.

How to apply for a UK Health and Care Worker Visa?

You must apply for a health and care visa online. As this visa is part of the UK Skilled Worker Visa, you will be asked to choose ‘yes’ or ‘no’ if you are applying for a health and care worker visa. You must choose ‘yes’ if you are applying for a health and care worker visa. UK visa application starts with you being assigned a certificate of sponsorship from an approved sponsor in the UK. COS is a unique reference number that you will use while applying for the visa.

You will also need to prove your identity. Usually, you can do this by using one of the 2 ways. You can either use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document account or you can submit your biometric (fingerprints and photo) at a visa application center.

Fee and Costs

You must pay the application fee. The standard application fee depends on the number of years you have been sponsored by your sponsor.  

If you will be in the UK for up to 3 years the fee is £284 per person and if it is more than 3 years the fee is £551 per person. This is regardless of whether you have applied from inside the UK or
from outside the UK.

Unless exempt, you also need to have enough funds in your bank account to support yourself in the UK when you arrive here. The minimum amount required for this purpose is £1,270.

How long does it take to get a decision?

The UK health and care worker visa takes less time than other visas under the UK skilled worker visa category. You should usually get the decision on your application within 15 working days or 3 weeks of submitting your biometric information.

Applying with your partner and children

If you are applying for a UK healthcare worker visa your dependent family members

• Your husband, wife, civil partner, or unmarried partner
• Your child is under 18. This includes children born in the UK during your stay
• Your child over 18 if they currently have leave to enter or leave to remain in the UK as your dependent can apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependents’, if they meet the eligibility criteria.

You need to prove your relationship with your dependent family members when you apply.

Please note that if you are applying for a UK care or senior care worker visa on or after 11 March 2024 you cannot bring your family members to the UK with you.

Conclusion

UK healthcare and worker visa routes are always in high demand because of a shortage of local staff in the sector. Thus, the UK accepts a good number of visa applications to fill the gap and keep its healthcare system going strong for its citizens. With a successful visa, you get the right to work in an eligible role, take additional jobs, take voluntary work, change jobs, study, and apply for settlement in the UK after 5 years.