Health and Care Worker Visa UK

You may be able to apply if you are a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional, your job is eligible, your employer is approved by the Home Office, you have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship, you meet the salary requirement and you satisfy the English language requirement.

From 22 July 2025, care workers and senior care workers are not included in the list of occupation codes eligible for a first Health and Care Worker visa application from overseas. Codes 6135 and 6136 may still be relevant in certain extension, update or in-country switching scenarios, so advice should be taken before relying on those roles.

Care workers and senior care workers sponsored under occupation codes 6135 and 6136 are generally restricted from bringing partner and child dependants unless a transitional or child-specific exception applies. The main transitional exception is where the worker has been continuously employed in the UK as a care worker or senior care worker and held Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker permission since before 11 March 2024.

Many Health and Care Worker visa holders in eligible higher-skilled health roles may be able to bring a partner and dependent children if the dependant requirements are met. The restrictions mainly affect care workers, senior care workers and certain medium-skilled roles subject to transitional rules.

The current fee is £324 per person for a visa of up to 3 years and £628 per person for a visa of more than 3 years. The fee is the same whether the application is made from inside or outside the UK.

No. Health and Care Worker visa applicants and eligible dependants do not have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. They can use the NHS from the date their visa starts, although some services such as prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests may still involve charges.

You usually need at least £1,270 available to support yourself in the UK unless you are exempt, have been in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months, or your sponsor certifies maintenance on your Certificate of Sponsorship. Dependants have separate financial requirements unless exempt.

Common documents include the Certificate of Sponsorship reference number, passport or identity evidence, English language evidence, job title, salary, occupation code and sponsor licence details. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need maintenance evidence, TB test results, criminal record certificates, dependant relationship evidence, Ecctis evidence or certified translations.

You may need a criminal record certificate if you are applying from outside the UK and your role is within the relevant occupation codes. The requirement can depend on your age and where you have lived. Some occupation codes are excluded, so the requirement should be checked carefully before applying.

After the online application, identity verification and document submission are completed, GOV.UK usually states a decision time of around 3 weeks for Health and Care Worker applications. Cases can take longer if documents need to be verified, an interview is needed or personal circumstances require further checks.

You may be able to switch from inside the UK if your current immigration category allows switching and you meet the Health and Care Worker requirements. You cannot normally switch from categories such as visitor, short-term student, Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker or Domestic Worker in a Private Household.

If you change employer, change job or move to a different occupation code, you may need to update your visa and obtain a new Certificate of Sponsorship before starting the new role. Care worker and senior care worker cases also need CQC and transitional-rule checks where relevant.

Yes, you can usually extend if you have the same job, the same occupation code, the same employer and you still meet the salary and eligibility requirements. If your role or sponsor has changed, you may need to update your visa rather than complete a simple extension.

Yes. A Health and Care Worker visa can lead to indefinite leave to remain after 5 years if you meet the settlement requirements. These include residence, salary, sponsor confirmation, suitability and Life in the UK requirements. Dependants usually need their own 5-year dependant residence period.

Yes. We can provide a focused Certificate of Sponsorship and document-checking service, or full application support where you want expert immigration visa advisers to prepare and submit the application with supporting representations.