A Health and Care Worker visa allows medical professionals to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care.
Your job
You must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for a Health and Care Worker visa:
- you’re a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional
- your job is eligible for this visa
- you’ll be working for a UK health and care sector employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
- you’ll be paid the minimum salary or the ‘going rate’ for the type of work you’ll be doing – whichever is higher
Your employer must make sure your job pays at least the minimum wage and follows the UK rules for how many hours a week you work. If your employer does not do this, your application will be refused.
Check if your job is eligible
Before you can find out if your job is eligible, you need to know its 4-digit occupation code ( If you already have a job offer, ask your employer for your occupation code)
Look up your job’s occupation code :
If you do not know your code, you can search for your job in the CASCOT occupation coding tool.
Not every job title is included. If you cannot find your exact job title, try searching for similar jobs.
Make sure the job description matches what you’ll be doing. Some jobs in the same area of practice have different codes, for example dentists and dental hygiene therapists.
Check if an occupation code is eligible for this visa
Your job must be in one of the following occupation codes to qualify for the Health and Care Worker visa:
- 1171: health services and public health managers and directors
- 1231: health care practice managers
- 1232: residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
- 2113: biochemists and biomedical scientists
- 2114: physical scientists
- 2211: generalist medical practitioners
- 2212: specialist medical practitioners
- 2221: physiotherapists
- 2222: occupational therapists
- 2223: speech and language therapists
- 2224: psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists
- 2225: clinical psychologists
- 2226: other psychologists
- 2229: therapy professionals not elsewhere classified
- 2231: midwifery nurses
- 2232: registered community nurses
- 2233: registered specialist nurses
- 2234: registered nurse practitioners
- 2235: registered mental health nurses
- 2236: registered children’s nurses
- 2237: other registered nursing professionals
- 2251: pharmacists
- 2252: optometrists
- 2253: dental practitioners
- 2254: medical radiographers
- 2255: paramedics
- 2256: podiatrists
- 2259: other health professionals not elsewhere classified
- 2461: social workers
- 3111: laboratory technicians
- 3211: dispensing opticians
- 3212: pharmaceutical technicians
- 3213: medical and dental technicians
- 3219: health associate professionals not elsewhere classified
- 6131: nursing auxiliaries and assistants
- 6132: ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)
- 6133: dental nurses
- 6135: care workers and home carers
- 6136: senior care workers
If you’ll need to meet different salary requirements
You’ll need to meet different salary requirements for this visa if your job is in one of the following occupation codes:
- 1171: health services and public health managers and directors
- 1231: health care practice managers
- 1232: residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
- 2113: biochemists and biomedical scientists
- 2114: physical scientists
- 3111: laboratory technicians
- 3211: dispensing opticians
- 3212: pharmaceutical technicians
- 6135: care workers and home carers
- 6136: senior care workers
Salary requirements
You’ll usually need to be paid at least £29,000 per year, or the lower ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher. Example ( Your salary is £30,000 per year, but the annual lower going rate for the job you’ll be doing is £33,000. You do not meet the usual salary requirements for this visa. )
Each occupation code has its own annual lower going rate. Check the lower going rate for your job in the going rates table.
When you can be paid less
You might still be able to apply for a Health and Care Worker visa if your job is eligible but your salary is less than £29,000 or your job’s lower ‘going rate’.
You can be paid between 70% and 90% of the lower going rate for your job if your salary is at least £23,200 per year and you meet one of the following criteria:
- you’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training
- you have a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job (if you have a relevant PhD level qualification in any other subject your salary must be at least £26,100)
- you have a postdoctoral position in a scientific role
You cannot get a discounted salary rate if your job is on the immigration salary list.
Knowledge of English
You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply, unless you did this in a previous successful visa application.
Level of English
You must prove 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 prove your knowledge of English by:
- passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider
- 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’ll 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
Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English
You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of one of the following countries or territories:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- the Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- the British overseas territories
- Canada
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Jamaica
- Malta
- New Zealand
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- USA
If you’re a doctor, dentist, nurse or midwife
You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’ve already passed an English Language assessment that is accepted by the relevant regulated professional body.
How much it costs
When you apply for a Health and Care Worker visa, you’ll need to have enough money to:
- pay the application fee
- support yourself when you arrive in the UK – you’ll usually need to have at least £1,270 available (unless you’re exempt)
You’ll be told how much you need to pay when you apply.
Application fees
The standard application fee depends on whether you’ll 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 you can support yourself in the UK.
You will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of applying for this visa.
You’ll usually need to show proof of this when you apply, unless either:
- you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months
- your employer can cover your costs during your first month in the UK
Your partner and children will also need to prove they can support themselves while they’re in the UK. Check how much they’ll need.
Read the guidance on financial evidence for more information about the money you need and how to prove it.
If your employer can support you instead
Your certificate of sponsorship must confirm this. Your employer will need to complete the ‘sponsor certifies maintenance’ section on your certificate. This is under ‘Additional data’.
Documents you’ll need to apply
When you apply you’ll need to provide:
- your certificate of sponsorship reference number – your employer will give you this
- proof of your knowledge of English
- a valid passport or other document that shows your identity and nationality
- your job title and annual salary
- your job’s occupation code
- the name of your employer and their sponsor licence number – this will be on your certificate of sponsorship
Ask your employer for a copy of your certificate of sponsorship if you do not have one.
Other documents you might need
Depending on your circumstances, you might be asked to provide:
- evidence that you have enough personal savings to support yourself in the UK, for example bank statements (unless your certificate of sponsorship shows your employer can support you)
- proof of your relationship with your partner or children if they’re applying with you
- your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a listed country
- a criminal record certificate – if you’re working in certain jobs
- your UK PhD certificate, or your unique Ecctis reference number (formerly unique UK NARIC reference number) if your qualification is from outside the UK – you’ll need to apply through Ecctis
You’ll need a blank page in your passport for your visa if you’re:
- from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
- from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein but do not have a biometric passport with a chip in it
If your documents are not in English or Welsh you’ll also need to provide a certified translation.
Criminal record certificate
You’ll need to provide a criminal record certificate if you’re applying from outside the UK, unless your job is in one of the following occupation codes:
- 2113: biochemists and biomedical scientists
- 2114: physical scientists
- 3111: laboratory technicians
- 6132: ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)
Check how to apply for criminal records checks.
If you’ve lived in more than one country
You might need to provide a certificate from each country you’ve lived in, depending on your age and how long you stayed in each country.
If you’re under 28, you’ll need a certificate from any country you’ve stayed in for a total of 12 months or more since you turned 18.
If you’re 28 or over, you’ll need a certificate from any country you’ve stayed in over the last 10 years.
Apply from outside the UK
You must apply online for a Health and Care Worker visa.
Check which documents you’ll need to apply.
Proving your identity and providing supporting documents
As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.
You’ll either:
- use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document – you’ll also create or sign into your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account
- have your fingerprints and photo (biometric information) taken at a visa application centre
You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.
If you do need an appointment:
- the centre may need to keep your passport and documents while they process your application
- you may have to travel to get to your nearest visa application centre (this could be in another country)
Apply for a Health and Care Worker visa
Apply for a Skilled Worker visa. You’ll be asked if you’re applying for a Health and Care Worker visa as part of your application – make sure you choose ‘yes’.
Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.
“Apply Now“.
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