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Health and Care Worker Visa

Who qualifies, the salary and English rules, the fees, the closure of overseas recruitment for care workers, dependants and the path to settlement.

Reviewed against GOV.UK on 18 August 2026.

What the Health and Care Worker visa is

The Health and Care Worker visa is a branch of the Skilled Worker route for qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals sponsored by a licensed UK employer. It offers three advantages over a standard Skilled Worker application: a reduced application fee, exemption from the immigration health surcharge, and lower salary thresholds tied to national pay scales. A grant can last up to 5 years, and the route leads to settlement.

Who qualifies

You must be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional in an eligible job with a Home Office-approved employer, paid at least the minimum salary and able to read, write, speak and understand English. Apply within 3 months of your certificate of sponsorship being issued.

The main list runs to around 30 codes: 1171 health services managers, 2113 and 2114 scientists, 2211 and 2212 medical practitioners, 2221 to 2229 therapy professions, 2231 to 2237 nursing, 2251 to 2259 pharmacy, optometry, dentistry, radiography, paramedics and podiatry, 2461 social workers, 3111 laboratory technicians, 3212 pharmaceutical technicians and 6131 nursing auxiliaries. Codes 6135 and 6136 are available on in-country applications only, and six medium-skilled codes (1231, 3211, 3213, 3219, 6132, 6133) only for people extending on a certificate issued before 22 July 2025.

Your sponsor must be the right kind of organisation

Not every licensed sponsor can use this route. The job offer must come from the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an organisation providing adult social care. Care workers (6135) and senior care workers (6136) in England must have an employer registered with the Care Quality Commission; equivalent regulators apply elsewhere in the UK. A sponsor outside these categories may still sponsor the job as an ordinary Skilled Worker role, but the reduced fee and surcharge exemption are lost.

Care workers and senior care workers: closed from overseas

From 22 July 2025 the route closed to entry clearance applications in codes 6135 and 6136. Under Appendix Skilled Worker, an applicant sponsored in either code must apply for permission to stay from inside the UK, must have been legally working for the sponsor in one of those codes for at least the three months ending on the date the certificate of sponsorship was issued, and must apply before 22 July 2028, when the transitional window closes.

Dependants are restricted here: a partner or child can normally only be included where you have been continually employed in the UK in these roles on a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, or the child was born in the UK, or you are the sole responsible parent, or the other parent is sponsored in the same codes.

Salary

Health and care jobs use a lower threshold. Your salary must be at least £25,000, or more if your job's going rate is higher. Going rates here follow national pay scales, for example the NHS scales, in the public and private sectors alike, assume a 37.5-hour week and are pro-rated.

The standard Skilled Worker rate, by contrast, is £41,700 plus the going rate, so the discount is substantial. Reduced options exist: 70% of the lower going rate if you are under 26, a recent graduate, in professional training or a postdoctoral scientific role, if paid at least £25,000; 90% for a relevant non-STEM PhD if paid at least £28,200. Some applicants extending or switching fall under a £31,300 threshold instead.

English language and the 8 January 2026 change

The B2 change does apply here. You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2 on the CEFR scale. The carve-out is transitional: if you held this visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating it, level B1 still applies. You can prove English with a UK GCSE, A level or Scottish National Qualification at level 4 or 5, a degree taught in English (with an Ecctis assessment if awarded overseas), or a Secure English Language Test. Nationals of majority English-speaking countries are exempt, and doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives may rely on an assessment accepted by their regulated professional body.

Fees and charges

The fee is identical inside and outside the UK, and dependants pay the same. Maintenance funds are not needed if your sponsor certifies maintenance on the certificate of sponsorship.

One widely repeated claim needs correcting. It is often said that sponsors pay no Immigration Skills Charge on this route. GOV.UK does not support that. The charge applies to Skilled Worker sponsorship, and the published exemptions cover only certain science, research and higher education codes (2111 to 2115, 2119, 2161, 2162, 2311), entry clearance under six months, students switching into work routes, dependants and some Global Business Mobility cases. Health and care codes are not listed, so a sponsor should budget £480 (small or charitable) or £1,320 (medium or large) for the first 12 months, plus £240 or £660 per further six months.

Working, second jobs and family

You can work in your sponsored job, study, volunteer and travel. You may also work up to 20 hours a week in another job or your own business, provided you are still doing your sponsored job and the extra work is in a higher-skilled eligible code, on the immigration salary list, or in the same sector at the same level. You must update your visa if the second job exceeds 20 hours, but not for overtime in your sponsored role or NHS bank shifts. You cannot claim most public funds or the State Pension, or change employer without updating your visa. Dependants are your spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner, children under 18 including those born in the UK, and children over 18 who already hold dependant permission.

Settlement and the 26 March 2027 English change

After 5 years you can apply for indefinite leave to remain at £3,226 per person, with the Life in the UK Test if aged 18 to 64, and you may apply 28 days early. GOV.UK currently confirms you do not need to prove English again at settlement on this route. That changes on 26 March 2027, when the settlement English standard rises from B1 to B2, with transitional protection for earlier applications.

Common refusal reasons

• Sponsor is not an NHS body, NHS medical services provider or adult social care provider, or is not CQC-registered.
• Salary below £25,000 or below the national pay scale going rate once hours are pro-rated.
• A 6135 or 6136 application made from outside the UK, or without three months' prior legal employment with the sponsor.
• Applying more than three months after the certificate was issued, or a certificate withdrawn before decision.
• English evidence below B2, or a missing Ecctis assessment for an overseas degree.
• Maintenance funds not held for 28 consecutive days ending within 31 days of applying.
• Missing criminal record certificate where the code requires one, or a missing tuberculosis certificate.
• Switching from a prohibited category such as a visit visa, short-term student visa or immigration bail.

How PRIMEVISA helps

• We confirm your occupation code, sponsor eligibility and going rate before a certificate of sponsorship is assigned.
• We advise care sector clients on the 22 July 2028 transitional window and the three-month employment condition.
• We audit English, maintenance, criminal record and TB evidence against the B2 standard before submission.
• We plan the five-year path to settlement, including the 26 March 2027 English change and dependant eligibility.

Common questions

Can a care worker still apply for this visa from outside the UK?
No. From 22 July 2025 the route closed to entry clearance applications in occupation codes 6135 (care workers and home carers) and 6136 (senior care workers). Applications in these codes must now be for permission to stay from inside the UK, the applicant must have been legally working for the sponsor in one of those codes for at least the three months ending on the date the certificate of sponsorship was issued, and the application must be made before 22 July 2028.

What salary do I need for a Health and Care Worker visa?
At least £25,000 a year, or your job's going rate if that is higher. Going rates for these roles follow the relevant national pay scales, such as NHS bands, in both the public and private sectors. This is well below the standard Skilled Worker rate of £41,700 plus the going rate.

Does the 8 January 2026 B2 English change apply to this route?
Yes. Applicants must show English at level B2 on the CEFR scale in reading, writing, speaking and listening. The only relief is transitional: if you held a Health and Care Worker visa before 8 January 2026 and are applying to extend or update it, level B1 still applies. Doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives can meet the requirement with an assessment accepted by their regulated professional body.

Does my employer have to pay the Immigration Skills Charge?
Yes, in most cases. Contrary to a common claim, GOV.UK does not exempt the Health and Care Worker visa from the Immigration Skills Charge. The published exemptions cover only certain science, research and higher education occupation codes, entry clearance of under six months, students switching into work routes, dependants and some Global Business Mobility cases. Sponsors should budget £480 for a small or charitable sponsor, or £1,320 for a medium or large one, for the first 12 months.

How much does the visa cost and do I pay the health surcharge?
The application fee is £324 per person for up to 3 years and £628 per person for more than 3 years, the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK. Dependants pay the same amounts. You and your family are exempt from the immigration health surcharge. You also normally need £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance.

Related guides

• Global Talent visa
• UK work visas: Skilled Worker and sponsored routes
• Sponsor licence for UK employers
• Skilled Worker visa refusal: what to do next
• UK visa fees 2026

This page summarises guidance published on GOV.UK and was last reviewed on 18 August 2026. It is general information, not immigration advice on your own case. PRIMEVISA LTD is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, registration F201600043.

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