Health and Care Worker visa

The Health and Care Worker visa is still open to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals and other eligible health occupations, sponsored by the NHS, an NHS supplier or a CQC-registered adult social care provider. Care work is where things changed: since 22 July 2025, employers can no longer recruit care workers or senior care workers from overseas on this route. The salary rule for jobs on national pay scales is at least £25,000, or the national pay scale rate if that is higher.

What the visa is

The Health and Care Worker visa is a form of the Skilled Worker visa for eligible health and social care occupations. You need a job offer from an approved sponsor, a certificate of sponsorship, a job in an eligible occupation code, the right salary and English language ability at the required level. Compared with the standard Skilled Worker visa, application fees are lower and holders do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

It leads to settlement: time on the visa can count towards indefinite leave to remain if you meet the rules at the point you apply. Settlement rules have been under review, so check gov.uk for the current qualifying period.

Who qualifies now

The visa covers health occupations such as:

• medical practitioners
• nurses and midwives
• paramedics
• physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, radiographers, podiatrists and dietitians
• pharmacists, psychologists and some health scientists and technicians

The exact list of eligible occupation codes is on gov.uk and is updated as the immigration rules change. If your job title is not obviously one of these, the employer’s sponsorship team will know which code the post uses.

What changed for care workers

Under the immigration rules changes that took effect on 22 July 2025, overseas recruitment for care workers (occupation code 6135) and senior care workers (6136) closed. Employers can no longer issue a new certificate of sponsorship to someone outside the UK for these roles.

A transitional rule applies. People already in the UK can switch into these roles from another visa until 22 July 2028, if they have worked for the sponsor for at least three months. In England the employer must be registered with the CQC. Care workers who already hold a Health and Care Worker visa for these roles can generally extend or change employer within the rules.

If you are a care worker affected by these changes, get advice from an OISC-registered adviser or an immigration solicitor before changing job or visa.

Salary rules

For most Skilled Worker visas the general salary threshold is £41,700, or the going rate for the occupation if higher, and the job usually needs to be at RQF level 6 or above. Healthcare and education jobs on national pay scales have their own rule: at least £25,000, or the relevant national pay scale rate if higher. Separate tables on gov.uk list the NHS band rates that apply.

A registered nurse on Agenda for Change band 5 in England starts at £32,073 from 1 April 2026, which clears £25,000 easily. Lower bands come closer to the line: band 3 starts at £25,760 and band 2 is £25,272. Whether a particular post qualifies also depends on its occupation code, not only its pay. The Agenda for Change pay bands guide has all the band rates.

Who can sponsor you

The sponsor must hold a sponsor licence and be one of:

• the NHS (a trust, health board or other NHS body)
• an organisation providing medical services to the NHS
• an organisation providing adult social care that is registered with the CQC in England, or the equivalent regulator elsewhere in the UK

GP practices, private hospitals that supply NHS services and NHS-contracted providers can qualify.

Applying from inside the UK

If you are already in the UK on another visa, such as a student or graduate visa, you may be able to switch to the Health and Care Worker visa without leaving, as long as your current visa type allows switching and you have a qualifying job offer. Some visa types, including visitor visas, do not allow it. Whether you can start the new job while the application is pending depends on your current permission, so agree a start date with the employer’s sponsorship team and do not hand in notice on your current job until you know where the application stands.

Professional registration

For regulated professions, the visa does not replace registration. Nurses and midwives need NMC registration, doctors need GMC registration and most allied health professionals need HCPC registration. Employers often sponsor nurses for a pre-registration role while they complete the NMC process. The international nurses guide explains those steps.

Right to work and starting the job

Before you start, the employer must check your right to work, normally by viewing your eVisa through the Home Office online service with a share code you give them. They also carry out the usual NHS pre-employment checks: identity, references, occupational health, professional registration and a DBS check at the right level. The right to work checks guide covers what they will ask for.

Your visa conditions tie you to the sponsored job, with limited room for extra work. Check with the sponsor before taking bank shifts or a second job, because any extra work has to fit within those conditions. If you teach, the Skilled Worker visa for teachers guide covers that route.