- What is the Health and Care Visa?
- Who is eligible to apply for a Health and Care Visa?
- Benefits of the Health and Care visa
- The documents required to apply
- Application fees
What is the Health and Care Visa?
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. It was introduced in August 2020 to make it easier and quicker for health and care professionals to work in the NHS.
Who is eligible to apply for a Health and Care Visa?
To qualify for a Health and Care Worker visa, you must:
1) be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional
2) have a job in one of the following occupation codes:
- 2112: biological scientists and biochemists
- 2113: physical scientists
- 2211: medical practitioners
- 2212: psychologists
- 2213: pharmacists
- 2214: ophthalmic opticians
- 2215: dental practitioners
- 2217: medical radiographers
- 2218: podiatrists
- 2219: health professionals that are ‘not elsewhere classified’, such as audiologists and occupational health advisers
- 2221: physiotherapists
- 2222: occupational therapists
- 2223: speech and language therapists
- 2229: therapy professionals that are ‘not elsewhere classified’, such as osteopaths and psychotherapists
- 2231: nurses
- 2232: midwives
- 2442: social workers
- 3213: paramedics
3) have a job offer from:
- the NHS
- an organisation providing medical services to the NHS
- an organisation providing adult social care
Read the guidance to see a full list of eligible employers.
4) have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
5) be paid a minimum salary – how much depends on the type of work you do
Benefits of the Health and Care visa
The Health and Care visa was introduced to make it quicker and easier for health and care professionals to reach the UK and work in the NHS. Some of the key benefits of this visa are:
Faster processing times: Applicants can expect to receive the outcome of their application within three weeks following the biometric enrolment.
Lower application fees: The Health and Care visa has a reduced application fee compared to other visas. The reduced fee also applies to partners and dependants of suitable applicants.
Exemption of the IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge): In addition to having a reduced application fee, workers eligible for this visa, and their dependants, will not have to pay the IHS surcharge (£400 per year).
A dedicated NHS support and visa processing team: UKVI have set up a dedicated support team for applicants who may have any issues during the application process. You can contact their team by email using: UKVINHSteam@homeoffice.gov.uk
The documents required to apply
For details on the documents which are required from applicants when applying for the Health and Care Worker visa, click here.
Application fees
- A visa for up to three years is £232.
- A visa for more than three years is £464.
Your dependants will also pay the same amount.
Get a faster decision on your application
Applicants can pay an extra £800 for the super priority service to get a decision:
- by the end of the next working day (after providing your biometric information if your appointment is on a weekday).
- within 2 working days (after providing your biometric information if your appointment is at the weekend).
Working days are Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays.
If you’re interested in working in the UK and would like to discuss the positions available in your specialty, and how we can assist you, please contact our team.
