UK Health and care worker visa 2025 Guide

The UK Health and Care Worker visa allows medical professionals to come and work in the UK with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care. Discover the essential details about the UK Health and Care Worker Visa. Get insights into the application process, eligibility criteria, and FAQs in this comprehensive guide.

UK Health And Care Worker Visa (Documents & Requirements)

Our experienced work visa lawyers can help you to apply for a Health and Care Worker visa (formerly a Tier 2 Health and Care visa) if you’re a medical professional who’s been offered a job with the NHS. In this guide we will look at the key elements for a health care worker visa including eligibility, documents and cost.

Who is eligible for health care visa?

To qualify for a Health and Care Worker visa, you must:

• be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional
• work in an eligible health or social care job
• work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
• have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
• be paid a minimum salary – how much depends on the type of work you do

You need to have a four digit occupation code before you can decide if you are eligible for the health care worker visa or not.

Eligible job roles for health care worker visa

Requirements for a Health and Care Worker Visa

In order to successfully qualify for a Health and Care Worker Visa, you will need to mee the following requirements:

• You hold a valid licence as a physician, nurse, health care provider, or adult social care worker;
• You hold or will hold a position that qualifies under the approved occupation codes list in the health or social care sector;
• You are employed by or will work for a UK employer in the health and care sector that has received the Home Office’s approval;
• You have been issued and assigned with a valid ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer;
• You mee the English language requirement to at least CEFR Level B1 (equivalent to IELTS 4.0);
• You will be paid the minimum salary OR the ‘going rate’, whichever is higher;
• You have enough money to support yourself without relying on public funds OR your employer ticked the box in CoS to certify your maintenance;
• You must provide a criminal record certificate, if working with vulnerable people; and
• You need to have a valid TB certificate (if applicable).

We recommend that you must book an appointment with an immigration lawyer to discuss the exact requirements and list of documents required for you health care visa application.

Documents required for health care worker visa

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.

Health and care worker visa minimum salary 

As part of your eligibility criteria for health and care worker visa, you must meet minimum salary requirements. This means that you must be paid at least the minimum salary or the going rate for the position offered, whichever is higher.

Typically, the health and care worker visa requires you to earn at least £26,200 a year, or £10.75 an hour. If your job’s current rate is higher than both, you should at least receive the going rate. For example, if your annual salary is £25,000, but the going rate for the job code is £26,800, you do not meet the salary requirement.

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 – £247 per person
• more than 3 years – £479 per person

The fee is the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK.

How long it takes to get a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:

• your supporting documents need to be verified
• you need to attend an interview
• of your personal circumstances, for example if you have a criminal conviction

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.

Switch to health and care worker visa

You might be able to apply to change (‘switch’) to a Health and Care Worker visa if you’re already in the UK on a different type of visa.

If you switch to health and care worker visa, your partner or child’s visa will not automatically switch to this visa. If they do not switch their visa, it will be valid until its original end date. They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK for as long as your employer is sponsoring you for, up to 5 years at a time. Your certificate of sponsorship will say how long your employer is sponsoring you for.

Why choose Deluxe Law Chambers for your health care worker visa?