What is the cost of sponsoring Skilled Workers under the Health and Care Worker visa?
What is the cost of sponsoring Skilled Workers under the Health and Care Worker visa?
The Health and Care Visa is currently a part of the Skilled Worker route. Anyone who wishes to sponsor employees and get sponsored under the Health and Care Visa must meet all of the requirements of this category.
The Home Office has announced some attractive conditions such as reduced visa fees and exemption from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge by the main applicants and their dependent family members for the candidates in the Health and Care sector.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of all the fees and expenses you need to know about when sponsoring skilled workers under the Health and Care visa.
Expenses related to the Health and Care Worker visa
– Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
If you’re a licensed sponsor and you’ve identified a candidate eligible for the Health and Care visa, the first step is to assign them a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) in the Sponsor Management System (SMS).
You need to pay £199 when assigning the CoS.
– Immigration Skills charge
While assigning a CoS through the SMS, you’ll be requested to pay an immigration skills charge.
The amount you need to pay will depend on the size of your organisation and how long the sponsored employee will work for the company—which can be calculated using the start and end dates on their Certificate of Sponsorship.
A minimum of 12 months is payable, this amount is non-refundable unless paid in error or the sponsored worker fails to take up the post. The charge applies only to the main applicant, it is not payable for their dependants.
The fees are as follows:
| Period | Small or charitable sponsors | Medium or large sponsors |
|---|---|---|
| First 12 months | £364 | £1,000 |
| Each additional 6 months | £182 | £500 |
Please note that you don’t need to pay the Immigration Skills Charge if you’re sponsoring someone under one of the following occupation codes:
- Biological scientists and biochemists (2112)
- Physical scientists (2113)
– Visa application
Visa fee in the Health and Care Worker category is:
- £247 if issued for 3 years or less
- £479 if issued for over 3 years
Other conditions—like the candidate’s location (if they applied from inside or outside the UK) and if the job is on the shortage occupation list—do not impact the visa fee.
– Home Office priority service
If you want a faster decision on the visa application, you can pay for the Priority (Super Priority) Visa service. The fee for this service depends on the candidate’s location.
| Priority service (outside of the UK) | £250 |
| Expedited processing – Priority service (inside the UK) |
£500 |
| Super Priority service (inside the UK) | £800 |
For instance, a small organisation hiring for 3 years will pay £1,538 for the main applicant with no dependents for the standard service.
In the same scenario, a medium or large-scale company will pay £3,446 for a health and care worker.
– Other expenses related to the Health and Care Worker visa
1.The fee for the Criminal Record Certificate – depends on the country of issue.
In most cases, if applying from outside the UK, the applicant will need to provide a Criminal Record Certificate from any country they lived for over 12 months within the last 10 years—unless the job is in one of the following occupation codes:
- Biological scientists and biochemists (2112)
- Physical scientists (2113)
You can find how to apply for criminal record checks here.
2. The fee for the language test (if needed) is between £150 – £200
3. The fee for the TB test (if required) is between £100 – £150
The residents of these countries need to provide a TB test. Others may apply without a test.
The clinic fee varies from country to country and covers the consultation, chest X-ray, and TB clearance certificate.
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