The UK's Health and Care Worker Visa has undergone significant changes in 2025, impacting both employers and prospective applicants. With new rules set to take effect on April 9, 2025, the UK government prioritizes hiring domestic care workers before recruiting from overseas, introducing significant updates to the care worker visa UK and its associated sponsor licence requirements. This article explores these changes, the health and care visa UK eligibility, and critical aspects like sponsorship duties, Skilled Worker visa salary requirements, and compliance and audit obligations for employers.
Overview of the Health and Care Worker Visa UK
The Health and Care Worker Visa, a subset of the Skilled Worker visa, facilitates the entry of overseas healthcare professionals into the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and private care sectors. Unlike the broader Skilled Worker visa, the health and care visa offers benefits like reduced visa fees and exemptions from the immigration skills charge, making it a preferred route for care workers. Eligibility hinges on a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) from a licenced sponsor, adherence to the Skilled Worker visa minimum salary, and compliance with UK visa regulations care workers.
Employers must hold a valid sponsor licence UK, managed through the sponsorship management system (SMS), and meet sponsor licence compliance standards set by the Home Office.
The Difference Between Skilled Worker Visa and Health and Care Visa
The UK's immigration system offers two primary visa routes for foreign nationals seeking employment: the Skilled Worker Visa and the Health and Care Worker Visa. While both visas facilitate employment in the UK, they cater to different professions and come with distinct benefits and requirements.
- Eligibility Criteria
- Skilled Worker Visa: This visa is open to individuals with a job offer in an eligible occupation from a UK employer approved by the Home Office. The scope is broad, encompassing various sectors such as IT, engineering, and education.
- Health and Care Worker Visa: Specifically designed for qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals, and adult social care professionals. Applicants must have a confirmed job offer in an eligible health or social care role from an approved UK sponsor, such as the NHS, an organization providing medical services to the NHS, or an organization offering adult social care.
- Skilled Worker Visa: This visa is open to individuals with a job offer in an eligible occupation from a UK employer approved by the Home Office. The scope is broad, encompassing various sectors such as IT, engineering, and education.
- Application Fees
- Skilled Worker Visa: The standard application fee ranges from £610 to £1,408, depending on the length of stay and whether the job is on the shortage occupation list.
- Health and Care Worker Visa: Applicants benefit from reduced fees, with costs of £284 for up to three years and £551 for more than three years.
- Skilled Worker Visa: The standard application fee ranges from £610 to £1,408, depending on the length of stay and whether the job is on the shortage occupation list.
- Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
- Skilled Worker Visa: Applicants are required to pay the IHS, which is £624 per year.
- Health and Care Worker Visa: Exempt from the IHS, providing significant cost savings.
- Skilled Worker Visa: Applicants are required to pay the IHS, which is £624 per year.
- Eligible Occupations
- Skilled Worker Visa: Encompasses a wide range of occupations across various sectors.
- Health and Care Worker Visa: Limited to specific health and social care roles, such as medical practitioners, nurses, and social workers.
- Skilled Worker Visa: Encompasses a wide range of occupations across various sectors.
- Dependants
- Skilled Worker Visa: Holders can bring dependants, including a spouse and children.
- Health and Care Worker Visa: As of 11 March 2024, care workers and senior care workers are no longer permitted to bring dependants. Other professionals under this visa can still bring eligible family members.
- Skilled Worker Visa: Holders can bring dependants, including a spouse and children.
Prioritizing Domestic Recruitment
Effective 9 April 2025, care providers in England are required to prioritize recruiting international care workers already residing in the UK before considering overseas candidates. This initiative aims to support care workers currently in the UK seeking new sponsorship opportunities, thereby reducing reliance on international recruitment and ensuring the sustainability of the domestic workforce.
Increased Salary Thresholds
The minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas, including Health and Care visas, has been elevated to £25,000 per annum or £12.82 per hour, up from the previous £23,200. This adjustment alligns with efforts to ensure fair compensation and reflect the evolving economic landscape.
Health and Care Visa UK Eligibility
To qualify for the Health and Care Worker Visa, applicants must meet specific criteria that ensure they are suitably qualified to contribute effectively to the UK's health and social care sectors. The eligibility requirements include:
- Age Requirement: Applicants must be 18 years or older at the time of application.
Borderless Immigration
- Qualified Professional Status: Candidates should be qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals, or adult social care professionals.
- Employment in Eligible Roles: Applicants must have a confirmed job offer in an eligible health or social care occupation that corresponds with the approved Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes.
- Approved UK Employer: The job offer must be from a UK employer that is approved by the Home Office and holds a valid sponsor licence.
- Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS): The UK employer must provide a valid Certificate of Sponsorship, detailing the role and salary offered.
- English Language Proficiency: Applicants need to demonstrate proficiency in the English language, typically by passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider.
- Salary Threshold: The offered salary must meet or exceed the minimum salary threshold or the 'going rate' for the specific role, whichever is higher.
- Financial Maintenance: Applicants must have sufficient personal savings to support themselves upon arrival in the UK, unless exempted.
- Criminal Record Certificate: A criminal record certificate is required, especially for roles involving work with vulnerable individuals.
- Tuberculosis (TB) Test: Applicants from countries listed as high-risk for tuberculosis must provide a valid TB test certificate.
Eligible Occupation Codes for Health and Care Visa
To qualify for the Health and Care Worker Visa, applicants must have a job offer in one of the following Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes:
| SOC Code | Job Title |
|---|---|
| 1171 | Health services and public health managers and directors |
| 1231 | Health care practice managers |
| 1232 | Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors |
| 2113 | Biochemists and biomedical scientists |
| 2114 | Physical scientists |
| 2211 | Generalist medical practitioners |
| 2212 | Specialist medical practitioners |
| 2221 | Physiotherapists |
| 2222 | Occupational therapists |
| 2223 | Speech and language therapists |
| 2224 | Psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists |
| 2225 | Clinical psychologists |
| 2226 | Other psychologists |
| 2229 | Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified |
| 2231 | Midwifery nurses |
| 2232 | Registered community nurses |
| 2233 | Registered specialist nurses |
| 2234 | Registered nurse practitioners |
| 2235 | Registered mental health nurses |
| 2236 | Registered children’s nurses |
| 2237 | Other registered nursing professionals |
| 2251 | Pharmacists |
| 2252 | Optometrists |
