by Quick answer: To meet the Health and Care Worker visa requirements, you must be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional with a confirmed job offer from a Home Office approved UK health or care employer, a certificate of sponsorship, English at the required level and a salary of at least £25,000 (twenty-five thousand pounds) or the going rate, whichever is higher. Care worker roles (codes 6135 and 6136) can no longer be used for a first application.
This guide covers eligibility, eligible jobs, salary, fees, savings, dependants and sponsors for the UK Health and Care visa, and compares it with the Skilled Worker visa.
Last verified: 28 September 2026 against GOV.UK.
What is the Health and Care Worker visa?
The Health and Care Worker visa lets qualified professionals come to or stay in the UK to work for the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care. Its biggest advantage is cost: you and your family do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, and you can use the NHS for free from the date your visa starts.
Health and Care Worker visa requirements: UK eligibility checklist
- Qualification: you are a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional.
- Job: your role matches an eligible occupation code.
- Employer: the Home Office has approved your employer as a sponsor.
- Certificate of sponsorship: your employer has issued one with details of the role.
- Salary: you meet the minimum salary for your type of work.
- English: you can speak, read, write and understand English, and can usually prove it.
- Job offer: it is confirmed before you apply.
You can apply up to 3 months before your start date, and you must apply within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship. After you prove your identity, a decision from outside the UK usually takes 3 weeks.
Which jobs qualify for the Health and Care visa?
Your job must match a code on the GOV.UK eligible jobs list. For a first application, the main groups are:
- Managers: 1171 health services and public health managers and directors; 1232 care managers and proprietors.
- Scientists: 2113 biochemists and biomedical scientists; 2114 physical scientists.
- Doctors: 2211 generalist and 2212 specialist medical practitioners.
- Therapists: 2221 to 2229, including physiotherapists and clinical psychologists.
- Nurses: 2231 to 2237, from midwifery nurses to children’s nurses.
- Health professionals: 2251 to 2259, including pharmacists, paramedics and dentists.
- Others: 2461 social workers; 3111 laboratory technicians; 3212 pharmaceutical technicians; 6131 nursing auxiliaries and assistants.
Confirm your exact code with your employer. The code on your certificate decides which salary rules apply.
UK care worker visa: what has changed
Care workers and home carers (code 6135) and senior care workers (code 6136) are no longer on the main list. GOV.UK lists them separately, for people who are extending, updating or switching into this visa. In practice, this means you cannot use a care worker job for a first application from overseas.
If you switch into the visa as a care worker, you must already have worked legally in the job for your sponsor for at least 3 months. In England, a care employer must also be registered with the Care Quality Commission.
This matters if you are searching for care jobs with visa sponsorship in the UK. Treat any offer of a new overseas care worker visa with caution, and never pay a recruiter or employer for a certificate of sponsorship.
A further group of medium skilled codes (1231, 3211, 3213, 3219, 6132 and 6133) can only be used to extend or update a visa where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 22 July 2025.
Salary rules for the Health and Care Worker visa
For most eligible jobs, the minimum is £25,000 a year or the going rate for the job, whichever is higher.
Some codes follow different salary requirements, including some managers and scientists, technicians, care workers (6135) and senior care workers (6136). For these, the usual minimum is £31,300 (thirty-one thousand three hundred pounds) or the lower going rate, whichever is higher. People under 26 or in training can in some cases be paid 70% of the lower going rate, but never less than £25,000.
GOV.UK example: your salary is £32,000 (thirty-two thousand pounds) and the lower going rate for your job is £33,000 (thirty-three thousand pounds). You clear the £31,300 floor but miss the going rate, so you would not qualify unless a lower rate applies.
Fees, savings and the Immigration Health Surcharge
The application fee is the same inside and outside the UK:
- Up to 3 years: £324 (three hundred and twenty-four pounds) per person.
- More than 3 years: £628 (six hundred and twenty-eight pounds) per person.
You also usually need at least £1,270 (one thousand, two hundred and seventy pounds) in your bank account for 28 days in a row, with day 28 falling within 31 days of your application. You are exempt if you have held a valid UK visa for 12 months, or if your employer certifies it will cover your costs for your first month.
You and your family do not pay the healthcare surcharge. Skilled Worker applicants usually pay £1,035 (one thousand and thirty-five pounds) a year for it.
How long the visa lasts and what you can do
The visa can last up to 5 years before you need to extend it, and you can extend as often as you remain eligible. After 5 years you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
You can work in your sponsored job, study, and travel abroad and return. You cannot claim most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension, and you cannot change job or employer without updating your visa.
Bringing your partner and children
Your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner and children under 18 can usually join you. Each pays the same visa fee as you.
Care workers and senior care workers face tighter rules. Family can join you only in set cases, for example if you have been continuously employed as a care worker or senior care worker on a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, or for a child born in the UK. A similar rule, with a 22 July 2025 cut-off, applies to medium skilled jobs.
Unless exempt, your family must also show savings: £285 (two hundred and eighty-five pounds) for a partner, £315 (three hundred and fifteen pounds) for one child and £200 (two hundred pounds) for each additional child.
Family cost example: a nurse on a 5-year visa with a partner and one child pays 3 × £628 = £1,884 (one thousand, eight hundred and eighty-four pounds) in fees. Without an exemption, the family must also hold £1,270 + £285 + £315 = £1,870.
How to find a licensed health and care sponsor
Your employer must hold a sponsor licence. Check the official register of licensed sponsors: workers, a CSV file UK Visas and Immigration updates often (latest update when checked: 28 September 2026). Search for the employer’s registered name and confirm the entry covers the Worker route.
An employer not on the list can apply for a licence if eligible. The fee is £611 (six hundred and eleven pounds) for small businesses and charities or £1,682 (one thousand, six hundred and eighty-two pounds) for medium and large organisations, and processing usually takes around 8 weeks.
Difference between the Skilled Worker visa and the Health and Care visa
| Feature | Health and Care Worker visa | Skilled Worker visa |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Eligible jobs with the NHS, an NHS supplier or adult social care | Eligible jobs with any approved UK employer |
| General salary floor | £25,000 or the going rate (£31,300 for some codes) | £41,700 or the going rate |
| Fee, up to 3 years | £324 inside or outside the UK | £819 outside; £943 inside |
| Fee, more than 3 years | £628 inside or outside the UK | £1,618 outside; £1,865 inside |
| Healthcare surcharge | Not payable, including for dependants | Usually £1,035 a year |
| Personal savings | £1,270 unless exempt | £1,270 unless exempt |
| Length and settlement | Up to 5 years, then extend; may settle after 5 years | Up to 5 years, then extend; may settle after 5 years |
If your role qualifies for both, the Health and Care route usually costs far less. For the full Skilled Worker pay rules, read our guide to the Skilled Worker visa salary threshold.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Applying more than 3 months after receiving your certificate of sponsorship.
- Moving savings too late, so the money has not been held for 28 days.
- Planning a first application with a care worker code.
- Changing job or employer without updating your visa.
- Assuming family can join a care worker without checking the 11 March 2024 rule.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a UK care worker visa from overseas in 2026?
Not as a new applicant. Care worker (6135) and senior care worker (6136) roles are only listed for people extending, updating or switching into the Health and Care Worker visa.
What is the minimum salary for the Health and Care Worker visa?
Usually £25,000 a year or the going rate, whichever is higher. Some codes, including care workers and senior care workers, need at least £31,300 or the lower going rate.
Do Health and Care Worker visa holders pay the healthcare surcharge?
No. Neither you nor your partner or children pay it.
How long does a Health and Care Worker visa last, and can I extend it?
Up to 5 years at a time. You can extend as many times as you remain eligible, and may apply to settle after 5 years.
Related guides
See more visa sponsorship job guides or browse scholarships in the UK, USA, Europe and Canada.
Official sources
- GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker visa
- GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker visa, your job
- GOV.UK: How much it costs
- GOV.UK: Your partner and children
- GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors, workers
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker visa
This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Check GOV.UK before you apply, because rules change.
