How to apply health and care Worker visa to Uk?
Visa for Health and Care Workers
If you're a medical professional looking to work in the UK, you can learn more about the Health and Care Worker Visa requirements and application process.
The Health and Care Worker Visa: What is It?
For foreign medical professionals who want to relocate to the UK to work for the NHS, an NHS supplier, or in the adult social care industry, there is a relatively new visa category called the Health and Care Visa. This new visa category allows healthcare workers to enter the UK more efficiently, quickly, and for less money.
While the Health and Care visa and the Skilled Worker visa both allow you to live and work in the UK, there are some differences between the two. Only certain medical professionals and individuals in qualifying health and care roles are eligible for the Health and Care Worker Visa. Holders of Health and Care Visas pay lower visa fees and are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge.
The Health and Care Visa is suitable for up to 5 years; if you want to keep working in the UK after that time, you can apply to extend it. You may renew your Health and Care visa as often as possible, provided that you meet the eligibility requirements. After staying in the country for at least five years on this visa, you may be qualified to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain if you want to make the UK your permanent home.
For whom is a Health and Care visa available?
Only qualified doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals working in positions that qualify in the UK healthcare industry are eligible for the Health and Care Visa. You must fulfil several additional requirements besides the job requirements to be eligible for the visa.
If you satisfy the following requirements, you might be given a Health and Care Visa:
- You hold a valid licence as a physician, nurse, health care provider, or adult social care professional.
- You have a job offer from an employer in the UK that the Home Office has authorised, and you will be employed in one of the eligible occupations in the health or social care sector.
- You have a Certificate of Sponsorship from your UK employer, which details the position offered to you.
- You satisfy the wage requirements, which depend on the work you will do.
- You are from a country with the most English speakers or have a qualifying degree-level academic qualification taught in English, so you do not need to meet this requirement. You can read, write, speak, and understand English at least at level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.
Salary requirements
To meet the minimum salary requirements for the Health and Care Worker route, you must be paid at least £25,600 per year or £10.10 per hour. If the going rate for your position is higher, your minimum wage will be higher.
You must make at least the going rate for your role, which varies depending on the occupation code. The minimum salary requirement must be met, for instance, if your yearly salary is £28,000, but the industry standard for your profession is £30,000.
In some circumstances, you can still qualify for this visa if your salary is less than £25,600 per year. You can earn less than this if any of the following apply:
- Your job is in a role on the Shortage Occupation List
- You are either under the age of 26, students or recent graduate or are in professional training
- You have a STEM PhD qualification that is relevant to your job
- You have a postdoctoral position in a scientific role
If any of the above apply, you can be paid between 70-90% of the going rate for your job, providing your salary is at least t £20,480 per year. Your salary can be £23,040 per year if you have a relevant PhD qualification.
Health and Care Worker Visa Occupational Codes
The relevant Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes which meet the eligibility requirements for the Health and Care Worker visa are as follows:
- 1181: health services and public health managers and directors
- 1242: residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
- 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
- 3111: laboratory technicians
- 3213: paramedics
- 3216: dispensing opticians
- 3217: pharmaceutical technicians
- 3218: medical and dental technicians
- 3219: health associate professionals not elsewhere classified
- 6141: nursing auxiliaries and assistants
- 6143: dental nurses
- 6145: care workers and home carers
- 6146: senior care workers
This is an exhaustive list, and roles within the same sector but fall under different codes would not be eligible for the Health and Care Visa: However, some roles may still be eligible within the general Skilled Worker category.
Different salary requirement
There are different salary requirements for those working in the following occupation codes:
- 1181: health services and public health managers and directors
- 1242: residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
- 2112: biological scientists and biochemists
- 2113: physical scientists
- 3111: laboratory technicians
- 3216: dispensing opticians
- 3217: pharmaceutical technicians
- 6145: care workers and home carers
- 6146: senior care workers
If your job is in one of the above occupation codes, you will usually need to be paid at least £25,600 per year or £10.10 per hour, whichever is higher. If the ‘going rate’ is higher than both, you will usually need to be paid at least the going rate.
You may be paid less than £25,600 or your job’s ‘going rate’ in the following circumstances (you must still be paid at least £10.10 per hour):
- You can be paid 80% of the usual going rate if your job is in a shortage occupation and your salary is at least £20,480 per year;
- You can be paid at 70% of the usual going rate if you are under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training towards a recognised UK qualification or registered status, and your salary is at least £20,480 per year;
- You can be paid at 80% of the usual going rate if you have a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job as long as you will still earn at least £20,480 a year;
- You can be paid at 90% of the usual going rate if you have a non-STEM PhD level qualification as long as you will still earn your salary must be at least £23,040;
- You can be paid 70% of your usual going rate if you work in a postdoctoral position and your salary is at least £20,480 annually.
Certificate of Sponsorship requirements
To obtain your Health and Care Worker Visa, you must hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) issued by a government-approved employer in the UK. A Certificate of Sponsorship is not a physical document but an electronic record.
The Certificate of Sponsorship requirements differ slightly for Health and Care Workers than for Skilled Worker Visa applicants. If applying for a visa under the Health and Care route, then your employer must also include a brief explanation in your Certificate of Sponsorship giving details about how you meet the Health and Care Worker requirements.
If your employer is an organisation that provides medical services for the NHS, then they may also need to submit evidence of their contract with the NHS.
How to apply?
You must apply online for the Health and Care Worker Visa; you can do so using the application form available on the gov. uk website.
If you apply for this visa using the Skilled Worker route when applying, you will be asked if you are applying for a Health and Care Worker Visa as part of your application; please make sure that you tick yes on this question.
As part of your application, you must prove your identity; you can do this in one of two ways. You can either use the UK Immigration: ID Check app to scan your identity document or attend an appointment at a visa application centre near you to have your biometric information taken; this is your photograph and fingerprints.
To complete your application, you must submit the application form, prove your identity, submit your supporting documents and pay the application fee.
You can apply for your visa up to 3 months before the date you intend to start work in the UK. You will usually receive a decision on your application within three weeks.
Required documents
When applying for a Health and Care Worker Visa, you must submit certain documents and information to prove that you meet the eligibility criteria. You will need to provide:
- Your Certificate of Sponsorship reference number
- Proof of your knowledge of English – this may be your Secure English Language Test (SELT) results or proof of an eligible academic qualification taught in English.
- A valid passport or another national identity document
- The occupation code for your job
- Your job title and annual salary
- Who your employer is and their sponsor licence number – this will be on your CoS
- Your tuberculosis test results if you are from a country where the test is required
- Evidence that you have enough personal savings to support yourself in the UK
You may also need to submit a criminal record certificate for specific job roles. If you plan to bring eligible family members to the UK, you must provide documents proving your relationship with them.
All of your documents should be in English or Welsh; if they are in another language, you must get them translated by an official.
How much does it cost to apply?
The cost of applying for a Health and Care Visa varies depending on how long you will be in the UK. If you plan to stay for up to 3 years, the application fee is £247. If you plan to stay for over three years, the application fee is £479.
As well as the application fee, you must show that you have at least £1,270 in your bank account to support yourself in the UK.
What can I do on a Health and Care Worker Visa?
When living in the UK on a Health and Care Visa, there are specific immigration rules that you must adhere to. This visa allows you to do the following:
- Work in an eligible job
- Do voluntary work
- Take on additional work (only in some circumstances)
- Study
- Bring your partner and dependent children to join you
- Travel in and out of the UK
- Apply for ILR after five years
Whilst this visa permits you to do many things in the UK, there are some restrictions, you cannot access most public funds or the state pension, and you can only change employer if you update your visa.
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