Health And Care Worker Visa Solicitors

Health and Care Worker is a category within the Skilled Worker framework for qualifying health professionals and adult social care workers. The employer must be an approved sponsor and meet the health-and-care employer criteria, such as the NHS, a qualifying NHS service provider or an eligible adult social care organisation.

Check the occupation code against the actual duties. Job titles alone are insufficient, and some medium-skilled occupations are restricted to specified lists or continuing-permission arrangements. A valid CoS must accurately record the role and salary. Professional registration requirements remain separate from immigration approval.

For care workers and senior care workers working in England, Care Quality Commission registration is generally required. A narrow exception exists for qualifying workers with continuous pre-11 March 2024 permission continuing with the same sponsor; it should not be assumed for a new sponsor or recruit.

• Eligible health and care jobs
• The Skilled Worker framework

Since 22 July 2025, applications for care workers and senior care workers under occupation codes 6135 and 6136 must be made for permission to stay in the UK. These roles are not open to new overseas entry-clearance applications.

One transitional route requires at least three months of lawful work for the proposed sponsor in the relevant role, ending on the date the CoS is issued. Appendix Skilled Worker requires the application to be made before 22 July 2028. The deadline is subject to review; being in the UK or working somewhere in the care sector is not enough.

A separate provision covers workers already holding Skilled Worker permission sponsored in the relevant care occupation, including qualifying historical codes. It can allow continued sponsorship or a move to another sponsor without treating the person as a new overseas recruit. Check the exact permission history and current rules before relying on it.

• Immigration Rules: Skilled Worker

There is no single salary figure that answers every Health and Care Worker case. Many eligible clinical roles are assessed against national pay scales and an applicable general threshold, currently usually £25,000. Specified occupations instead use other salary options, usually £31,300 or the relevant lower going rate, whichever is higher, unless a permitted option applies.

For sponsored care workers and senior care workers qualifying for Health and Care treatment, current sponsor guidance requires at least £25,000 annually and £12.82 for each hour worked. Hours, pay composition and the correct occupation table matter. Do not apply a graduate or PhD discount without confirming it is available for that role and applicant.

New applicants generally need English at B2 in all four skills. B1 transitional treatment applies to qualifying existing permission under the rules before 8 January 2026. Nationality and educational evidence can provide alternatives to a test; doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives may rely on an English assessment accepted by their relevant professional regulator.

• Health and Care salary options
• Health and Care English-language requirements

Eligible family members can apply as dependants, but care-worker sponsorship does not generally allow a new partner or child application. A protected position can apply where the worker has continuously held the relevant sponsored permission since before 11 March 2024.

Other medium-skilled health roles have separate transitional treatment linked to permission before 22 July 2025. The Rules also contain specific child exceptions, including UK-born children and certain in-country cases involving an only living parent or parents sponsored in the relevant restricted roles. These are narrow provisions, not permission to disregard the family restrictions.

Relationship, age, care and financial requirements must be assessed for each dependant. An unmarried partnership does not invariably require two years at the same address, but the relationship must meet the relevant durable-relationship requirements.

• Health and Care dependant rules

Unless an exception applies, the main applicant needs £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, with the end of that period within 31 days before applying. An eligible sponsor can certify maintenance on the CoS; an in-country applicant with at least twelve months’ qualifying permission may not need to show funds.

Where family maintenance is required, the additional amounts are £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each further child. Exceptions and the evidence period must be checked for each person. A salary offer is not automatically proof that maintenance is met.

Plan for the correct application location, identity process and supporting evidence. Overseas criminal-record requirements depend on the occupation and residence history; tuberculosis evidence is also conditional. Do not assume the same checklist applies to every applicant.

• CoS reference, sponsor licence details, occupation code, duties, hours and salary.
• Passport, English evidence and any relevant professional or qualification evidence.
• Maintenance evidence or the applicable exemption/certification.
• Relationship documents, relevant criminal-record and tuberculosis certificates, and certified translations where required.

A change of employer or relevant job circumstances can require an updated application and a new CoS. Check permission before starting a new role. In-country switching is not available from every category, and Student applicants have additional conditions.

Under the current Skilled Worker framework, settlement may be available after five qualifying years, subject to the separate residence, continuing sponsorship, pay, suitability and knowledge requirements. Entry-level salary concessions do not necessarily carry through to settlement.

An enquiry should identify the exact occupation, sponsor, proposed pay and hours, current permission and any dependant applications. Highfin’s advice scope must be confirmed separately; this page does not offer recruitment or certify a particular employer.

• Work visa options
• Indefinite leave to remain