The Health and Care Worker visa is not a separate route from the Skilled Worker visa but a part of it, reserved for eligible health and care roles. The two share the same foundations: an approved sponsor, a Certificate of Sponsorship, a minimum salary and an English requirement. What sets the Health and Care Worker visa apart is the cost, because it carries a lower application fee and an exemption from the immigration health surcharge. A doctor, nurse or care professional who applies on the general route instead can pay far more than necessary. This post provides an overview of the differences between the two routes for a person applying for a UK work visa.
What is the Skilled Worker visa?
The Skilled Worker visa allows a person to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job for an approved employer. It is the main UK work route and replaced the former Tier 2 (General) visa. The applicant needs a job offer from a licensed sponsor and a Certificate of Sponsorship before applying.
The role must be on the list of eligible occupations. It must also pay at least the minimum salary or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher. The applicant must also meet the English language requirement. The visa can be held for up to five years before extension, and it can lead to settlement. The route, its salary basis and its evidence requirements are set out on the Skilled Worker Visa guide and across the wider work and business visa routes. The applicant pays the application fee and the immigration health surcharge for the length of the visa.
What is the Health and Care Worker visa?
The Health and Care Worker visa is the part of the Skilled Worker route for qualified medical and adult social care professionals. It is for doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and adult social care staff in eligible occupations, sponsored by an approved health or care employer. The role and salary rules broadly follow the Skilled Worker route, but the cost is lower.
An applicant must be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional. The role must be in an eligible occupation code, with a Home Office-approved health and care employer. The applicant and any dependants do not pay the immigration health surcharge, and the visa application fee is reduced. The employer must be the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an organisation providing adult social care. The detail of the route is covered on the Health and Care Worker Visa guide.
Who is eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa?
Eligibility for the Health and Care Worker visa depends on the occupation code and the employer, in addition to the standard Skilled Worker requirements. The job must be a qualifying health or care role, and the sponsor must be an approved health or care provider. Not every job in a hospital or care setting qualifies.
GOV.UK lists the eligible occupation codes, which include medical practitioners, nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, paramedics, pharmacists, radiographers, social workers and nursing assistants, among others. A care worker or senior care worker can apply to extend, update or switch into the route. The employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission where the worker is in England. The applicant still needs a Certificate of Sponsorship, must meet the salary rule for the occupation, and must meet the English requirement. An applicant whose role or employer does not qualify for the health and care route may still be eligible on the general Skilled Worker route.
How do the two routes compare?
The two routes share most requirements and differ mainly on cost and on who can use them. Both need a licensed sponsor, a Certificate of Sponsorship, an eligible occupation, a qualifying salary and English. The table below sets out the main points of comparison.
| Aspect | Skilled Worker visa | Health and Care Worker visa |
|---|---|---|
| Part of the same route | The main Skilled Worker route | A part of the Skilled Worker route |
| Who it is for | Eligible skilled occupations across sectors | Eligible health and adult social care roles |
| Approved sponsor | Any licensed sponsor | NHS, NHS supplier or adult social care provider |
| Certificate of Sponsorship | Required | Required |
| Salary rule | Minimum salary or going rate, whichever is higher | Minimum salary or going rate, often by NHS pay scale |
| Immigration health surcharge | Payable for the length of the visa | Exempt for applicant and dependants |
| Application fee | Standard work visa fee | Reduced fee |
| English requirement | Required | Required |
| Settlement after 5 years | Yes | Yes |
| Dependants | Permitted, subject to the rules | Permitted, subject to the rules |
What are the cost differences between the routes?
The cost difference between the two routes comes from the immigration health surcharge and the application fee. A Health and Care Worker applicant does not pay the surcharge, and pays a reduced application fee. A general Skilled Worker applicant pays both in full.
GOV.UK confirms that Health and Care Worker visa applicants, and their partners and children, do not pay the immigration health surcharge. The surcharge is otherwise charged for each year of the visa, so the exemption can represent a significant saving over a five-year grant. The application fee is also lower on the health and care route than on the general route. The live figures for both are kept current on the UK immigration fees guide and on GOV.UK, which the firm updates after each Home Office fee change. The applicant must still show the required personal savings unless the sponsor certifies maintenance.
Do both routes lead to settlement?
Both routes lead to settlement after five years of continuous qualifying residence. The Health and Care Worker visa counts towards Indefinite Leave to Remain in the same way as the general Skilled Worker visa. The five years run from the date the relevant work leave was first granted.
The applicant must keep sponsored employment in an eligible role across the qualifying period and meet the salary rule for the time. The settlement application also requires the Life in the UK Test, the English requirement and good character. The route to settlement is covered on the Skilled Worker settlement (ILR) guide and, for the health and care route, on the Health and Care Worker ILR guide. Partners and children on either route can work and study, and can apply for settlement once they meet the residence requirement, as explained on the Work Dependants Visa guide.
Frequently asked questions
The Health and Care Worker visa is part of the Skilled Worker route, not a wholly separate visa. It uses the same sponsorship framework, salary basis and English requirement. The differences are the eligible occupations and employers, the reduced application fee, and the exemption from the immigration health surcharge for the applicant and any dependants.
A qualified doctor, nurse, allied health professional or adult social care professional in an eligible occupation code qualifies. The employer must be an approved NHS body, NHS supplier or adult social care provider. Care workers and senior care workers can apply to extend, update or switch into the route. An applicant whose role or employer does not qualify may apply on the general Skilled Worker route.
Yes. GOV.UK confirms that Health and Care Worker visa holders, and their partners and children, do not pay the immigration health surcharge. The surcharge is otherwise charged for each year of the visa. The exemption, together with a reduced application fee, makes the health and care route cheaper to apply for than the general Skilled Worker route.
Yes. Both the Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker routes lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain after five years of continuous qualifying residence. The applicant must keep eligible sponsored employment, meet the salary rule, and satisfy the Life in the UK Test, English and good character requirements at the settlement stage.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
The Whytecroft Ford immigration team advises applicants and sponsors across the work and business visa routes, including the Skilled Worker Visa and the Health and Care Worker Visa. The firm helps the healthcare professional weighing a UK move confirm the correct route, the salary position and the documents before the application is submitted. To discuss a work visa application with our immigration team, call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.
Sources
- Skilled Worker visa – GOV.UK
- Health and Care Worker visa – GOV.UK
- Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application – GOV.UK
Written and reviewed by the Whytecroft Ford immigration team. IAA Accredited. All guidance is researched against primary sources, including the Immigration Rules, Home Office caseworker guidance and GOV.UK. Reviewed every six months, or sooner following a rule change.
