What is the Health and Care worker visa?

UK Health and Сare worker visa is a work visa that entitles a wide range of specialists to work in the UK. This does not only include doctors and nurses but also pharmacists, psychologists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, paramedics and social workers, as well as medical and biological scientists and biochemists.

Before you apply for a visa, you need to find an employer and get an invitation and a certificate of sponsorship from them. Your employer must be either one of the NHS (National Health Service) organisations, an organisation cooperating with the NHS, or an organisation providing social care. Besides, the employer must be registered with the Home Office and be approved for hiring foreign workers.

As for you, you must be a qualified professional in your field, prove that you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B1 and have an IELTS certificate.

How long is the Health and Care worker visa valid for?

This visa is issued to cover an entire period of your employment contract, but not more than 5 years. It can be extended, if necessary. Besides, after 5 years, you will be able to apply for an indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

Note: if you change your employer while your visa is still valid, you must inform the Home Office and update your documents, or the visa will become invalid.

How can I submit an application?

You can apply both from inside and outside the UK. If you are in the UK and apply from inside the country, you will have to stay here while your application is pending, otherwise, it will be withdrawn.

Note that if you have come to the UK on another visa, you might not be able to switch to the Health and Care worker visa. You will not be able to switch to this visa if you are in the UK on a visitor visa, a short-term student visa, a seasonal worker visa and some other visas. But if you want to extend or update your Health and Care worker visa, you will not have any problems.

The documents you need:

1. A valid passport. If it is not a biometric passport, you will have to enroll your fingerprints and photograph.
2. An English language test certificate.
3. Your certificate of sponsorship given to you by your employer.

The certificate must include the following information:

• the certificate reference number;
• the name of your employer and their sponsorship licence number;
• your job title and occupation code;
• your annual salary, which must be equal to or above the approved minimum.

Other documents you might need:

1. Evidence that you have enough resources to support yourself during the first month in the UK and to support your dependants throughout the entire period of stay in the country. It means £1,270 for you, £285 for your spouse/partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child.
2. A diploma or other evidence that you are qualified for the job.
3. Criminal record certificate.
4. Tuberculosis test results.

The processing time for an application is usually about 3 weeks. If you have applied from inside the UK, you can pay to get a decision within 5 working days or even one working day. This is an official service provided by the Home Office.

If you get approval, you will receive a biometric residence permit (BRP), which confirms your right to stay in the UK legally, within 7 to 10 days. If you applied from outside the UK, you will collect your BRP upon arrival at the Post Office you have selected.

Who can I include in the application as my dependent family members?

Only immediate family members:

1. Your spouse or partner who you’ve lived with for at least 2 years.
2. Children under 18, including those born in the UK (they are not granted citizenship at birth, but may be included in the parent’s visa).
3. Children over 18 may remain your dependants when you switch to this visa from inside the UK provided they have no income and no family of their own.

You will need to provide and submit information about the dependants separately. You will also have to submit their identity documents and evidence of your relationship. Besides, an additional application fee must be paid for each dependant.

Should you need any consultation or legal support when applying for a UK visa, contact us. Qualified experts at Imperial & Legal will deal with all the issues and will take the hassle out of obtaining a UK visa.