Are you a healthcare worker looking to relocate to the UK? What you need to migrate to the UK with ease is a health and care worker visa. Just as the name implies, this visa is specially designed to help medical professionals like you who want to migrate and work in the UK health sector.
This visa route has many enticing benefits like fast and easy entry to the UK, subsidised visa application fees, exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), and the opportunity to migrate with your family.
That’s a mouthwatering offer. Isn’t it? We bet you can’t wait to get your visa now. Before you do that, you need to know the steps to take to migrate to the UK with a health and care worker visa.
You don’t need to look too far to find the answer. All the information you need is right here.
Who is Eligible to Migrate to the UK With the Health and Care Worker Visa?
You first need to find out if you are eligible for the visa. The health and care worker visa is open to qualified health and adult social care professionals. Your job must also be enlisted in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes.
READ: How to Migrate to the UK
Look at the table below to find out if your occupation made the cut.
| Standard Occupational Code | Occupation |
| 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 |
| 6146 | Senior care workers |
You must also have an offer of employment from a licenced sponsor in the UK. The sponsoring organisation must either be an NHS body, health trust, or social care service provider. So, you must ensure your employer is registered with one of the following industry bodies:
- General Medical Council
- General Dental Council
- Health and Care Professions Council
- General Optical Council
- General Pharmaceutical Council
- Nursing and Midwifery Council
- General Chiropractic Council
- General Osteopathic Council
- Northern Ireland Social Care Council
- Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland
- Scottish Social Services Council
- Social Care Wales
Features of the Health and Care Worker Visa
Let’s share more details on the perks of this visa route. When you migrate to the UK with the health and care worker visa, you can:
- Work in an eligible role as a healthcare professional.
- Take on additional work in some circumstances.
- Do voluntary work
- Study while working in the UK.
- Bring your partner, children, or immediate family member to the UK as your dependents. If you are already in the UK and would like your dependents to join you, your UK sponsor will have to write a note confirming that your loved ones are eligible to migrate to the UK based on your visa.
The only disadvantages are you cannot:
- Apply for some public fund benefits like state pension.
- Change jobs or employers unless you update your visa.
Duration of a Health and Care Worker Visa
With the health and care worker visa, you stay up to 5 years in the UK. In some cases, your employer will state how long they are sponsoring you in the certificate of sponsorship.
You can apply to extend your visa if you still work in the same job or profession and earn the required salary threshold. You can apply for a visa update if you change jobs or employers.
Better still, after five years, you apply for an indefinite leave to remain. That is your pass to settle permanently in the UK. With this, you can live, work, and study in the UK for as long as you want as a permanent citizen.
READ: Access Fully Sponsored Scholarships in the UK Plus How to Relocate to the UK with a Student Visa.
Requirements You Need to Migrate to the UK With the Health and Care Worker Visa
The requirements you need to migrate to the UK with a health and care worker visa are similar to the skilled worker visa route. We will discuss them in different categories.
Occupational Requirement
The first and most crucial requirement for applying for the health and care worker visa is your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). You need a valid Certificate of Sponsorship from a UK-licensed sponsor/employer. The CoS has a unique reference number that you need to apply for your visa online.
It would help if you also have an offer of employment or a contractual agreement from your employer. The document should show your job title, annual salary, employer’s name, and licence number. The purpose of this document is to show that your position meets the salary requirement for the job.
You guessed right. Like the skilled worker visa, the health and care worker visa also has a salary threshold. The minimum annual salary threshold is £20,480. Sometimes, the going rate for your job could be higher. Research and find out for yourself.
READ: How to Migrate to the UK with a Skilled Worker Visa
Financial Requirement
Contrary to what you think, the proof of fund requirement is not only for international students migrating to the UK for study. You also need it if you want to migrate to the UK with the health and care worker visa. Although it is not mandatory for the health and care worker visa, there are some cases where you will have to prove that you can financially support yourself in the UK. The proof of funds could be a bank statement showing you have at least £1,270 to foot your bills.
That’s not all. You will also have to prove that you’ve held that amount for at least 28 consecutive days or 31 days before applying for your visa. You will only be exempt if your employer will cover your bills during your first month in the UK to the tune of £1270. To confirm this, your employer must fill in the ‘sponsor certifies maintenance’ section in your Certificate of Sponsorship.
English Language Requirement
Here’s another vital requirement you need to migrate to the UK with the health and care worker visa. As a health and care worker in the UK, you will interact with patients in English. That is why you must be able to communicate fluently in the English language. As such, you will be required to show proof of your English language proficiency. You can do that by proving your country’s official language is English, or you were taught in English during your undergraduate study. Alternatively, you can submit results from a secure English language test link IELTS.
Only individuals from the following countries are exempted.
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- The British overseas territories
- Canada
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Jamaica
- Malta
- New Zealand
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- USA
Criminal Record Certificate Requirement
As an essential worker, you cannot migrate to the UK with the health and care worker visa without this requirement. If you are applying from outside the UK, you must provide a criminal record certificate for any country you’ve lived in for the past ten years.
It is essential because you will work with vulnerable people as a healthcare professional. Thus, the government must ensure they are safe in your hands. You will only be exempted if your job is in the biological scientists and biochemists (2112) or physical scientist (2113) occupational codes.
Also, if you are below 28 years old and have lived in more than one country, you will provide a criminal record certificate for any country you’ve stayed in for 12 months or more since you turned 18.
Health Requirement
This is You would agree that a sick person can’t treat other sick people as you will only expose them to more danger. That is why you are required to provide a valid TB test result showing you don’t have tuberculosis. It is mandatory for anyone applying from the countries listed here.
Finally, the last requirement you need to migrate to the UK with the health and care worker visa is a valid international passport.
How to Apply for the Health and Care Worker Visa
You can apply for the health and care worker visa online through the UK Home Office. There are different options for you. You can apply from within the UK, outside the UK, or even switch from a different visa.
First, you must fill in your personal information and submit all required documents.
Next, pay the visa application fee, as seen below. The standard application fee depends on how long you intend to stay in the UK.
Below 3 years: £247 per person
Above 3 years: £479 per person
It doesn’t matter whether you are applying from within or outside the UK; the fees are the same. Also, note that you will pay a separate application fee for your dependents. It’s not a pay one for all promo. The more people you bring, the more you pay.
After successfully applying and paying for your visa, you can book a biometrics appointment at the visa application centre in your country. Alternatively, you can use the UK Immigration: ID Check App to scan your identity document.
Once you’ve applied and taken all these steps, you will get a decision on your visa within three (3) weeks. You can only hope for the best.
READ: How to Apply for a Health and Care Worker Visa
Conclusion
Now, you are fully equipped to migrate to the UK with a health and care worker visa. If you are a Medical student struggling to complete your undergraduate study, this should motivate you to keep pushing. One day, you, too, can become a reputable medical practitioner in the UK. Don’t forget our Effiko GPA Calculator is the trusted companion you need to keep your grades on track.
If you need further guidance on this visa route, schedule a call with our career advisors today.
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