Find out what you need to know about the UK Health & Care Professional Visa. This visa is for qualified health and social care workers who want to take a job in the UK health sector.

Benefits of the Health & Care Professional Visa

• The visa provides a pathway to UK settlement in just 5 years.
• Dependents, including partners and children, can accompany the visa holder.

Eligibility Criteria
For a successful application, UK Visas and Immigration necessitates the following:

• Age should be 18 or above.
• Qualifications to work as a doctor, nurse, or in other health or social care jobs.
• Work in a health or social care job that is approved by the designated occupation codes.
• Work with a UK health and care organization that is approved by the Home Office.
• A valid “Certificate of Sponsorship” that describes your job.
• English skills that are equivalent to CEFR Level B1 (akin to IELTS 4.0).
• Guarantee that you will be paid at least the minimum wage or the standard for your job.
• Enough money to live on without needing help from the government.
• A criminal record check for jobs that involve vulnerable people.
• If you are from a certain country, you need a valid TB certificate.

Note that certain requirements may change depending on the situation. When you talk to an immigration lawyer at Highwood Solicitors, for example, you can get personalised advice.

Key Aspects of Application

1. Job Offer Prerequisite: Prior to visa application, a job offer from a Home Office-approved sponsor is essential.
2. Role Specificity: Not every healthcare position is eligible. The designated Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Codes define eligibility.
3. Certificate of Sponsorship: This electronic record confirms your job and its details. It should be endorsed by an approved employer.
4. Visa Expiry: This visa’s duration matches the end date on your Certificate of Sponsorship, with an additional 14-day buffer.

Wage Structure
The standard annual wage requirement is £20,480 or the role’s prevalent rate. However, various pay scales and exceptions apply, particularly for roles within the NHS.

English Proficiency
Applicants must display adequate skills in English across reading, writing, speaking, and listening. However, certain qualifications and tests can also fulfill this requirement.

Financial Stability
Applicants should demonstrate they possess £1,270 for a minimum of 28 continuous days, proving their capability to sustain in the UK. There are exceptions, particularly if the employer can cover the initial month’s costs.

Criminal Record Clarifications
Depending on your age and past residences, you may need to produce criminal record certificates from different countries. Some roles have exemptions.

Transitioning to the Health & Care Professional Visa
Many individuals, already on different UK visas, might be eligible to transition to the Health & Care Professional Visa.

Visa Tenure
Upon approval, the visa duration will be your Certificate of Sponsorship’s length plus an additional 14 days.

Duration of the Health and Care Worker Visa
Previously, under the Tier 2 (General) pathway, entrants had to conform to a six-year maximum stay. However, with the Health and Care Worker Visa, this six-year stipulation has been eliminated. Instead, there is flexibility with no set stay duration, and permissions can be granted for up to 5 years at once.

Terms for Staying with the Health and Care Worker Visa
If you hold the Health and Care Worker Visa, you’re sanctioned to undertake the profession for which you’ve been endorsed. Additionally, you can also engage in ancillary employment, as long as it’s within the same profession code or not more than 20 hours weekly.

Nevertheless, certain benefits, including the State Pension, are inaccessible. Changing employers or professions requires visa adjustments.

Amendments to the Health and Care Worker Visa are necessary if:

• You’re switching jobs with another employer.
• Your profession code alters and doesn’t fall under a graduate training programme.
• Exiting a profession on the shortage list for one that’s not.
• If the new role is more than 20 hours weekly or has a different profession code.
  To make these changes, a fresh certificate of sponsorship and a detailed letter explaining the reasons for the modification will be needed.

Establishing Residency as a Health and Care Worker in the UK
For residency, UK Visas and Immigration necessitate:

• A consistent 5-year stay in the UK.
• The 5-year period should be on specific routes such as Health and Care Worker, Global Talent, Innovator, etc.
• Absence not exceeding 180 days each year of the 5-year tenure.
• Successful completion of the Life in the UK test (65+ exempted).
• Continued endorsement from a Home Office certified sponsor.
• Assurance of future employment and compensation at or above the minimum threshold or prevalent rate.

Application Charges and Discounts
Applicants of the Health and Care Visa can benefit from reduced fees, subject to the Certificate of Sponsorship’s eligibility confirmation. This fee concession is also extended to partners and dependents.

Effective from 01 December 2020, application fees are identical for both inside and outside UK applications. For tenures up to 3 years, the charge is £247, and for more extended stays, it’s £479. Nationals from certain European countries enjoy a further £55 reduction. However, this doesn’t extend to dependents.

Benefits and Processing Times
Health and Care Worker Visa aspirants and their family members are not obliged to pay the Immigration Health Charge.

Furthermore, UK Visas and Immigration has expedited the processing for Health and Care Visa applications, with the bulk being completed within 3 weeks post-biometrics.

Family Members of Health and Care Workers
Dependent partners (18+) and children (under 18) can accompany Health and Care Workers. Both dependents benefit from the visa fee reduction and the exemption from the Immigration Health Charge.

How Highwood Solicitors, UK Can Assist
Highwood Solicitors boasts a seasoned team adept at supporting both employers and Health and Care Workers from diverse sectors and company sizes. We can aid in your planning, ensuring you commence on time and aligning your career trajectory with immigration objectives.

We place a premium on being accessible and forward-thinking to resonate with our client’s requisites. Our commitment is unwavering, offering transparent and precise immigration counsel to Health and Care Workers through a courteous and expert service. For any queries, reach out to us at +44 (0) 1206523714.