Health and Care Worker Visa 2026: Who Still Qualifies, Fees and IHS Exemption

The Health and Care Worker visa is still open in 2026 to qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals with a job offer from an approved NHS, NHS supplier or adult social care employer. It costs much less than a standard Skilled Worker visa, and you and your family do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. Care workers and senior care workers can no longer apply from outside the UK.

Key points

• It is a version of the Skilled Worker visa for eligible health and social care jobs.
• Fees are £324 (up to 3 years) or £628 (over 3 years), with no Immigration Health Surcharge.
• The usual minimum salary is £25,000 or the going rate, whichever is higher, with national pay scales for many NHS roles.
• Overseas recruitment into care worker roles (6135 and 6136) ended on 22 July 2025.
• The visa can last up to 5 years and currently leads to settlement after 5 years.

Who the visa is for

According to the GOV.UK Health and Care Worker page, you must:

• be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional
• work in an eligible health or social care job
• work for a UK employer approved by the Home Office
• have a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) and a confirmed job offer
• be paid the minimum salary for your type of work

Eligible employers are the NHS, organisations providing medical services to the NHS, and organisations providing adult social care.

Eligible occupations

The your job page lists eligible four-digit occupation codes. They include:

Code	Example roles
2211	Generalist medical practitioners
2231 to 2237	Nursing professionals
2251	Pharmacists
2461	Social workers

Other health professional codes, such as allied health roles, also qualify. Check your exact code on GOV.UK before applying.

What about care workers?

Care workers and home carers (6135) and senior care workers (6136) are now classed as medium-skilled codes that qualify only for extending, updating or switching inside the UK. Since 22 July 2025 they cannot be used for a first application from overseas. We cover this separately in UK care worker visa closed: what options remain?.

Salary requirements

GOV.UK says the usual minimum is £25,000 a year or the going rate for your occupation code, whichever is higher. For many NHS roles, the going rate is set by the national pay scales table, which is organised by NHS pay band and part of the UK. Some codes, including several senior health and care roles and codes 6135 and 6136, follow different rules.

This is lower than the £41,700 general threshold for most Skilled Worker jobs. For the general route’s salary rules, see Skilled Worker salary thresholds and going rates.

English language

You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English. Health and Care Worker applicants apply under the Skilled Worker rules, which since 8 January 2026 usually require B2 for new applicants, according to the knowledge of English page.

Doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and vets do not need to prove English again if they already passed an English assessment accepted by their professional regulator, such as the General Medical Council or the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Costs

Cost	Amount (October 2026)	Source
Application fee, up to 3 years	£324	Fees table
Application fee, over 3 years	£628	Fees table
Immigration Health Surcharge	£0 (exempt)	GOV.UK
Maintenance funds	£1,270, unless exempt	How much it costs

The fee is the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK. Each dependant pays the same application fee.

The IHS exemption

You and your dependants do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and can use the NHS from the start of your visa. Some NHS services, such as prescriptions in England, dental treatment and eye tests, still have charges. For a family on a 5-year visa, this saving is large: the standard IHS is £1,035 per person per year.

If you came on a different visa, such as the Graduate visa, and later take an eligible public sector health job, GOV.UK says you may be able to get an IHS refund.

Maintenance funds

You need at least £1,270 held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 falling within 31 days of applying. You do not need to show this if you have been in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if your employer certifies on your CoS that it will cover your costs for the first month.

How to apply

1. Get a job offer from an approved health or social care sponsor.
2. Receive your CoS. You must apply within 3 months of getting it.
3. Prepare evidence: passport, English evidence (or regulator exemption), maintenance funds if required, and a tuberculosis test certificate if you live in a listed country.
4. Apply online. You can apply up to 3 months before your start date.
5. Verify your identity using the ID Check app or at a visa application centre.
6. Wait for a decision. GOV.UK says this usually takes about 3 weeks, with faster options in some locations.

Health and Care Worker compared with the standard Skilled Worker visa

The Health and Care Worker visa sits within the Skilled Worker route, but the differences in cost are significant.

	Health and Care Worker	Standard Skilled Worker
Who qualifies	Eligible health and adult social care jobs with an NHS, NHS supplier or social care sponsor	Any eligible job with a licensed sponsor
Usual minimum salary	£25,000 or the going rate (national pay scales for many NHS roles)	£41,700 or the going rate
Fee, up to 3 years	£324	£819 outside UK / £943 inside UK
Fee, over 3 years	£628	£1,618 outside UK / £1,865 inside UK
Immigration Health Surcharge	None	£1,035 per person per year
Settlement (current rules)	5 years	5 years

Example for a nurse coming from overseas with a partner on a 5-year visa: two Health and Care Worker fees of £628 each come to £1,256, with no surcharge. On a standard Skilled Worker visa the same family would pay £1,618 each plus £5,175 each in health surcharge, which is more than £13,000 in total.

Changing jobs or employer

Your visa is tied to your sponsor and your job. GOV.UK says you cannot change jobs or employers without applying to update your visa. If you move to a new NHS trust or care provider, your new employer must be an approved sponsor and issue a new certificate of sponsorship, and you apply to update your visa before starting the new role.

If your new job is not an eligible health or care role, you may need to move onto the standard Skilled Worker terms, with the higher salary threshold and health surcharge. Check this before accepting an offer outside health and social care.

Family members

Your partner and children may be able to join you or stay in the UK as your dependants. They also benefit from the IHS exemption. Rules differ for dependants of people sponsored in care worker roles, so check the current guidance if that applies to you.

Length of stay and settlement

The visa lasts up to 5 years and can be extended as many times as you still qualify. Under the rules in force in October 2026, you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after 5 years. The government’s earned settlement proposals could change this. They had not become law as of 11 October 2026, so check the updates page before planning around a settlement date.

What to do next

• Confirm your occupation code and NHS pay band with your employer.
• Check whether your regulator’s English assessment exempts you from a separate test.
• Register with your UK regulator (GMC, NMC, HCPC or similar) as early as possible, since this often takes longer than the visa itself.
• See the UK country hub for related guides.
• Speak to an OISC/IAA-regulated adviser or solicitor if you have a complex history. This article is general information, not legal advice.