Uk Health and Care Visa
Many care homes and other medical providers may be looking for a solution to their recruitment problems as the lack of healthcare professionals is playing havoc on hospitals and care homes around the country in the wake of Brexit and Covid-19.
The government’s response to this was the Health and Care visa, an alluring option that offers quick entrance (15 working days as compared to the typical 8 weeks for a Skilled Worker visa), lower visa fees, and an exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge.
The Health and Care Worker visa, which was recently expanded to accommodate a wider range of social care-related roles starting on February 15, 2022, enables medical professionals to travel to or remain in the UK to work in eligible positions with the NHS, an NHS supplier, or in adult social care.
Who Qualifies?
You must work in a qualifying health or social care position and be a licenced doctor, nurse, health professional, or adult social care professional to qualify. Before requesting a visa, applicants must also have a verified work offer and a Certificate of Sponsorship in hand.
This route now accepts a handful of Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) codes, and it has recently been expanded to accept more. They consist of, but are not restricted to:
- 1242 – Managers and owners of residential, daycare centres, and domestic care
- Health professionals not else classified, 2219
- 3219 – Associates in health professions not else classified
- 6141 – Nursing assistants and auxiliary personnel
- 6146 – Senior care professionals
Candidates for this route must also fulfil all requirements for the Skilled Worker route (see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-skilled-worker), including the minimum salary requirement, English proficiency requirements, and employment in an eligible occupation.
Additionally, they must be employed by an authorised organisation, and the Certificate of Sponsorship must specify which authorised organisation they work for. Details of the agreements with the relevant NHS entity, to whom they also provide services, must also be disclosed if the assigning organisation is private.
The upper limit on income is the greater of £20,480 or the ‘going rate’ for the position.
If applicants are applying from abroad and reside in specific countries, they may also be required to submit test results from an authorised tuberculosis test.
On this route, how can I hire someone?
An employer must first apply for a sponsor licence, just like they would for a visa for skilled workers, in order to hire someone under the health and care route. If your company doesn’t already have one, please get in touch. We also provide help with applications for sponsor licences and the visa application procedure itself.
After obtaining the sponsor licence, the sponsoring organisation must provide the applicant with a Certificate of Sponsorship, which they will need to submit their visa application. We will handle this on your behalf if we manage your sponsor licence. The Certificate of Sponsorship must specify how the role satisfies the standards for the Health and Care route. If the organisation offers NHS services, further documentation supporting this may also be required with the applications.
How About Members of the Family?
Candidates for this route are permitted to bring along dependent family members. Children under the age of 18, spouses, and unmarried partners who have lived with the primary applicant for at least two years in a relationship that is comparable to marriage are all examples of this. On this route, there is no facility for bringing in extended relatives or grown children.
Family members who are dependent on applicants are also exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge and pay lower fees. Unless their dependents have already made a successful application as the main applicant’s dependents, they must provide proof of their link to the main applicant, typically in the form of a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or proof of cohabitation.
Leave will be granted to family members in accordance with the main applicant’s request.
How much time will the visa be valid?
The length of the visa is stated when the CoS is given, and it is renewed indefinitely with no minimum time requirement. The visa can be granted for a maximum of 5 years. If the visa is granted for less than five years, it must be renewed prior to expiration in order for the person to continue working in the UK.
Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, which will give them the right to stay in the UK eternally (subject to some limitations), will be available to applicants and their dependents after five years following this path.
The only exception to this provision is for more junior care workers in SOC code 6145, who can only apply for visas good for a year and cannot extend them.
What is the price?
With an exemption from the pricey immigration health surcharge and the immigration skills tax, the visa itself is relatively inexpensive.
Depending on whether the visa is granted for more than or less than three years, different fees apply. No matter the age of the dependent, the cost is the same for all of them. For applicants from specific nations, there may be a £55 charge reduction for the primary applicant’s fee. https://www.gov.uk/health-care-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs
- Application fees are £232 for applicants under the age of three and £464 for those over three.
- Fee for enrolling in biometrics: £19.20 per application
- Cost of a biometric appointment: Dependent on the region, it might be free or up to £199.
- £199 for a sponsorship certificate
If the applicant’s sponsor does not certify this, they could also need to show proof of financial support.
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