Health & Care Worker Visa Sponsors in the UK (2026)

What is the Health and Care Worker visa?

The Health and Care Worker visa is a dedicated route for eligible health and adult social care roles. It sits alongside the broader Skilled Worker framework but usually costs less because most applicants do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).

You still need a job offer and a Certificate of Sponsorship from a Home Office–licensed sponsor before you apply.

Healthcare roles and care-worker roles are not the same

Eligible doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and other listed health occupations may still use this route from overseas. By contrast, new overseas applications for care workers and home carers (SOC 6135) and senior care workers (SOC 6136) closed on 22 July 2025. A limited in-country transition remains until 22 July 2028 where the worker and sponsor meet the specified conditions.

For those two adult social care codes in England, the sponsor must also be registered with the Care Quality Commission and carrying on a regulated activity. CQC registration does not replace the Home Office sponsor licence; both checks matter.

Who can sponsor this visa?

Only organisations on the official Register of Licensed Sponsors can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship. Typical sponsors include:

• NHS trusts and boards
• Private hospitals and clinics
• GP practices and dental practices (where eligible)
• Care homes and adult social care providers with an active licence

The Home Office register does not supply an industry field. Verify an employer's exact legal or trading name with the sponsor licence checker, then use our guide to care-worker sponsorship rules.

Eligibility essentials

• A confirmed eligible job with a licensed sponsor
• A valid Certificate of Sponsorship for that role
• Meeting the salary rules for your occupation (often aligned with NHS bands for clinical roles)
• English language evidence at the required level

For the full checklist, see Skilled Worker eligibility and cross-check Health & Care specifics on GOV.UK.

Eligible employers and occupations

The job must be in an occupation listed for the Health and Care Worker route and the employer must be an approved UK health or care organisation, such as the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an eligible adult social care provider. A sponsor licence alone does not make every job at that organisation eligible for the route.

Use the official eligible jobs and employer rules and match the job's duties to its SOC code. Healthcare assistants, administrative staff and other workers can have different treatment even when employed by a hospital.

Salary rules and exceptions

Some clinical roles use national pay scales, while other occupations use Health and Care salary tables and occupation going rates. New entrants, relevant PhD holders and people protected by transitional provisions can face different calculations. Do not apply the standard £41,700 figure or a single discount to every health role; verify the occupation-specific table and any national-pay-scale requirement.

Dependants and restricted care occupations

Dependants are not treated identically across all Health and Care occupations. Care workers and senior care workers have specific dependant restrictions as well as the overseas recruitment closure. Other eligible healthcare workers may still be able to bring qualifying partners and children, subject to the current route rules.

Why the IHS exemption matters

Eligible Health and Care Worker applicants and qualifying dependants do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. Application fees are also lower than for the standard Skilled Worker route. Confirm that your occupation and employer qualify before relying on this treatment.

How to verify a healthcare sponsor safely

1. Search the employer on FindMySponsor or the raw GOV.UK CSV.
2. Confirm the licence is present and the route covers your role.
3. Never pay an agent for a “guaranteed CoS” — legitimate sponsors do not sell sponsorship.
4. Read how to spot fake sponsorship scams.

Where to look first

Start with large healthcare hubs and care-heavy cities:

• London visa sponsors
• Birmingham
• Manchester
• Leeds
• UK cities with the most visa sponsors