Health & Care Visa

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Talent & Work Visas

The UK Government introduced a new visa route for health and care workers starting from 04 August 2020. This category is designed for foreign individuals who wish to enter the UK as medical workers, and the route will be covered under Tier 2 (General) and in Part A of the Tier 2 policy guidance. The qualifying applicants must be qualified doctors, nurses, or health professionals who have been trained to a recognized standard. Any other medical professional, for example, a care home worker, will not qualify for this specific route.
Health & Care visa requirements
The applicants who wish to enter the UK under a Health and Care Visa must satisfy some criteria similar to the current Tier 2 general category:

  • Be offered a job by a UK-based medical organization
  • Provide evidence of having been offered an appropriate salary, which meets the relevant salary threshold
  • Be able to provide evidence of knowledge of the English language
  • Having sufficient personal savings when arriving in the UK
  • Be able to demonstrate an ability to travel and travel history over the preceding five years
  • Provide valid tuberculosis test results (if from a listed country)
  • Provide a criminal record certificate from any country where a migrant has lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years
Qualifying Employers
Employers that are able to sponsor foreign medical professionals under this new route are limited by the specification on Tier 2 (General) Guidance that has been updated on 17 July 2020. Below is a list of the qualifying employers for England & Wales (Only):
  • An NHS Foundation Trust in England, an NHS Trust in England, the Care Quality Commission, Health Education England,
  • Health Research Authority,
  • Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority,
  • Human Tissue Authority, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency,
  • National Institute for Health and Care Excellence,
  • NHS Blood and Transplant, NHS Business Services Authority,
  • NHS Digital (the Health and Social Care Information Centre),
  • NHS England (the NHS Commissioning Board),
  • NHS Improvement (Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority,
  • NHS Resolution (the NHS Litigation Authority or Public Health England,
  • Local Authority or Clinical Commissioning Group;
  • Local Health Board in Wales,
  • Health Education & Improvement Wales,
  • Public Health Wales,
  • The Welsh Ambulance Service or Velindre NHS Trust.
Qualifying Skilled Occupation Codes

Only specific medical professionals would be able to take advantage of this new visa category. The following are all the Jobs & Relevant Skilled Occupation Codes that are eligible for this visa:

  • 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 not elsewhere classified
  • 2221 – Physiotherapists
  • 2222 – Occupational Therapists
  • 2223 – Speech and Language Therapists
  • 2229 – Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified
  • 2231 – Nurses
  • 2232 – Midwives
  • 2442 – Social Workers
  • 3213 – Paramedics