NHS Health and Care Worker Visa Eligibility Checker

Answer a few questions and see, criterion by criterion, whether you meet the gov.uk rules for the NHS visa, what it will cost you and what to sort out next. Free, and your answers never leave your browser.

Rules checked against gov.uk on 7 October 2026. Screening only, not immigration advice.

1. Your job and application

Occupation codes: 2231 to 2237.

2. Salary, English and documents

gov.uk says you will usually need at least £25,000, or the going rate for your job if higher.

The standard level is B2 on the CEFR scale since 8 January 2026.

3. Costs and family (optional)

Screening result

A few things to check

Nothing rules you out, but some points need confirming before you rely on this.

Based on the gov.uk Health and Care Worker visa pages, checked on 7 October 2026. This is screening, not immigration advice or a decision. Confirm on gov.uk or with an OISC-regulated adviser.

Criterion by criterion

  • Job offer from an approved employerLooks fine

    You have a job offer from a UK employer approved by the Home Office. Most NHS trusts and health boards are.

  • Eligible jobLooks fine

    Your job type (2231 to 2237) is on gov.uk's list of occupation codes for this visa.

  • Certificate of SponsorshipCheck

    You cannot apply until the employer gives you the reference number. gov.uk lets you apply up to 3 months before your start date.

  • SalaryLooks fine

    £32,073 is above the £25,000 minimum. gov.uk adds that if the going rate for your job is higher than £25,000, you will usually need to be paid at least the going rate.

  • English languageLooks fine

    gov.uk says you do not need to prove your English if you have already passed an English language assessment accepted by your professional regulator (for example the NMC or GMC).

  • Criminal record certificateLooks fine

    If you are under 28 you need a certificate from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more since you turned 18. If you are 28 or over, from any country you have lived in over the last 10 years.

What to do next

  1. Ask the employer when the certificate will be issued and for the occupation code and salary it will show.

What it costs

Application fee, per person (up to 3 years)
£324
Total application fees (1 person)
£324
Immigration Health Surcharge
Not payable
Savings to show (main applicant)
£1,270
Total savings to show
£1,270

From gov.uk: fees are per person, the healthcare surcharge does not apply to this visa or to dependants, and savings must be held for 28 days in a row. You may also pay for a criminal record certificate, a tuberculosis test if you are from a listed country, and your own travel. The Certificate of Sponsorship fee is the sponsor's, not yours. Check whether the savings requirement applies to you on your application.

Does NHS pay clear the £25,000 minimum?

Every Agenda for Change band from 2 to 7 starts above the minimum in 2026/27 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The going rate for your specific job code can still be higher, so ask the employer.

Band 2

£25,272

Band 3

£25,760

Band 4

£28,392

Band 5

£32,073

Band 6

£39,959

Band 7

£49,387

Entry-point pay, 2026/27, from NHS Employers. Band 1 is closed to new entrants.

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Short answer

To get a Health and Care Worker visa for an NHS job you need a job offer from a Home Office approved employer, a Certificate of Sponsorship, a job on gov.uk's list of eligible occupations, a salary of at least £25,000 (or the going rate if higher), and English at B2 unless you are exempt. The fee is £324 per person for up to 3 years, there is no healthcare surcharge, and care workers cannot make new applications from outside the UK. Checked against gov.uk on 7 October 2026.

Health and Care Worker visa requirements

These are the requirements the checker tests, with the gov.uk source for each. The rules have moved several times in the last two years, so each one carries the date we last checked it.

  • ✓ A job offer from an approved employer. The employer must be approved by the Home Office. Most NHS trusts and health boards are. gov.uk overview
  • ✓ A Certificate of Sponsorship. Your employer gives you a reference number to put on the application. You can apply up to 3 months before your start date.
  • ✓ An eligible job. gov.uk lists the occupation codes: doctors, registered nurses and midwives, allied health professionals, pharmacists and other health professionals, biomedical and physical scientists, laboratory and pharmaceutical technicians, social workers, health and care managers and nursing auxiliaries. See the full list
  • ✓ The salary. At least £25,000 a year, or the going rate for your occupation if that is higher. gov.uk job and salary page
  • ✓ English at B2. Unless you have passed a regulator-accepted assessment, are a national of an exempt country or hold an accepted qualification. gov.uk English page
  • ✓ A criminal record certificate if you apply from outside the UK, with exceptions for four occupation codes. Documents you must provide

How much does the NHS visa cost?

The application fee on gov.uk is the same inside and outside the UK, per person. Using the same maths as the checker:

Who appliesApplication feesSavings to show
You alone, up to 3 years£324£1,270
You alone, more than 3 years£628£1,270
You, a partner and two children, up to 3 years£1,296£2,070

No Immigration Health Surcharge is payable on this visa, for you or your dependants, which is the biggest cost difference from most other work visas. Savings must be held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of applying. You also pay for your own criminal record certificate, a tuberculosis test if you are from a listed country, and your travel. The Certificate of Sponsorship fee is the sponsor's cost. If a contract asks you to repay it, see the return of service calculator. Source: gov.uk costs page and dependants page.

What salary do you need for an NHS visa?

gov.uk says you will usually need to be paid at least £25,000 a year, or the going rate for your job if higher. In 2026/27 every Agenda for Change band from 2 to 7 starts above that figure (Band 2 entry pay is £25,272, Band 5 is £32,073), so the minimum is rarely the obstacle for an NHS employee. The going rate for your occupation code is the figure to ask your employer about. Our starting band estimator shows the likely entry band and pay for your route, and the NHS pay calculator shows what that pay is after tax.

English language: when do you not need a test?

The standard is B2. Your options are a Secure English Language Test with an approved provider, a UK school qualification or UK degree taught in English, or a non-UK degree taught in English assessed by Ecctis. You do not need to prove English if you have already passed an assessment accepted by your regulator, which is why many nurses and doctors skip a separate test. See our guides on English requirements by profession and IELTS vs OET.

gov.uk's exempt nationalities, as listed on 7 October 2026: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. Check the gov.uk English page for the current list.

ℹWhich rule changed, and when

22 July 2025: care workers and senior care workers (6135, 6136) stopped being eligible for new applications from abroad. gov.uk lists them only for people extending, updating or switching, and some other codes only where the Certificate of Sponsorship was issued before that date.

8 January 2026: the standard English level for new applications is B2. For extensions of a visa held before that date, the level is B1 and you do not need to prove it again.

Can care workers apply for the NHS visa?

Not from outside the UK. gov.uk lists codes 6135 and 6136 only for people extending, updating or switching to the visa. Dependants of care workers can only apply if the care worker has been continuously employed in the UK in the role, on a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa, since before 11 March 2024, with a few narrow exceptions. Our guide on Skilled Worker versus Health and Care Worker visas covers the wider comparison.

What happens after you pass the checker

!Never pay for sponsorship or a job offer

The Certificate of Sponsorship fee is a cost the sponsor carries. If an agency or individual asks you for money in connection with sponsorship or a job offer, check with the employer using contact details you found yourself and read our guide to avoiding NHS recruitment scams.

Method, limits and sources

The checker applies the rules on the gov.uk Health and Care Worker visa pages, checked on 7 October 2026: the overview, job and salary, English, costs, documents and dependants pages. Pay figures come from NHS Employers' 2026/27 pay scales. It does not check settlement rules, sponsor licences, your immigration history or refusals, and it cannot see how the Home Office will treat your case. Immigration rules change at short notice, so if you are reading this long after October 2026, check gov.uk first. Read our editorial policy and corrections policy. If you spot something out of date, tell us.

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for the Health and Care Worker visa? +
You need to be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional, in a job on gov.uk's list of eligible occupation codes, working for a UK health or care employer approved by the Home Office, with a Certificate of Sponsorship from them and a salary of at least the minimum or the going rate for your job, whichever is higher. You must also meet the English language requirement. Checked on 7 October 2026.
What is the salary requirement for the Health and Care Worker visa? +
gov.uk says you will usually need to be paid at least £25,000 a year, or the going rate for your occupation if that is higher. Every NHS Agenda for Change band from 2 upwards starts above £25,000 in 2026/27, but the going rate for your specific occupation code can still be higher, so ask your employer to confirm.
What English level do I need? +
The standard is B2 on the CEFR scale, covering reading, writing, speaking and understanding. You do not need to prove it if you have already passed an English assessment accepted by your regulator (for example the NMC or GMC), if you are a national of one of the countries on gov.uk's exempt list, or if you have a qualification gov.uk accepts. If you are extending a visa you held before 8 January 2026 the level is B1 and you do not have to prove it again, and if you are switching from a Skilled Worker visa you do not have to prove it at all.
Can care workers still apply for the Health and Care Worker visa? +
Not from outside the UK. gov.uk lists care workers and senior care workers (codes 6135 and 6136) only for people extending, updating or switching to the visa, and not in the main list of jobs you can apply for from abroad. Dependants of care workers can only apply if the care worker has been continuously employed in the UK as a care worker or senior care worker, on a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa, since before 11 March 2024, with a few narrow exceptions.
How much does the Health and Care Worker visa cost? +
The application fee on gov.uk is £324 per person for a visa of up to 3 years and £628 per person for more than 3 years, for you and each dependant. There is no healthcare surcharge for you or your dependants. You also need to show savings of £1,270 for yourself (plus £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child) held for 28 days in a row. The Certificate of Sponsorship fee is paid by the sponsor, not by you.
Do I have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge? +
No. gov.uk says you and your partner or children will not have to pay the healthcare surcharge on this visa, and you can use the NHS for free from the date your visa starts. That is a real saving compared with most other work visas.
How long does the application take? +
gov.uk says you can apply up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work, and you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks of proving your identity and providing your documents. Employers often need extra time before that to issue the Certificate of Sponsorship, so allow for that in your plans.
Do I need a criminal record certificate? +
If you apply from outside the UK, yes, unless your job is in codes 2113 (biochemists and biomedical scientists), 2114 (physical scientists), 3111 (laboratory technicians) or 6132 (ambulance staff, excluding paramedics). If you are under 28 you need a certificate from any country you have stayed in for a total of 12 months or more since you turned 18. If you are 28 or over, from any country you have stayed in over the last 10 years. gov.uk also asks for a tuberculosis test result if you are from a listed country.
Can I bring my family? +
Your partner and children may be able to apply as dependants if they are eligible. Each pays the application fee and has to show savings, and they do not pay the healthcare surcharge. The care worker restriction above applies to dependants of care workers, and for some other roles gov.uk requires continuous employment in the job since before 22 July 2025. Our guide on bringing family covers who counts as a dependant.
What if I want to change employer once I am here? +
You cannot change jobs or employers on this visa without updating it first. That normally means a new Certificate of Sponsorship from the new sponsor. If you moved because of a repayment or tie-in clause, our return of service calculator shows what you could owe before you decide.
Is this checker immigration advice? +
No. It is a screening tool built on the gov.uk pages. It cannot see your full circumstances, it is not connected to the Home Office, and only a caseworker can decide an application. If your situation is complicated, speak to an OISC-regulated immigration adviser or an immigration solicitor.

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