UK Health & Care Worker Visa & Savings Calculator

For many healthcare jobs paid under national pay scales, the salary normally has to meet at least £25,000 and the applicable going rate, whichever is higher. Some occupation codes, including care workers, senior care workers and several other listed roles, are subject to a different £31,300/lower-going-rate framework and may have specific discounted-salary provisions. Your occupation code and exact going rate should therefore be checked rather than relying on an NHS band alone.

Eligible Health & Care Worker visa applicants and their eligible dependants do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. The standard IHS rate for other applicants is currently £1,035 per year, so the exemption can produce substantial savings over a multi-year visa.

From 8 April 2026, the Health & Care Worker application fee is £324 per person for a visa of up to 3 years and £628 per person for more than 3 years. The fee is the same whether the application is made inside or outside the UK. Dependants who qualify for the Health & Care Worker route pay the same Health & Care application fee for the corresponding length of permission.

This depends on the transitional rules. Care workers and senior care workers generally cannot bring new dependants unless the worker has continuously been employed in the relevant role and held the relevant Skilled Worker or Health & Care permission since before 11 March 2024, or a specific child exception applies. The restriction is not limited simply to whether the employer is an NHS or private organisation.

The current Home Office customer-service standard is normally 3 weeks for Health & Care Worker applications made both inside and outside the UK after identity and document requirements have been completed. The route can lead to settlement after 5 years if the applicant meets the continuous-residence, salary, suitability and other ILR requirements.