UK Health and Care Worker Visa (for Emiratis)

A Health and Care Worker Visa in the UK allows the visa holder to:

• Live in the UK as long as their visa is valid
• Work in an eligible job
• Take up additional paid work (the job must be an eligible Skilled Worker occupation)
• Do unpaid voluntary work
• Study in the UK
• Bring eligible family members to the UK (except for care and senior care workers)
• Enter and exit the UK
• Apply to settle permanently in the UK after five years if they meet the additional eligibility criteria

Since 11 March 2024, care or senior care workers are no longer eligible to bring their spouses/partners and children to the UK as their dependent family members.

If you have employed a care or senior care worker on a Health and Care Worker visa before that date, their eligible family members may stay with them in the UK, provided they are:

• Still holding a Health and Care Worker visa, or
• Extending their Health and Care Worker visa with their current employer (i.e. you), or
• Changing to a new job within the same occupation code while on a Health and Care Worker visa

Your employees holding Health and Care Worker visas cannot change their current jobs or employers unless they apply to update their visas. Additionally, they are not eligible to apply for most public funds or the state pension.

Overview

To obtain a Health and Care Worker visa in the UK, both the prospective employer and the potential overseas UAE-based employee will have to fulfil certain eligibility criteria. As an employer, you must be aware of both sets of requirements.

While it is crucial to understand your obligations as a sponsoring employer to avoid any penalty imposed by the Home Office, being aware of what requirements your potential hires must meet to obtain a Health and Care Worker visa will help you decide your overseas recruitment strategy and business planning.

For advice and the latest information on the Health and Care Worker Visa reach out to Total Law today.

Employer Criteria for Hiring Overseas Health and Care Workers

To sponsor medical professionals from overseas on a Health and Care Visa, the UK-based employer will need to prove that they are eligible to apply for a Sponsor Licence.

They will have to assure the Home Office of the genuineness of their organisation, their capability to undertake sponsorship responsibilities once the licence is granted, and the genuineness of the job offer.

You must use the sponsor management system (SMS) to meet your sponsor licence duties, including your HR systems, policies and processes. You will also have to appoint Key Personnel, who will be in charge of managing the SMS within your company and liaison with the Home Office.

Additionally, you have to satisfy the Home Office that the job you will be offering to your prospective overseas health and care worker is a genuine job.

It is a position that actually exists within your company, the successful overseas candidate will be hired to perform the duties associated with that specific job, and you have not created the position just to enable the candidate to apply for a work visa in the UK.

The job you are offering must meet the skill level specified by the Home Office in its eligible occupations list or shortage occupations list and match the description of one of the standard occupation codes (SOC). You must also be able to pay your overseas worker a compensation package that at least meets the minimum salary threshold for the job’s respective SOC.

If you are hiring a foreign national care worker or senior care worker, you must also be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Eligibility Requirements for Overseas Health and Care Workers

To be eligible to apply for a Health and Care Worker visa in the UK, your migrant worker will have to meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional, whose qualification is recognised in the UK
• Have a confirmed, eligible health or social care job offer from a registered employer in the UK
• Their salary will meet the minimum threshold, depending on the occupation code
• Have been issued a CoS from their sponsoring employer, which includes information about the job role
• Able to speak, read, write and understand English at least at CEFR B1 level