Under the new scheme, qualified doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who have been trained to a recognized standard will benefit from fast-track entry, reduced visa fees and dedicated support to come to the UK with their families. The Government committed to introducing a ‘Health and Care Visa’ for qualified doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who have been trained to a recognized standard and who have good working English. The scope of the visa is being extended to include eligible persons working in the social care sector. The benefits for such workers are fast-track entry, reduced visa fees and dedicated support to come to the UK with their families. In addition, as announced by the Prime Minister on 21st May, people applying for the Health and Care Visa, and their dependent family, will be exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge. This offer will form part of the Tier 2 (General) regime for skilled workers1. The Health and Care Visa is now available to applicants since 4 August 2020.
The Health and Care Visa is available for individuals who:
Note: This is an exhaustive list – applicants must be taking up a job in one of the above occupations to be eligible for the Health and Care Visa 2.
Applicants for the Health and Care Visa will need to meet all relevant criteria for a Tier 2 (General) migrant, which are:
A certificate of sponsorship holds your personal details and information about the job you’ve been offered. It’s an electronic record, not a paper document. Your sponsor will give you a certificate of sponsorship reference number to add to your application.
You can only use your certificate of sponsorship reference number once. You must use it 3 months after getting it.
The employer will be required to include a brief explanation in the Certificate of Sponsorship setting out how the employee will meet the Health and Care Visa requirement. The employer will also be responsible for informing the applicant they are eligible for the Health and Care Visa so the applicant can correctly complete the visa application form. Where an employer is an organization that provides services commissioned by the NHS, evidence of the contract arrangements with the NHS may need to be provided to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) as proof that applicants are eligible to apply for a Health and Care Visa.