Health and Care Worker Visa in 2026: Higher Fees, Tighter Rules and the End of New Care Worker Sponsorship

If you're a qualified doctor, nurse or other health professional looking to move to the UK for work, or an employer sponsoring overseas staff, the rules around the Health and Care Worker visa have shifted again in 2026. NHS Employers' current guidance sets out what applies now.

To qualify, you need a confirmed job offer for an eligible health or social care role from a UK employer approved as a licensed sponsor, plus you need to meet English language requirements and score 70 points overall under the points-based system. Applications are fast-tracked and are typically decided within three weeks, and you can apply up to three months before your UK start date.

Salary thresholds now depend on the type of role. Jobs on national NHS pay scales, or roles on the Immigration Salary List, need to pay at least £25,000. Jobs requiring a relevant PhD have a £26,100 threshold. All other eligible roles now need to pay at least £31,300, up from £29,000 previously.

Visa fees have also gone up. From 8 April 2026, fees rose by 6.5 per cent, so the Health and Care Worker visa now costs £324 for a grant of up to three years, or £628 for a grant of three years or longer. The route still carries two real advantages over other work visas, though: applicants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge, and the fees remain lower than under the standard Skilled Worker route.

The bigger change affects care workers specifically. Care workers (occupation code SOC 6135) and senior care workers (SOC 6136) can no longer make new visa applications under this route at all. There is a transition period running until 22 July 2028, during which people already on this route can still extend their visa or switch into it from another route, but no fresh applications from overseas will be accepted for these two roles. Six further occupations have also been removed from the eligible list, including healthcare practice managers and dental nurses.

What this means for jobseekers

• If you're already in the UK on a care worker visa, you can still extend or switch routes until July 2028, but new applicants from overseas can no longer use this visa to start a care worker or senior care worker job in the UK.
• Clinical and other eligible health roles, such as nursing and allied health professions, remain open to new sponsorship, subject to the updated salary thresholds.
• Employers sponsoring PhD-level or specialist roles should check the £26,100 threshold applies, while most other eligible roles now need to clear £31,300 to sponsor a visa.
• If overseas recruitment for care roles has been part of an employer's hiring strategy, expect a much stronger focus on domestic recruitment and retention from now on.

This is a summary for general information. Read the original source for full detail before relying on it.