UK Skilled Worker and Care Worker Visas: Requirements, Salary Rules and the Health Surcharge

Choosing between the Skilled Worker visa and the Health and Care Worker visa depends on your job, employer, occupation code and salary. This guide compares the two routes for applicants and for employers who must check that a worker can take the job.

1. What each visa is for

The Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to the UK, or stay here, to do an eligible job with a UK employer approved by the Home Office.

The Health and Care Worker visa allows medical professionals to come to the UK, or stay here, to do an eligible job with:

the NHS;
an NHS supplier; or
an adult social care employer.

The Health and Care Worker route is for people who are qualified as a doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional. The employer must also be approved by the Home Office and operate in the health and care sector.

2. Eligibility: a side-by-side comparison

Both routes share the same basic structure. They differ in who qualifies and how salary is calculated.

Requirement	Skilled Worker visa	Health and Care Worker visa
Professional background	Your job must be eligible under the occupation-code rules.	You must be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional.
Job	You must have an eligible job.	You must have an eligible job.
Employer	You must work for a UK employer approved by the Home Office.	You must work for a UK health and care sector employer approved by the Home Office.
Salary	You must be paid at least the applicable minimum salary.	You must be paid the minimum salary or the going rate, whichever is higher.
Job offer	You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply.	You must have a confirmed job offer before you apply.
English	You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English.	You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English.

Skilled Worker applicants will usually need to prove their knowledge of English when they apply.

An eligible job title is not enough by itself. The job must also meet the relevant occupation-code and salary rules.

3. Salary rules and occupation codes

Skilled Worker salary

The going rate is the salary rate set for the type of work under the visa rules.

The usual minimum salary for a Skilled Worker is whichever is higher of £41,700 per year or the going rate for the job.

The minimum may be lower in specific situations. These include situations where you are:

extending a Skilled Worker visa;
updating the visa because you have a new job or employer; or
switching to a Skilled Worker visa to become a prison officer.

Health and Care Worker salary

For the Health and Care Worker visa, you must be paid the minimum salary or the going rate, whichever is higher.

The right salary figure depends on the work. You should therefore check the occupation code and the applicable salary rule rather than assume that the Skilled Worker figure applies.

Minimum wage

Under both routes, the employer must pay at least the minimum wage. Skilled Worker rules also require the employer to follow the UK rules about how many hours a week you work.

How occupation codes work

Eligibility is decided using the job’s 4-digit occupation code, not its job title.

A code classed as higher skilled can qualify directly for the Skilled Worker route. A medium skilled code can qualify only if the job is listed on the Immigration Salary List, the Temporary Shortage List, or the job uses prison officer code 3314 while the applicant is extending or switching to the Skilled Worker visa.

The code is only the occupation part of eligibility. The approved-employer, salary and other requirements still apply.

Examples of Health and Care Worker occupation codes include:

1171 — health services and public health managers and directors;
1232 — residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors;
2211 — generalist medical practitioners;
2212 — specialist medical practitioners;
2231 — midwifery nurses;
2235 — registered mental health nurses; and
2251 — pharmacists.

4. Visa fees, dependants and the healthcare surcharge

The standard visa application fees and associated healthcare surcharges vary depending on the chosen visa route and individual circumstances. The following breakdown details the core fee structures for the Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker visas, alongside the rules for dependants.

Cost	Skilled Worker visa	Health and Care Worker visa
Application fee	The standard fee ranges from £819 to £1,865, depending on your circumstances.	£324 per person for up to 3 years, or £628 per person for more than 3 years.
Healthcare surcharge	The Skilled Worker cost guidance also lists a healthcare surcharge, usually £1,035 per year.	The Health and Care Worker figures are the application fees set out in the route’s cost guidance.

The fees are the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK.

A dependant is a partner or child who applies to join the main applicant in the UK. A dependant pays for the same length of time as the main applicant.

5. Maintenance money

You will usually need at least £1,270 available to support yourself when you arrive in the UK.

To show this money, you must meet specific banking conditions. The £1,270 must have been in your bank account for at least 28 days in a row. Furthermore, day 28 of this assessment period must fall within 31 days of your visa application.

You may be exempt from this rule if either of two specific conditions is met. The first condition requires that you have been in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months. The second condition is met if your employer will cover your costs during your first month in the UK.

If the employer will support you, it must complete the “sponsor certifies maintenance” section on the certificate of sponsorship. This is the employer’s formal sponsorship document.

6. Visa duration and permanent settlement

Under both routes, the visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it.

After 5 years, you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK. This status is called indefinite leave to remain.

Permanent settlement is not automatic. The rules say that you may be able to apply, rather than guaranteeing that every applicant will qualify.

7. Employer right-to-work checks

An employer must complete a right-to-work check before a worker starts employment.

This is a duty for the employer, separate from the applicant’s visa application. For an online check, the employer uses the applicant’s share code. The result confirms the types of work the applicant is allowed to do and how long they may work in the UK.

The check must be done before employment starts. A confirmed job offer or a visa application is not a substitute for it.

Frequently asked questions

Does the job title decide which visa I can apply for?

No. Eligibility is based on the job’s 4-digit occupation code and the other route requirements. The title alone is not enough.

Does the £41,700 salary rule apply to Health and Care Workers?

No. The £41,700 figure is part of the Skilled Worker salary rule. Health and Care Worker applicants must be paid the minimum salary or the going rate for their work, whichever is higher.

Is the healthcare surcharge part of the Skilled Worker application fee?

No. The Skilled Worker cost guidance lists the application fee and the healthcare surcharge separately. The standard application fee ranges from £819 to £1,865, while the healthcare surcharge is usually £1,035 per year.

Is permanent settlement automatic after 5 years?

No. After 5 years, you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain. The rules do not make settlement automatic.

The key checks are the occupation code, approved employer, correct salary route and employer right-to-work check before work starts.