The Tier 2 Health and Care working visa permits you to come and be employed within the NHS. The Government committed to introducing a ‘Health and Care Visa’ for qualified doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who have been trained to a recognised 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 fasttrack entry, reduced visa fees and dedicated support to come to the UK with their families.
In addition, as announced by the Prime Minister on 21 May, people applying for the Health and Care Visa, and their dependant family, will be exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge. This offer will form part of the Tier 2 (General) regime for skilled workers. The Health and Care Visa was available to applicants from 4th August 2020.
You must have a job offer from the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS or an organisation providing adult social care. Your sponsor, otherwise referred as your employer, must hold a valid sponsor licence. If they do not, you can speak to our business team on 0207 237 3388 about applying for a sponsor licence.
When applying for the Tier 2 Health and Care Visa, you must be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional.
Meeting the requirements of the Tier 2 Health and Care Visa
The Tier 2 Health and Care Visa is available for individuals who:
Are applying under Tier 2 (General) for Entry Clearance or Leave to Remain.
Will be taking up a job in one of the occupations specified within the list of Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes set out in paragraph A3.
Engaged by the NHS.
Further to this, you must meet the following requirements:
Must have a valid Certificate of Sponsorship.
Evidence of an appropriate salary, which meets the relevant salary threshold.
Being able to provide evidence of knowledge of English language.
Having sufficient personal savings when arriving in the UK.
Being able to demonstrate ability to travel and travel history over the preceding five years.
Hold a valid tuberculosis test results (if from a listed country).
Providing a criminal record certificate from any country where a migrant has lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, if working with vulnerable people.
How to apply for the Tier 2 Health and Care Visa
The visa application is applied online; this is whether you are in the UK or outside of the UK. Once you have completed your Tier 2 Health and Care Visa application, you will be able to pay for the visa fees and book the visa appointment. As part of the submission, you will need to submit your legal representation and also the evidences to support your Tier 2 Health and Care Visa application.
The decision making of a Tier 2 Health and Care Visa does not take more than 15 working days however this would depend on individual applications and country of application. Once a decision is served, the Home Office can issue up to 5 years Tier 2 Health and Care Visa. Your visa validity will depend on the certificate of sponsorship issued by your employer.
Employers
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 and, where appropriate, how they meet the registration, oversight or regulation requirement set out in paragraph A3.
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 organisation 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.
Care Homes
If you are a care home and require both legal advice as well as the recruitment process, ICS Legal can provide advice and support on the process.
Refusal of your Tier 2 Health and Care Visa
If your Tier 2 Health and Care Visa is refused, there will be a right to complete an administrative review. More details of the process of challenging a decision can be found by clicking on the left-hand side menu.
Taking legal advice on the Tier 2 Health and Care Visa
At ICS Legal, we will advise you on the correct process of applying under the Tier 2 Health and Care Visa and support you throughout the visa application process.
You can speak to one of our UK Immigration Lawyers on the Tier 2 Health and Care Visa requirements by sending us an email on info@icslegal.com or you can call us on 0207 237 3388. We also have a free visa assessment form that you can also complete which would allow us to assess your chances of applying under the Tier 2 Health and Care Visa.
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