Types of Visa

Skilled Worker Visa

This visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer.  To qualify for this you must:

• work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
• have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
• do a job that’s on the list of eligible occupations
• be paid a minimum salary - how much depends on the type of work you do

Employees on this type of visa are not permitted to:

• apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
• change jobs or employer unless you apply to update your visa

A Health and Care Worker visa allows medical professionals to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care.  It is a sub-type of a Skilled Worker Visa.

To qualify for a Health and Care Worker visa, you must:

• be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional
• work in an eligible health or social care job
• work for a UK employer that’s been approved by the Home Office
• have a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ from your employer with information about the role you’ve been offered in the UK
• be paid a minimum salary - how much depends on the type of work you do

Employees on this type of visa are not permitted to:

• apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
• change jobs or employer unless you apply to update your visa

Partners and children can also apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible. They’ll need to complete separate applications.  This is not the same as a Family Visa.

If your partner or child’s application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.

A dependant partner or child is any of the following:

• your husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner
• your child under 18 - including if they were born in the UK during your stay
• your child over 18 if they’re currently in the UK as your dependant
• You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship to your dependant when you apply.

What your partner or child can and cannot do

Your partner or child can:

• work, except as a sportsperson or coach
• study
• travel abroad and return to the UK
• apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if they’ve lived in the UK for 5 years and meet the other eligibility requirements

They cannot apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension.