UK Health and Care Worker visa for nurses: 2026 rules, costs and salary

Quick answer: Nurses can still come to the UK on the Health and Care Worker visa in 2026. You need a job offer from a Home Office-licensed employer, a certificate of sponsorship, and pay of at least £25,000 and at least the NHS pay band for the job (normally Band 5, which starts at £32,073 in England from April 2026). The visa fee is £324 (up to 3 years) or £628 (over 3 years), you pay no health surcharge, and you can bring your partner and children.

Many 2025 and 2026 changes hit care workers, not nurses. But some rules did change for nurses too, and the settlement (ILR) rules are being rewritten right now. This page explains the current position as of 3 November 2026, with links to the official pages.

Who can get this visa as a nurse

According to GOV.UK, you can apply if you:

• are a qualified nurse (or doctor, other health professional or eligible care professional);
• have a job offer from an employer approved by the Home Office (a "sponsor"), such as an NHS trust, an NHS supplier or a care provider registered with the right regulator;
• have a certificate of sponsorship (CoS) for that job;
• do a job on the eligible list – all registered nurse occupation codes (2231 to 2237) are on it;
• are paid the minimum salary for the job;
• meet the English requirement.

Your job must normally be at Band 5 or above if it is on the NHS Agenda for Change pay scales. There is a temporary exception for pre-registration nurses (explained below).

The certificate of sponsorship (CoS)

The CoS is an electronic record, not a paper certificate. Your employer creates it and gives you a reference number to use in your visa application. It shows your job title, occupation code, salary and start date.

Your employer must pay the CoS fee and the Immigration Skills Charge. Home Office sponsor guidance says that for CoS assigned on or after 31 December 2024, employers must not recover any part of the CoS fee from you "by any means". If an employer or agent asks you to pay for your CoS, treat it as a serious warning sign. See our guide to recruitment fees and scams.

Salary rules for nurses

For jobs paid on national pay scales, such as NHS nursing jobs, GOV.UK says your salary must be at least £25,000 and at least the national pay scale rate for the job you will do. These "going rates" apply in both the NHS and the private sector.

Source: NHS Employers pay scales 2026/27. Staff in and near London get an extra High Cost Area Supplement. Pay in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can differ. The Home Office uses its own national pay scale table for visa checks, and that table can be updated at a different time from NHS pay. Ask your employer which band and rate is on your CoS.

What this means for you: a registered nurse on a normal NHS Band 5 contract easily meets the visa salary rule. The £31,300 threshold you may see online is the general figure for jobs not on national pay scales, so it does not normally apply to NHS nursing jobs.

Pre-registration nurses (before your NMC PIN)

Most overseas nurses arrive before they are fully registered. They have passed the English test and the CBT, but still need the OSCE in the UK. The Home Office sponsor guidance allows this, with strict conditions:

• You must have passed the NMC English requirement and the CBT before you apply for the visa.
• You must intend to sit the OSCE no later than 3 months after the job start date on your CoS. NHS Employers describes this as normally up to 12 weeks.
• You must achieve NMC registration within 8 months of the job start date.
• During those 8 months (or until you register, if sooner) you must be paid at least the Agenda for Change Band 3 rate.
• You may sit the OSCE up to 3 times in one NMC application, with at least 10 working days between attempts. After 3 failures, you must wait at least 6 months and make a new NMC application.
• If you do not register within 8 months, your employer must stop sponsoring you as a nurse. Your visa will then usually be shortened. A different employer must not sponsor you as a nurse again if you failed to register in the 8 months.

When you get your PIN, your employer must tell the Home Office within 10 working days and confirm you now work as a registered nurse on the right salary. Ask your employer whether anything else is needed for your visa. You do not normally "switch" visa type at this point – you stay on the Health and Care Worker visa.

Costs: visa, NMC and family

*Rupee figures use about ₹127 to £1, late October 2026, and are rounded. Check today's rate. Fees are from GOV.UK and the NMC (NMC fees rose on 1 October 2026). Many NHS employers pay or refund some of these costs, often with a repayment clause. Ask for this in writing before you accept.

Bringing your partner and children

Registered nurses can bring a husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner, and children under 18. Each person makes their own application and pays the same visa fee as you. They do not pay the health surcharge.

The ban on dependants that started on 11 March 2024 applies to care workers and senior care workers (unless they were already in that work before that date). It does not apply to nurses. Some other "medium-skilled" jobs have a similar cut-off of 22 July 2025. See the GOV.UK family page for details.

Documents and English

• CoS reference number from your employer.
• Valid passport.
• Proof of English. Most applicants need level B2 (since 8 January 2026). But GOV.UK says nurses do not need to prove English again if they already passed an English assessment accepted by their regulator (the NMC).
• TB test certificate if you live in a listed country (India, the Philippines, Nigeria and many others are on the list).
• Criminal record certificate if you apply from outside the UK. You may need one from each country you lived in for 12 months or more (see the documents page for the exact rule).
• Bank statements, unless your employer certifies maintenance on your CoS.
• Proof of relationship for family members.

Our documents checklist covers what to collect early.

Realistic timeline from India or the Philippines

In total, many nurses take around 6 to 12 months from starting English preparation to arriving in the UK. This is a rough guide, not a promise.

Illustrative example (not a real person): a nurse in Kochi with 3 years' ward experience passes OET in February, the CBT in April and gets an NHS offer in May. Her CoS is issued in June, and her visa is approved within 3 weeks. She arrives in August on Band 3 or Band 4 pre-registration pay, passes the OSCE on her second attempt in October and moves to Band 5 (£32,073 a year in England from April 2026) once she has her PIN. Her husband and daughter join her on dependant visas and pay no health surcharge.

Path to settlement (ILR): what is changing

This area is changing as we write.

The current rules

Today, Health and Care Worker visa holders can usually apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after 5 years, if they still have a job with a sponsor, meet the salary rule, pass the Life in the UK test, meet the English requirement and have not spent too long outside the UK.

The new "earned settlement" model

On 2 November 2026 the government published its response to the earned settlement consultation. The key points for nurses are:

• The default wait for settlement becomes 10 years.
• Nurses keep a 5-year route. All registered nursing occupations (midwifery, community, specialist, mental health, children's, nurse practitioners and other registered nurses) are on the list of public service occupations that can settle after 5 years.
• Everyone must also meet stricter basic conditions: a clean criminal record, English at B2 level, no debt owed to the government, and a record of earnings and National Insurance contributions.
• People who have claimed specified public funds in the 5 years before applying face a much longer wait.
• A partner who arrives with you can normally settle at the same time as you. A partner who joins later must complete the same period themselves.
• People who already have ILR keep it.

Separately, the English level for most settlement applications rises to B2 from March 2027, according to a GOV.UK announcement of 5 March 2026.

What changed recently (summary)

Common mistakes

• Accepting a care worker job thinking it is a nursing job. Check the occupation code and band.
• Paying for a CoS or a "visa slot". Employers cannot legally pass on the CoS fee. Genuine visas are not sold.
• Not planning for the OSCE. You have 8 months to register. Ask what OSCE training your employer gives.
• Signing a repayment clause you do not understand. Ask for the amounts, how they reduce over time, and what happens if you fail the OSCE. See our guide on fees and repayment clauses.
• Using old fee or salary figures. Fees and pay change every April. Always check GOV.UK on the day you apply.
• Travelling for long periods. Long absences from the UK can affect settlement. Keep a record of your trips.

Want to know whether the UK route fits you? Use the free "Check your route" form on our home page. We never charge nurses. We cannot promise jobs or visas, but we can explain your options honestly.