This page covers who the July 2025 closure affects, what you need to qualify now, what the route costs against a standard Skilled Worker visa, and exactly how mortgage lenders treat it.
Understanding the Health & Care Worker visa
Who the July 2025 closure shut out and who it left untouched, what you need to qualify now, what the route costs against a standard Skilled Worker visa, and where settlement stands under the earned-settlement reforms.
What is the Health & Care Worker visa?
The Health & Care Worker visa is a sub-category of the Skilled Worker route, for medical professionals and eligible health and social care workers sponsored by the NHS, an NHS supplier, or an approved adult social care employer. It offers the same route to settlement as a standard Skilled Worker visa, on markedly better terms: reduced fees, a £25,000 salary floor rather than £41,700, and no health surcharge for you or your family.
Important: the July 2025 care worker closure
Updated Care worker route closed to new overseas applicants
This is the single most important thing on the page. From 22 July 2025, the UK closed new overseas recruitment into care worker and senior care worker roles — occupation codes 6135 and 6136 — as part of the Immigration White Paper reforms. It did not close the route. Which of the three rows below you are in decides everything that follows.
Open
Doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics and allied health professionals
Sponsored by the NHS or an NHS supplier. The route is fully open, and the July 2025 closure does not touch this group at all.
Transitional
Care workers and senior care workers already in the UK
You can still extend your visa and switch to a new sponsor from inside the UK, provided you have been legally working for your sponsor for at least three months. Your existing status is unaffected.
Until 22 July 2028
Closed
New care worker applicants applying from overseas
Entry clearance in occupation codes 6135 and 6136 closed on 22 July 2025. This route is not currently available to you — worth knowing before you invest time in an application.
Employers can still recruit care workers who are already in the UK on this route and need a new sponsor. What closed is the overseas application, not the occupation.
If you are NHS clinical staff
If you are a nurse, doctor, or allied health professional with a genuine NHS or NHS-supplier job offer, the closure does not affect you and the rest of this page applies to you in full.
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Who is eligible now?
- A qualifying job offer from the NHS, an NHS supplier, or — for existing care sector applicants only — an approved adult social care employer
- Registration with the relevant UK professional body where your role requires one: the GMC for doctors, the NMC for nurses and midwives, the HCPC for allied health professionals, the GPhC for pharmacists, the GDC for dentists. This can often run in parallel with your visa application
- A Certificate of Sponsorship from your employer
- English at CEFR level B2 across reading, writing, speaking and listening — raised from B1 on 8 January 2026. If your most recent permission was granted under the old B1 requirement, you keep it when you extend
- At least £1,270 held in your account for 28 consecutive days, unless your employer certifies your maintenance
The general minimum is £25,000 a year, or the going rate for your specific occupation code — whichever is higher. In practice most NHS roles clear it comfortably: under Agenda for Change, a Band 5 registered nurse starts at £32,073 as of April 2026, and even Band 3 healthcare support workers now sit above the floor at £25,760. Note that if you are a care worker or senior care worker in England, your employer must also be registered with the Care Quality Commission.
What it costs — against a standard Skilled Worker visa
This is where the specialist branch earns its name. The application fee is roughly a third of the standard Skilled Worker fee, and the Immigration Health Surcharge — normally the largest single cost of a UK work visa — is waived entirely, for you and for your dependants.
Health & Care Worker
The specialist branch. A lower salary floor, a third of the fee, and no health surcharge for you or your family.
- Minimum salary
- £25,000, or the going rate for your occupation code.
- Immigration Health Surcharge
- Exempt — you, your partner and your children.
- Application fee, 5-year visa
- £628 per person, applying from outside the UK.
- Five-year cost, one applicant
- £628
Standard Skilled Worker
The main sponsored route, and the one this is carved out of. Same sponsorship machinery, same settlement clock, a very different bill.
- Minimum salary
- £41,700, or the going rate for your occupation code.
- Immigration Health Surcharge
- £1,035 a year per adult, £776 a year per child.
- Application fee, 5-year visa
- £1,618 per person, applying from outside the UK.
- Five-year cost, one applicant
- £6,793
What that adds up to
Over a five-year visa, a single applicant saves £6,165 against the standard route. For a couple with two children under 18 the same five years cost £2,512 here against £24,582 — a difference of £22,070, which is deposit money.
How long does it last, and what’s the route to settlement?
The visa is granted for up to 5 years at a time, tied to your Certificate of Sponsorship, and can be extended as long as you continue with the same sponsor and occupation code. Five continuous years is currently the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain. The government’s earned-settlement reforms would raise the default qualifying period to 10 years for many sponsored routes; that consultation closed in February 2026 and, as of mid-2026, the main reform has not been enacted. Ministers have signalled that NHS and care staff should be treated favourably, but nothing is settled — check gov.uk before you rely on a date.
- Yr 0–4
Your clearest window
You still have 12 or more months left on your visa, which is what most lender criteria are written around. On this route a stable NHS or registered care employer does a lot of the work for you.
- Yr 4–5
Under 12 months — still workable
Many high-street lenders pause here. Several on our panel do not: this route has a clear, protected path to extension, and some will lend with 12–18 months remaining where renewal is realistic.
- Yr 5+
Settlement, under reform
Five continuous years is the current qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain. The earned-settlement reforms may change it for sponsored routes; health and care roles are expected to be treated favourably, but confirm the position on gov.uk.
Key dates
- Yr 0Visa granted — up to 5 years, tied to your Certificate of Sponsorship
- Yr 5Five continuous years — the current qualifying point for Indefinite Leave to Remain
Can I bring my family?
Yes for most roles. Your partner and children under 18 can apply as dependants, work without restriction, and are exempt from the health surcharge alongside you. The exception is care workers and senior care workers in codes 6135 and 6136, who can only bring dependants if they have held Health & Care Worker or Skilled Worker permission continuously since before 11 March 2024, with limited exceptions for some children.
Getting a mortgage on a Health & Care Worker visa
Why lenders treat NHS and registered care income as low risk, what each pay band actually buys, what to do when your visa has under two years left, and the objections we untangle most often.
Can I get a mortgage on a Health & Care Worker visa?
Yes. This is one of the easier visa categories to mortgage in the UK, because lenders read NHS and registered care employment as stable, low-risk income — usually from a large, well-known employer with a public pay scale they can look up. Several lenders on our panel have criteria written specifically for this route, some accepting as little as 1–2 years remaining on the visa, and some accepting deposits as low as 5–10%.
What lenders typically look for
- A minimum of 6–12 months in your current NHS or care role — some accept less with a strong employment history behind it
- At least 1 year remaining on your visa at the point of application, though this varies more by lender on this route than on most
- Your Certificate of Sponsorship and current visa conditions
- UK payslips and bank statements, usually covering 3–6 months
- A deposit — typically 5–15% depending on the lender and your circumstances
- How much of your enhanced pay counts: unsociable hours, bank shifts and high-cost-area supplements are treated very differently from one lender to the next
How much can I borrow?
Most lenders work at a standard 4–4.5× income multiple, and some specialist lenders will stretch to 5× for healthcare professionals with a strong track record. Because Agenda for Change pay points are published, it is unusually easy to see roughly where you stand before you apply. Use our eligibility calculator for an estimate against your own salary and deposit.
| Band 3Healthcare support worker | £25,760 entry salary | Indicative borrowing£115,900 |
|---|---|---|
| Band 5Registered nurse | £32,073 entry salary | Indicative borrowing£144,300 |
| Band 6Senior nurse or AHP | £39,959 entry salary | Indicative borrowing£179,800 |
| Band 7Advanced practice | £49,387 entry salary | Indicative borrowing£222,200 |
Entry points from NHS Terms and Conditions 2026 (Agenda for Change), effective 1 April 2026 in England — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own scales. These are basic salary only: unsociable-hours and high-cost-area supplements are counted by some lenders and not others, and your deposit, credit history and existing commitments all move the final number. Pay progression within a band lifts it further, and some specialist lenders stretch to 5× for healthcare professionals.
Documents you’ll need
- Passport and current BRP or eVisa share code
- Certificate of Sponsorship reference, from your NHS trust or care employer
- 3–6 months of UK payslips
- 3–6 months of bank statements
- Proof of deposit
- P60 or self-assessment documents, if applicable
- Your UK credit report — check yours with checkmyfile(opens in a new tab)
What if my visa has less than 2 years left?
This is the single most common concern we hear, and it is usually less of a problem than people expect. Because this route has a clear, protected path to extension and settlement, several lenders on our panel will still lend with 12–18 months remaining, provided there is a realistic expectation of renewal. Tell us how long you have left at the start and we will tell you honestly which lenders are open to you before you apply anywhere.
Common challenges — and how we solve them
“My bank said no because of my visa status.”
High-street banks often apply blanket ILR-only policies. We work exclusively with lenders who assess visa holders individually.
“I’ve only just started my NHS job.”
Some lenders accept a contract and a first payslip rather than requiring a full 12 months in post. Your start date matters less than the sponsor behind it.
“My salary includes unsociable hours and NHS banding uplifts.”
We know which lenders count enhanced pay towards your income rather than working from base salary alone. On shift-heavy roles that difference can be worth tens of thousands in borrowing.
“I’m a care worker on the transitional route.”
Your existing Health & Care Worker status is still valid for mortgage purposes. The July 2025 closure affects new overseas applications — not your current employment, and not your borrowing eligibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can care workers still apply for a Health & Care Worker visa in 2026?
New overseas applications for care worker and senior care worker roles closed on 22 July 2025. Care workers already in the UK on this route can still extend their visa and switch employer under transitional arrangements until 22 July 2028. The route remains fully open for NHS-sponsored doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals.
Can I get a mortgage on a Health & Care Worker visa without Indefinite Leave to Remain?
Yes. Several lenders on our panel lend specifically to Health & Care Worker visa holders based on income, employment, and remaining visa duration, without requiring ILR.
What is the minimum salary for a Health & Care Worker visa?
The general minimum is £25,000 a year, or the going rate for your specific occupation code, whichever is higher. NHS roles typically pay more than this under Agenda for Change — a Band 5 registered nurse starts at £32,073 as of April 2026.
Is the Health & Care Worker visa exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge?
Yes, and so are your dependants. gov.uk confirms that you, your partner and your children will not have to pay the healthcare surcharge on this route — a saving of £1,035 per adult per year against a standard Skilled Worker visa.
What deposit do I need for a Health & Care Worker visa mortgage?
Deposits typically start from 5–10% of the property value, though the exact minimum depends on the lender, your credit history, and how long you have been in your role.
Still have a question? Read our full FAQs or ask us directly.
Further reading
