Skilled Worker Visa for Care Workers

The Health and Care Worker Route

The Health and Care Worker visa is a variant of the Skilled Worker visa designed for health and social care professionals. Care workers, home carers, and senior care workers are eligible under specific SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) codes.

Key advantages of this route over the standard Skilled Worker visa:

• Reduced application fees.
• Exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge.
• A lower salary threshold than the standard route.

This route has been heavily reformed. For the current rules, always check the latest GOV.UK guidance on the Health and Care Worker visa.

SOC Codes and Salary for Care Workers

Your SOC code decides the going rate for your role and how the salary rules apply. The two main care SOC codes are:

• SOC 6135 — care workers and home carers. This covers most frontline care roles, including care home staff and home carers who visit people in their own homes.
• SOC 6136 — senior care workers. This covers supervisory and senior care roles with added responsibility.

The care worker route has a lower salary threshold than the standard Skilled Worker route. You must usually be paid at least the going rate for your SOC code, which is set at the occupation's median salary. The exact figures changed recently, so do not treat any single number as permanent.

For the salary rules that apply in 2026, see our Health and Care Worker salary guide and check the latest GOV.UK guidance. Your employer assigns the SOC code when they create your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), and it must match the work you actually do.

Employer Requirements

Your employer must:

• Hold a sponsor licence.
• In England, be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and actively carrying out CQC-regulated activities. The other UK nations have their own regulators.
• Assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship.
• Pay you at least the applicable salary threshold.
• Comply with ethical recruitment standards.

The Home Office has increased scrutiny of care sector sponsors following concerns about worker exploitation. Sponsors must demonstrate genuine vacancies and appropriate working conditions. The CQC registration requirement and tighter recruitment rules were introduced to reduce abuse in the sector. For the current detail, check the latest GOV.UK guidance.

English Language Requirement

You must meet the English language requirement for the Skilled Worker visa. This is set at CEFR level B1 (B1 = intermediate) on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. You need to show you can speak, read, write, and understand English at this level.

You can usually meet the requirement in one of these ways:

• Pass an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) at B1 or above.
• Hold a degree that was taught in English.
• Be a national of a country on the list of majority English-speaking countries.

For the approved tests and the full list of ways to qualify, see our guide to English language tests for UK visas.

Dependants and the 2024-2026 Restrictions

Dependant rules for care workers were restricted between 2024 and 2026. Previously, care workers could bring partners and children as dependants, and those dependants could work. The government then limited the ability of care workers and senior care workers to bring dependants. This remains an area of active change.

Because the rules have shifted more than once, you should not assume your situation matches an older guide or someone else's experience. Check the latest GOV.UK guidance before you plan to bring family members.

For the current position on who can join you and what they can do, see our guides on Skilled Worker dependants and dependant work rights.