Skilled Worker Visa for Nurses: UK Guide
Overseas nurses can work in the UK on the Health and Care Worker visa. This guide covers the visa route, what the Immigration Rules say about Nursing and Midwifery Council registration, the English language requirement, the healthcare surcharge exemption, and the salary rules for nurses.
- Section
- Skilled Worker Visa
- Reading time
- 12 min
- Last checked
- 21 October 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Nurses use the Health and Care Worker visa route.
- A nurse sponsored while still working towards Nursing and Midwifery Council registration may be paid less for up to 8 months, and must reach full registration within that time.
- The healthcare surcharge is not charged on this route, for you or your dependants.
- The salary you need comes from the published national pay scale, by NHS band and by UK nation.
- Midwives and specialist nursing roles use the same visa route.
- The published qualifying period for settlement on this route is 5 years.
Overseas nurses can work in the UK through the Health and Care Worker visa, which costs £324 for up to 3 years or £628 for more than 3 years and carries no healthcare surcharge. Nurses must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council; the Immigration Rules refer to its English language requirement, a computer-based test, and a practical clinical exam called the OSCE. The salary you need comes from the published national pay scale for your NHS band and UK nation.
The Health and Care Worker Route
Nurses come to the UK through the Health and Care Worker visa, a variant of the Skilled Worker visa with specific benefits:
- Reduced application fees: £324 per person for permission of up to 3 years, or £628 for more than 3 years. The fee is the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK.
- Exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge.
- Lower salary threshold.
GOV.UK says the visa is for an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care, and the employer must hold a sponsor licence.
NMC Registration
Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is run by the NMC, not by the Home Office, and GOV.UK does not publish its full requirements. The Immigration Rules refer to these parts of it:
- English language: the NMC's English language requirements.
- Computer-based test (CBT): the NMC's computer-based test of competence.
- OSCE: the Objective Structured Clinical Examination, a practical clinical exam.
- Registration: full NMC registration.
GOV.UK does not publish how long registration takes. Our guide on recognition of foreign qualifications explains how overseas study is assessed in the UK.
English Language Requirement for Nurses
You must prove your English to two different bodies. The Nursing and Midwifery Council sets a requirement for registration. The Home Office sets one for the visa: for applications made on or after 8 January 2026 that is CEFR level B2 (upper intermediate) for a new Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker application. B1 is still accepted when you extend or update a visa you held before 8 January 2026.
GOV.UK says a nurse or midwife does not need to prove their knowledge of English for the visa if they have already passed an English language assessment that is accepted by the relevant regulated professional body. You can read more in our guide to English language tests for UK visas.
OSCE and CBT in Detail
GOV.UK does not publish the content, fees or test centres for the computer-based test or the OSCE; the Nursing and Midwifery Council sets them.
The Immigration Rules do set out what happens while a nurse is working towards registration. A nurse sponsored in a nursing or midwifery code may be paid less than £25,000 for up to 8 months if both of these apply:
- they passed the NMC's English language requirements and computer-based test before applying, and
- they will sit the OSCE no later than 3 months after the job start date.
During that time the salary must be at least the Agenda for Change band 3 rate for the relevant UK nation. The sponsor must confirm that it will stop sponsoring the nurse if they do not reach full NMC registration within 8 months of the job start date. The same lower pay can apply to a nurse who held NMC registration before and is on an NMC-approved programme to return to practice.
Costs and the Healthcare Surcharge Exemption
The Health and Care Worker visa is cheaper than the standard Skilled Worker visa in two ways.
- Reduced application fee: £324 per person for permission of up to 3 years, or £628 for more than 3 years, the same inside or outside the UK. The standard Skilled Worker fee is £819 or £1,618 from outside the UK, and £943 or £1,865 from inside it.
- Healthcare surcharge exemption: You do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. On other routes it is £1,035 a year for each adult and £776 a year for anyone under 18, so a 5-year visa costs £5,175 for each adult.
GOV.UK says that you, and your partner or children, will not have to pay the healthcare surcharge. You will also need £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself, unless your sponsor certifies your maintenance. For the current figures, check the Health and Care Worker visa pages on GOV.UK.
Salary and Career Progression
NHS nurses are paid on the Agenda for Change pay scale. For immigration purposes the rules do not use a single going rate for nursing codes. They take the figure from the published table of national pay scales, which varies by band and by UK nation. The table below is the version published on 22 July 2025.
- Band 5: England £29,970, Scotland £31,892, Wales £30,420, Northern Ireland £28,407.
- Band 6: England £37,338, Scotland £39,912, Wales £37,898, Northern Ireland £35,392.
- Band 7: England £46,148, Scotland £48,788, Wales £46,840, Northern Ireland £43,742.
- Band 8a: England £53,755, Scotland £60,126, Wales £54,550, Northern Ireland £50,952. The table runs up to band 9.
These are the minimum figures the immigration rules use, not what every job pays. They are based on a 37.5-hour week (37 in Scotland) and are pro-rated for other working patterns. Band 1 and band 2 jobs cannot be sponsored. Except for nursing auxiliaries and assistants (code 6131), band 3 and band 4 jobs are open only to someone who already held Skilled Worker permission before 22 July 2025 and has kept it since. The exception is the temporary band 3 rate for nurses working towards registration, described above. The salary calculation for visa purposes uses your guaranteed basic pay. Shift pay, overtime and allowances do not count towards it.
Midwives and Other Nursing Roles
This route is not only for general nurses. Midwives and specialist nursing roles use the same visa route. GOV.UK lists these nursing codes for the Health and Care Worker visa:
- 2231: midwifery nurses
- 2232: registered community nurses
- 2233: registered specialist nurses
- 2234: registered nurse practitioners
- 2235: registered mental health nurses
- 2236: registered children's nurses
- 2237: other registered nursing professionals
Other registered healthcare professionals, such as doctors, use closely related routes. See our guide for skilled worker doctors for that pathway.
Ethical Recruitment
The UK has a Code of Practice for International Recruitment of health and social care personnel. The code for England says:
- Health and social care staff recruited from abroad must not be charged fees for recruitment services. An employer may ask for some costs it paid, such as visa fees or exam fees, to be repaid if the worker leaves early, on a schedule that reduces over time. It must not ask for the agency fee, the immigration skills charge, the sponsor licence fee or the certificate of sponsorship cost to be repaid.
- There must be no active recruitment from countries on the code's red list, which is based on the World Health Organization health workforce list, unless a government-to-government agreement allows it.
- Recruits should receive induction and support, including help with accommodation, pay, and registering with a doctor.
Path to Settlement
The published qualifying period for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) on the Health and Care Worker route is 5 years. After settlement, the rules for British citizenship apply. On 2 November 2026 the government announced its decision on earned settlement: a standard qualifying period of 10 years, with a 5-year path for people who have worked 5 years in a listed public service job. The list covers registered nurses, midwives and other health professions paid on national pay scales (the government's response, CP 1707, pages 42 and 54 to 55). It is not yet in the Immigration Rules. The Home Secretary told Parliament the rules will be laid from December 2026 and brought in during 2027. See public service jobs on the 5-year path.
During the 5-year qualifying period, keep tracking your absences and the other settlement requirements. For the main applicant, the rules set no English requirement at settlement for applications made before 26 March 2027. For applications made on or after 26 March 2027, they require English at level B2 in speaking and listening. For a partner, or a child aged 18 or over, applying for settlement, the level is B1 in speaking and listening before 26 March 2027, and B2 from that date.
Dependants
As a registered nurse you can bring your dependants: a partner, and children under 18 (or over 18 if they already have permission as your dependant). GOV.UK says they can work in the UK, except as a sportsperson or coach.
This does not apply across the whole health and care sector. Someone sponsored as a care worker or senior care worker, or in another medium-skilled job, including through the Temporary Shortage List, cannot usually bring a partner or children. GOV.UK lists exceptions, including for people employed in those jobs since before 11 March 2024 (care workers) or 22 July 2025 (other medium-skilled jobs), and for a child born in the UK.
Next Steps
Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and a job offer from a licensed sponsor are both part of this route. The Health and Care Worker visa pages on GOV.UK list the current fees and requirements.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
How do overseas nurses register with the NMC?
Registration is handled by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), not by GOV.UK. The Immigration Rules refer to three parts of it: the NMC's English language requirements, its computer-based test (CBT), and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). GOV.UK does not publish the NMC's scores, fees or other requirements.
Do nurses pay the Immigration Health Surcharge?
No. GOV.UK says that on the Health and Care Worker visa, you and your partner or children will not have to pay the healthcare surcharge. On other routes it is £1,035 a year for each adult and £776 a year for anyone under 18, so over a 5-year visa the exemption is worth £5,175 for each adult.
What salary do nurses need for the visa?
On the Health and Care Worker route GOV.UK says you will usually need to be paid at least £25,000, or the going rate for your job if that is higher. For nursing codes the going rate is not a single figure: it is taken from the national pay scale, by NHS band and by UK nation. As of the table published on 22 July 2025, band 5 in England is £29,970, band 6 is £37,338 and band 7 is £46,148, with different figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Can I bring my family to the UK as a nurse?
Yes. Registered nurses can bring a partner and children as dependants, and GOV.UK says they can work, except as a sportsperson or coach. This is not true of every health and care code. Workers sponsored as care workers or senior care workers, or in other medium-skilled jobs, including through the Temporary Shortage List, cannot usually bring a partner or children. GOV.UK lists exceptions, such as a child born in the UK.
How long does NMC registration take?
GOV.UK does not publish a figure. The Immigration Rules allow a nurse who has passed the NMC English requirement and computer-based test to be sponsored while working towards registration. The nurse must sit the OSCE within 3 months of the job start date, and the sponsor must stop sponsoring them if they do not reach full registration within 8 months.
Is the healthcare surcharge exemption automatic?
GOV.UK says that on the Health and Care Worker visa, you and your partner or children will not have to pay the healthcare surcharge. Separately, GOV.UK says some health and care workers who paid the surcharge on another visa may be able to get a refund for periods of 6 months or more worked in health or care.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.