UK Health and Care Worker Visa for Nurses and Care Workers in the UAE

Fatima
UK Health and Care Worker visa: the 2026 reality for nurses and care workers

The UK Health and Care Worker visa now treats nurses and care workers differently, and UAE applicants need to know which side of that line they are on before paying for tests. Since 22 July 2025, care workers and senior care workers cannot apply from overseas. Registered nurses, doctors and allied health professionals still can, with a lower visa fee than the standard Skilled Worker route and no Immigration Health Surcharge. The position below is as at August 2026, from gov.uk and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

At a glance

  • Entry clearance for care workers (SOC 6135) and senior care workers (SOC 6136) closed on 22 July 2025; in-UK switching continues until 22 July 2028.
  • Registered nurses (SOC 2231 to 2237), doctors, physiotherapists, radiographers, pharmacists and paramedics remain eligible for new applications.
  • Visa fee is £324 (up to 3 years) or £628 (more than 3 years) per person; the visa holder and dependants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge.
  • Nurses need NMC registration: a £140 evaluation, the CBT and OSCE, and English at IELTS Academic 7/7/6.5/7 or OET B/B/C+/B unless you qualify another way.
  • Since 8 January 2026 new applicants must prove English at CEFR B2 for the visa itself.

What changed, and when

The Home Office published Statement of Changes HC 997 on 1 July 2025. The explanatory memorandum states that it closes entry clearance applications for Skilled Workers sponsored in occupation codes 6135 and 6136, with effect from 22 July 2025. The Health and Care Worker visa sits inside the Skilled Worker route, so the closure applies to it.

There is a transition period for people already in the UK. In-country switching from other visa routes continues until 22 July 2028, provided the worker has been working legally for the sponsoring provider for at least 3 months before the certificate of sponsorship was issued. The gov.uk visa pages now list 6135 and 6136 only under extending, updating or switching.

A second change took effect on 8 January 2026. New applicants must prove English at level B2 on the CEFR scale, up from B1. Anyone extending a visa held before that date still needs only B1 and does not have to prove it again.

We see the effect of both changes in our Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices every week: care assistants with years of UAE experience have no overseas route, while DHA, DOH and MOH licensed nurses remain eligible.

Which jobs still qualify

gov.uk lists the occupation codes that can apply from outside the UK. The employer must be the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an adult social care provider, and it must hold a Home Office sponsor licence.

Occupation (SOC 2020 code) New application from the UAE Partner and children
Registered nurses: 2231 midwifery, 2232 community, 2233 specialist, 2234 nurse practitioners, 2235 mental health, 2236 children’s, 2237 other Open Can apply as dependants
Doctors: 2211 generalist, 2212 specialist Open Can apply as dependants
Physiotherapists 2221, occupational therapists 2222, radiographers 2254, paramedics 2255, pharmacists 2251 Open Can apply as dependants
Care workers 6135, senior care workers 6136 Closed since 22 July 2025; in-UK switching only, until 22 July 2028 Only if continually employed in the route since before 11 March 2024, or for a child born in the UK

Nursing auxiliaries and assistants (6131) also appear on the eligible list. If your job title does not match a listed code, gov.uk points to the CASCOT tool to find the right one.

Fees, salary floors and the health surcharge

The application fee is £324 per person for a visa of up to 3 years and £628 for more than 3 years, inside or outside the UK. You must show £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, with day 28 falling within 31 days of the application, unless your sponsor certifies maintenance on the certificate of sponsorship. Dependants need £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional child.

The Immigration Health Surcharge does not apply. gov.uk’s list of people who do not need to pay includes anyone eligible for a Health and Care Worker visa and their dependants.

On salary, gov.uk states you will usually need at least £25,000 or the going rate for your job, whichever is higher. For nurses and most clinical roles the going rate comes from the national pay scales table, updated on 22 July 2025. Band 5 is £29,970 in England, £31,892 in Scotland, £30,420 in Wales and £28,407 in Northern Ireland. Band 6 in England is £37,338.

You must apply within 3 months of the certificate of sponsorship being issued, and gov.uk states that you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks of applying, proving your identity and providing your documents. The visa can run for up to 5 years, after which you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain.

NMC registration for nurses trained outside the UK

The visa and NMC registration are separate processes with separate decision-makers. The NMC’s overseas process has five stages: a readiness check using its checklist tool, the eligibility and qualification application, the Test of Competence, the registration application, and referee verification. We advise nurses in the UAE to start the NMC side before the job search.

English language evidence

The NMC accepts two tests. IELTS Academic requires 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. OET requires B (350 or above) in listening, reading and speaking and C+ (300 or above) in writing. Scores can be combined across two sittings of the same test, provided the two test dates are within 12 months of each other and each sitting meets the NMC’s minimum scores; results are valid for two years. There are two alternatives to a test. The first is your pre-registration nursing qualification, where the NMC needs evidence that at least half of the programme was spent interacting with patients and colleagues and at least 75% of those interactions were in English: a personal transcript is enough if you trained in a country on the NMC’s majority-English list, but if you trained elsewhere (for example India or the Philippines) the transcript must be backed by supporting information from a UK employer, or you will need a test. The second is at least one year of recent practice in a country on that majority-English list. The NMC does not accept NARIC or Ecctis certificates as English evidence.

The Test of Competence

The Test of Competence has two parts, a computer-based test (CBT) and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). They can be taken in either order, but both must be passed within two years of each other; the result then stays valid for five years. You have two years from the first pass to provide everything the registration stage needs, including referee verification, or the application is closed.

What it costs

The NMC lists four fee stages: £140 for the qualification evaluation (non-refundable), £83 for the CBT, £794 for the OSCE and £153 for entry onto the register, a total of £1,170 before any resits.

Partners and children

For nurses, doctors and the other professional codes above, a partner and children may apply as dependants. A partner means a husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner of at least 2 years; children must be under 18. Each family member pays the same visa fee and is covered by the surcharge exemption.

For care workers and senior care workers the rule is narrower. gov.uk allows a partner or child only where the worker has been continually employed in the UK in one of those codes since before 11 March 2024. The exceptions are a child born in the UK, a worker who is the child’s only living parent, or a child whose other parent is also sponsored in those codes.

From the UAE: what this means for you

If you hold a DHA, DOH or MOH licence as a registered nurse, we recommend this order: NMC registration first, then the employer, then the visa. Run the NMC checklist tool and submit the qualification evaluation. Book IELTS Academic or OET, both of which are available in the UAE. Request a personal transcript from your training institution now, because the NMC wants the breakdown of theory and clinical hours.

Two visa documents need lead time from Dubai or Abu Dhabi. A criminal record certificate is required for applicants from outside the UK in almost all health codes; if you are 28 or over, you need one from every country you have stayed in over the last 10 years. gov.uk’s country guidance links to the UAE Ministry of Interior online service and describes an embassy route from the UK that can take up to twelve weeks, so obtain the UAE certificate before you leave. A tuberculosis test is needed only if you have lived for 6 months or more in a country on gov.uk’s list and were living there within the last 6 months. The UAE is not on that list as at August 2026; India, Pakistan and the Philippines are.

The NMC and the Home Office assess English separately. The NMC needs IELTS Academic or OET at the scores above; the visa needs CEFR B2 through a secure English language test or a degree taught in English. Check before booking whether a single sitting will satisfy both.

If you are a care worker, there is no overseas application route. The questions are whether your role fits a listed professional code, and whether Canada or Australia offers a pathway: see Canada PR for nurses from the UAE, Australia PR for nurses through AHPRA, and our Canada and Australia pages. For UK options outside health, our UK Skilled Worker visa guide and UK Skilled Worker page cover the £41,700 general threshold.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still get a UK care worker visa from Dubai in 2026?

No, not from outside the UK. gov.uk closed entry clearance for SOC 6135 and 6136 on 22 July 2025. Only people already in the UK on another visa, who have worked legally for their sponsor for at least 3 months, can switch into those codes, and that transition ends on 22 July 2028.

Do I need NMC registration before applying for the visa?

The visa needs a certificate of sponsorship from an approved employer, and the employer decides when to issue it. Because the NMC process includes the CBT, OSCE and referee checks, sponsors generally want to see progress on registration first.

Is this visa cheaper than a standard Skilled Worker visa?

Yes, on both the fee and the surcharge. gov.uk’s Skilled Worker page states the Health and Care Worker visa is cheaper to apply for and carries no annual Immigration Health Surcharge, and the exemption extends to your partner and children.

What to do next

If you are a licensed nurse or allied health professional in the UAE, start with our free eligibility assessment, call our Dubai office on 04 357 7796, or book a 20-minute review with one of our consultants. Our credential verification service can check that your qualification documents are ready, and every country guide is at all guides. We do not promise outcomes: the NMC and the Home Office decide.

Sources

Cover photo: Max W via Pexels

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