How to Get UK Visa Sponsorship
as a Nurse

Check Health and Care Worker eligibility

Eligible registered nursing roles can qualify for the Health and Care Worker route when the job and employer meet its conditions. This route has reduced fees and no IHS for eligible applicants and dependants. It is not based on the old Shortage Occupation List.

Care workers and senior carers (6135/6136) are different occupations: new overseas recruitment on those codes is closed, with limited in-country arrangements. Do not confuse that restriction with registered nurse sponsorship.

Sources: GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker eligible jobs · GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker overview

Use the correct nursing occupation

The employer should select the code from the actual duties. Nursing auxiliaries and assistants use a different code and have their own eligibility conditions.

Sources: GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker eligible jobs

Follow the NMC registration route for your training

Use the NMC overseas-registration checklist to establish the evidence and tests required for your qualification. Registration, English evidence, health and character requirements are assessed by the NMC; do not assume every overseas applicant has an identical pathway.

Where sponsorship uses the pre-registration nursing provisions, passing English and the CBT before the visa application, sitting the OSCE within three months of the stated job start, and achieving full registration within eight months are key conditions. Ask the employer to confirm the applicable pay and support plan in writing. Simply starting an NMC application is not enough.

Sources: NMC: registration for nurses trained outside the UK · Immigration Rules: Appendix Skilled Worker

NMC English test scores

For a single IELTS Academic sitting, NMC accepts at least 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. For OET, it accepts B (350) in listening, reading and speaking and C+ (300) in writing.

Other evidence routes and combining-test conditions may apply. Check the NMC requirements rather than assuming nationality alone creates an exemption. Visa English evidence is a separate question; GOV.UK recognises accepted professional-body English assessments for nurses.

Sources: NMC: accepted English language tests · GOV.UK: Skilled Worker English requirements

NHS pay: specify the country and year

These are England basic annual rates effective from 1 April 2026, not UK-wide salary promises. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements. London supplements depend on location and applicable HCAS rules; private-sector pay varies.

Visa eligibility uses the relevant healthcare salary and national-pay-scale rules, including the job’s hours and band. Do not substitute the general Skilled Worker salary floor for every nursing case or assume any advertised salary qualifies.

Sources: NHS Employers: 2026/27 pay scales · GOV.UK: healthcare and education salary rules

Fees, documents and the application

Health and Care Worker application fees are currently £324 for up to three years or £628 for longer stays. Eligible applicants do not pay IHS. Check maintenance, identity, English, TB and criminal-record evidence requirements for your circumstances, then follow the application instructions. Processing times are estimates, not guarantees.

Sources: GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker fees · GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker documents

Check each vacancy and recruitment arrangement

Use NHS Jobs and employers’ own recruitment pages, then verify the employing legal entity and route on the official sponsor register. Ask whether the particular post offers sponsorship and what registration, exam and relocation support is included. Avoid relying on historic vacancy counts, claims that every trust sponsors, or promises that nursing is an easy route.

Sources: GOV.UK: register of licensed sponsors · NHS Jobs