Visa for Social Care Worker (under the framework of the visa category “Skilled Worker Visa”)

There are five categories of Skilled Worker applicants who will require a sponsorship certificate from their sponsors in order to make a visa applications in line with the certificate:

• Skilled Worker Visa (formerly known as TIER 2 (General))
• Minister of Religion Visa (formerly known as TIER 2 (Minister of Religion))
• International Sportsperson Visa (formerly known as TIER 2 (Sportsperson))
• Global Business Mobility from 11 April 2022 (formerly Intra-Company Visa)
• Health and Care Worker Visa (formerly known as TIER 2 (Health and Care Visa))

New: Social care workers can get Skilled Worker visas from 15 February 2022

Visa for Social Care Worker

Social care workers can get a work visa using the visa category called the Skilled Worker Visa.

Therefore, most of the immigration requirements will be the same as for the Skilled Worker Visa.

However, any different requirements, which are applicable specifically to Social Care Workers, are provided below.

Social care workers include care assistants, home carers, nursing home support workers and similar professions.

We would like to underline that the Visa for Social Care Workers became open from 15 February 2022 and remains to be open until a government decision is made on either its termination or suspension.

A. Main immigration requirements

UK sponsoring company

With regard to getting a Skilled Worker Visa, first of all you will need to find a UK company willing to employ you on the Skilled Worker Visa basis. 

Also, to be able to employ you on the work visa basis your UK company will have to have a company sponsor license. Please see details on sponsor license for companies.

Salary

Employers, which can be legal entities and companies (but not private households or private individuals) are now able to sponsor care assistants, home carers, nursing home support workers and similar so long as they pay at least £20,480 annually, or £10.10 per hour.

English language

People with passports from majority English speaking countries will meet the requirement automatically, simply relying on their passports as the appropriate evidence.

Applicants can also rely on UK secondary school qualifications in English language or literature, such as a GCSE, A-level or Scottish Higher. Alternatively, applicants may rely on a degree taught in English with appropriate certification from UK ECCTIS, which is a commercial partner of the Home Office.

If none of the above options is available to applicants, they will have to take a secure English language test. The test has to be an approved English language test at the level of a B1 CEFR standard and it must include all four modules: listening, speaking, writing and reading.

Relevant education and experience

There are no formal academic requirements to apply for the above jobs in the social care area.

However, potential workers will be required to register with the appropriate statutory body in the UK or in their home country. Also, potential workers would be expected to be holding or working towards the appropriate qualification for one of the jobs in the social care field. Applicants must typically be 18 years old and have some experience of working in the social care environment, which needs to be proven by relevant documents.

Criminal record certificate

If the applicant is applying for entry clearance and is being sponsored for a job in any of the social care jobs, they must provide a criminal record certificate from the relevant authority in any country in which they have been present for 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the 10 years before the date of application, and as long as they are 18 years old or over.

B. Maintenance

The applicant will need to score 10 points under this section to obtain a visa. This is possible in the following ways:

• the applicant has already been in the UK for the last 12 months in the following visa categories: Tier 2 General Visa (issued under the old rules), Skilled Worker Visa, ground staff of foreign airlines, clergyman, missionary or member of a religious order, representative of foreign media; or
• the applicant has at least £1,270 in the personal bank account for consecutive 28 days before applying for himself as the main applicant; or
• the applicant's sponsor provides official confirmation that, if necessary, he will help the immigrant financially, as well as with housing in the first month after employment. Such an application will only be accepted from a sponsor licensed under category A.

Maintenance for Dependants: The applicant will require showing extra £285 for his/her spouse, £315 for the first child and £200 for each additional dependent child, if the applicant intends to bring them with him to the UK. The applicant’s sponsor will also be able to certify the dependants of the prospective employee for maintenance purposes.

C. Duration of Skilled Worker Visa

• Successful applicants for entry clearance may be granted leave for a period equal to the length of engagement shown on their Certificate of Sponsorship plus 1 month, or a maximum time of 6 months based on the job start date shown on their Certificate of Sponsorship, whichever is the shorter.
• If the application is for a change of employment, those who are already on a Tier 2 (General) issued under the old immigration rules may be granted leave of to the job end date shown on their Certificate of Sponsorship plus 14 days, or up to five years, or for the period of time they need to take their total stay in Skilled Worker Visa category to six years (this is counted from the date they were first granted entry clearance or leave to remain), whichever is shorter.

D. Work Allowed

Applicants having leave to remain or leave to enter under the Skilled Worker Visa category would be allowed to take supplementary employment that must meet the following criteria:

• is outside of their normal working hours;
• is no more than 20 hours per week;
• is within the same profession at the same professional level as the work for which the Certificate of Sponsorship was issued.

In addition to the supplementary employment, the applicants are also allowed to take unpaid voluntary employment.

E. What work is not allowed?

Skilled Worker Visa workers are not allowed to enter self-employment, set-up a business or join another business as a director or partner without obtaining permission from the Home Office. 

They are also not allowed to hold more than 10% shares in the sponsor company if it is a limited (unless applying under the Intra-Company Visa category or those who earn £155,300 or more).

F. Switching Rules

The following persons are able to switch into the Skilled Worker Visa, provided they fulfil all the requirements:

• Tier 1 Migrant
• Tier 2 Migrant issued under the old immigration rules
• Tier 2 (Sportsperson, Minister of religion) visa issued under the old immigration rules
• Tier 2 (Intra company transfer: established staff) visa and you’re applying to change sponsor issued under the old immigration rules
• Health and Care Worker Visa (formerly known as TIER 2 (Health and Care Visa))
• Tier 5 (Temporary Worker - Creative and sporting) for a job as a professional footballer and you meet the Tier 2 (Sportsperson) requirements, issued under the old immigration rules
• Innovator
• Start-up
• A Dependent partner of someone with a Student visa
• Member of Operational Ground Staff of an overseas owned Airline
• Representative of an overseas business, newspaper, News Agency or Broadcasting organization

G. Settlement Prospects

After five years of residence in the UK on this visa, the applicant is entitled to apply for the ILR, along with his dependent family members.

Skilled Worker Visa workers can apply for permanent settlement in the UK on completion of a total of five years in the following categories, most recently having Skilled Worker Visa or Tier 2 leave to remain (issued under the old immigration rules):

1. Tier 1
2. Minister of Religion Visa (formerly known as TIER 2 (Minister of Religion)
3. Sportsperson Visa (formerly known as TIER 2 (Sportsperson)
4. Health and Care Worker Visa (formerly known as TIER 2 (Health and Care Visa)
5. Representative of an overseas business, newspaper, News Agency or Broadcasting organization

To be able to apply for the ILR, the applicant will have to pass the Life in the UK test.

Applicants for the ILR in this visa category must, in addition to the Life in the UK test, pass an English language proficiency test with a score of at least B1 according to the European CEFR scheme.

The people exempt from the above requirements are persons over 65 years of age or who have serious medical contraindications.

H. Administrative Review (Entry clearance, extension and settlement applications)

If the entry clearance, extension or settlement application is refused by the ECO in the British Diplomatic post or by the Home Office, the applicant will be given a right to make a request for a review of the decision that must be exercised within 28 days of the date of service of the decision if application was submitted outside the UK or 14 days if application is made inside the UK. The applicant will only be able to rely on the information/documents already submitted with the application and will not be allowed to provide or submit any fresh evidence with the review request.

It is therefore strongly advised to take professional help while making grounds for making review request.

What services can we offer?

Whatever the case, we are here to assist, advise and represent our clients in relation to any aspect of their immigration matters.

Prices for Visa for Social Care Workers