Health and Care Worker Visa Salary Threshold (2026)

Last updated: 28 September 2026 · Figures verified against the NHS Employers 2026/27 pay circular.

By the NHS Bands Pay editorial team

The rule in one paragraph

The Health and Care Worker visa is a preferential route within the UK's Skilled Worker system for eligible health and care roles. On 22 July 2025 the Home Office raised the general Skilled Worker salary threshold from £38,700 to £41,700 — but explicitly left the Health and Care Worker threshold unchanged at £25,000 for roles on national pay scales. In practice the requirement is the higher of £25,000 and the going rate for the occupation: for NHS roles, the going rate is the relevant Agenda for Change pay point. You also need a job offer from a licensed sponsor, a Certificate of Sponsorship, and English language evidence. For the pay side of the equation, see how Agenda for Change works.

Source: GOV.UK — monthly entry clearance visa applications, August 2026 (policy changes section).

How each NHS band compares to the threshold

Because Agenda for Change sets national pay, any NHS trust post advertised at the correct band automatically defines its own going rate. Here is how the 2026/27 England entry points sit against the £25,000 floor:

Two things to notice. First, Band 2 clears the floor by only £272 — part-time Band 2 contracts are pro-rated, so a part-time offer can fall below £25,000 even though the full-time rate clears it; the Home Office assesses the salary you will actually be paid. Second, the floor is a minimum, not the whole test: the going rate for the occupation must also be met, so a trust cannot sponsor a Band 5 nurse at £25,000 — it must pay the Band 5 rate.

The £25,000 floor vs the going rate

The dual test — £25,000 or the going rate, whichever is higher — is where applications succeed or fail. For NHS posts the going rate is straightforward: it is the AfC salary for the band and pay step. Complications arise mainly at the margins: a post advertised below the correct band, a part-time contract whose pro-rated salary dips under £25,000, or unsocial-hours enhancements counted toward the threshold when the rules only count guaranteed basic pay. Allowances that are not guaranteed — such as overtime you might work — do not count. If a job advert quotes a salary that does not match the band, check whether it is an outdated figure, a devolved-nation scale, or a part-time equivalent before assuming the worst.

The £31,300 general threshold for non-pay-scale roles

Not every eligible health role sits on a national pay scale. Doctors on medical contracts, some allied health professionals in private practice, and social care roles outside AfC are assessed against the general threshold instead. Immigration advisers report this general Health and Care Worker threshold at £31,300 in 2026 (with the occupation's lower going rate also applying where relevant). This is the crossover our biomedical scientist salary guide flags: an NHS-employed biomedical scientist is on AfC Band 6, so the £25,000 floor applies — but the same profession in a private laboratory outside national pay scales faces the higher general threshold. The distinction matters for anyone weighing NHS against private-sector offers.

Source: Immigration Barrister — Health & Care Worker visa guide 2026 (£31,300 general threshold for ASHE-based roles); GOV.UK (£25,000 floor for the Health and Care route).

Care workers: the route that closed

From 22 July 2025 the UK ended overseas recruitment of care workers and senior care workers (occupation codes 6135/6136) under this route — no new international applicants can be sponsored for care jobs from outside the UK. Workers already in the UK in these roles can continue to switch or extend in-country until July 2028 under transitional arrangements. This is why the £25,000 floor now matters most for registered roles — nurses, midwives, paramedics and allied health professionals — rather than care assistants. Anyone considering the care route should check the current Immigration Rules on GOV.UK rather than relying on older guides.

What the visa gives you besides the lower threshold

• No Immigration Health Surcharge — a saving of £1,035 per year of the visa compared with the standard Skilled Worker route. (Dependants of Health and Care Worker visa holders are exempt too.)
• Lower application fees than the standard Skilled Worker visa.
• No Immigration Skills Charge for the sponsoring employer, which makes trusts more willing to sponsor.
• Dependants — the route generally allows partners and children, unlike some shortage-list concessions; check the current rules for your occupation code.
• Settlement — five years on the route can lead to indefinite leave to remain, subject to salary, residence and employer requirements at the time.

The visa also interacts with the NMC registration process: many nurses arrive on the visa first, work as Band 4 pre-registration nurses, and complete the OSCE in the UK. Trusts typically assign the Certificate of Sponsorship once you have a job offer — and many fold visa costs into their relocation package for overseas nurses.

What happens if the offer is below the threshold

If the salary on the certificate of sponsorship does not meet the threshold, the visa is refused — there is no discretion and no near-miss. The two traps are part-time annualisation (a full-time-compliant hourly rate that falls below £25,000 when annualised for part-time hours) and the going rate: for roles outside national pay scales, the occupation's going rate can exceed the £31,300 floor, and the higher figure applies. If an offer looks short, the fix is on the employer's side — a higher salary, more contracted hours, or a different role — because only guaranteed basic pay on the certificate counts. Overtime you might work and enhancements you might earn are invisible to the Home Office.

Frequently asked questions

What is the salary threshold for the Health and Care Worker visa?

£25,000 a year or the going rate for the occupation, whichever is higher, for roles on national pay scales such as NHS Agenda for Change. The Home Office confirmed the threshold stayed at £25,000 when the general Skilled Worker threshold rose to £41,700 in July 2025.

Does a Band 5 nurse meet the visa salary threshold?

Yes, comfortably. A Band 5 nurse starts at £32,073 in 2026/27, well above the £25,000 floor, and the AfC band rate itself is the going rate. Even Band 2 (£25,272) and Band 3 (£25,760) clear the floor at full-time hours.

What is the £31,300 threshold I have seen mentioned?

Immigration advisers report a £31,300 general threshold in 2026 for Health and Care Worker roles not paid on a national pay scale — for example, eligible health professionals employed privately rather than by the NHS. NHS AfC posts use the £25,000 floor instead.

Can part-time NHS work meet the salary threshold?

Only if the actual pro-rated salary reaches £25,000 (or the going rate). A part-time Band 2 or Band 3 contract can fall below the floor even though the full-time rate clears it. Check the salary on your Certificate of Sponsorship, not the full-time equivalent.

Do unsocial-hours payments count toward the threshold?

Only guaranteed basic pay counts. Enhancements for nights, weekends and overtime you might work do not count toward the £25,000 — the Home Office looks at what you are contracted to be paid.

Can care workers still get a Health and Care Worker visa?

Not from outside the UK. Overseas recruitment for care worker and senior care worker roles ended on 22 July 2025; only in-country switches and extensions continue until July 2028 under transitional arrangements.

Is the Immigration Health Surcharge payable on this visa?

No — Health and Care Worker visa holders are exempt, saving £1,035 per year versus the standard Skilled Worker route. Dependants of Health and Care Worker visa holders are exempt as well.

Sources and independence

Source: GOV.UK — monthly entry clearance visa applications, August 2026: Health and Care Worker salary threshold stayed at £25,000; Skilled Worker rose to £41,700; overseas care worker recruitment ended 22 July 2025.

Source: GOV.UK — Health and Care Worker visa: how much it costs: visa holders and their dependants are exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Source: Jobbatical — UK Health & Care Worker Visa guide 2026: £25,000 threshold for roles on national NHS pay scales; £31,300 general floor for other eligible health roles.

NHS Bands Pay is an independent information website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the National Health Service. Figures are full-time equivalent (37.5 hours a week) for England unless stated. Always confirm pay with your employer’s payroll or ESR record.