Everything About the New UK Visa for Care Workers and Assistants

Professionals in the field of healthcare, especially care workers and care assistants, would know how difficult it was to get work in the United Kingdom or UK. While finding a job was not easy, getting a UK visa for the same was even more tedious. But all this changed when the UK introduced the new UK visa for care workers and care assistants in December 2021. As per this new visa, professional care workers and care assistants from all over the world are eligible for short-term UK visa that lasts for 12 months. This visa was introduced by the UK Home Office due to the shortfall of patient care workers caused because of the Covid19 pandemic. Another reason is that several vacancies for health care workers and assistants have opened up as many of these professionals in the UK have reached retirement age. If you are a professional in this field and would like to move to the UK to grow your career, here is everything you need to know about new UK visa for care assistants and care workers.

What is the New UK Visa for Care Workers and Care Assistants?

The new UK visa is a short-term work permit that allows care workers and care assistants to work in the UK for 12 months or a year. With this visa, you can work anywhere in the United Kingdom, including in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This visa is open for all individuals who are willing to offer their services as a care worker or assistant for a year. It is also open for those individuals who want to live with their elderly family member or friend in the UK. It gives you the opportunity to live and work in the UK for a year without any problems or restrictions. While this visa is available only for 12 months, the sponsorship can be extended for a longer time.

Eligibility

The main eligibility you need to get this visa is to have a full-time job as a care worker or care assistant in the UK. You need to have a job offer from the NHS, an organization that provides medical services to the NHS, or an agency or company that offers adult social care. Moreover, your salary should be higher than £13,520 per annum.

How to Apply

Once you receive your job offer from a medical facility or organization from the UK, you can begin the process of applying for the UK visa for care workers and assistants. You can apply for this visa online or through post. It takes around 1-3 months to complete the entire process. You can estimate a wait time of at least 6 months to receive the UK visa for care assistants and workers. While applying for a visa, you need to submit certain supporting documents:

• A valid passport
• Offer letter from the organization that hired you
• Proof of your qualifications
• Police background check to ensure that you have no criminal records
• Proof of your experience
• Proof of financial resources that state that you have the necessary funds (at least £1270) to support yourself as well as your family (if applicable) while living in the UK

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UK Visa for Care Workers Fees

The fees for UK visa for care workers and care assistants would be conveyed to you at the time of the visa application. It would depend on the country you belong to and the number of family members accompanying you. You would also have to pay the application fee, i.e. £65. Citizens of certain countries would get a reduction in the visa fee by £55. These countries are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. However, this reduction does not extend to the family members. The new UK visa for care workers and care assistants is a boon for those who are looking towards entering the United Kingdom to improve their career prospects in care services. The UK skilled worker visa will be a suitable choice for people exploring alternative work opportunities. If you find the entire process overwhelming or confusing, consulting a visa agent or expert would be a good idea.