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Nurses to the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa: requirements, costs, pay and visa

Written by KarirAman editorial team Approved by Kaiser Khan (editor), Updated Last verified

Open Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals

Open for doctors, nurses and listed health professionals. Care workers (6135) and senior care workers (6136) from outside the UK can no longer apply since 22 July 2025.

Status as of 7 October 2026 UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK)

Summary

  • The Health and Care Worker visa is for eligible doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals with a licensed sponsor.
  • Registered nurses (occupation codes 2231 to 2237) are eligible jobs for new applicants.
  • Visa holders and their families do not pay the immigration healthcare surcharge.
  • New applicants prove English at B2 or above, unless nurses have passed an English assessment accepted by their regulator.
  • Nurses trained outside the UK take the NMC Test of Competence, made up of a computer-based test and an OSCE practical exam.
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On this page
  1. What are the requirements?
  2. What does it cost and who pays?
  3. How much does it pay?
  4. Which visa is used?
  5. What are the steps?
  6. Which schools or training lead to the United Kingdom?
  7. What is the minimum salary for this visa?
  8. How can you check a nursing sponsor in the UK?
  9. How do you prepare a CV for UK nursing jobs?
  10. What are the warning signs of offers to the United Kingdom through this route?
Official routes, who runs them, and their legal basis
Route Run by Official link Who pays placement costs Legal basis
Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals Health and Care Worker visa Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer; Through a licensed P3MI agency Official source Through a P3MI, the employer bears placement costs; worker costs must be written and itemised in the Placement Agreement. Independent applications follow this route’s specific cost rules. See the cost rules Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)

See this route in the comparison table

What do you need to work in the United Kingdom through Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals?

Placement channels from Indonesia for working in the United Kingdom through Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals: Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer; Through a licensed P3MI agency. Language tests asked for: Secure English Language Test (SELT), or an English assessment accepted by the NMC: B2 or above for new applicants.

Placement channels from Indonesia
Independent PMI (no agency), legal-entity employer; Through a licensed P3MI agency An independent migrant worker goes without an agency, only to a legal-entity employer, and must report to the labour office and the Indonesian mission. This is not the same as an individual employer (a household), or an individual who places migrant workers, which is banned.
Job types
Registered nurses (occupation codes 2231 to 2237), Midwives, doctors, pharmacists and other listed health professionals
Language tests
TestLevelCEFR equivalent
Secure English Language Test (SELT), or an English assessment accepted by the NMCB2 or above for new applicantsB2

What does working in the United Kingdom through Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals cost, and who pays?

For placement through a P3MI on the Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals route to the United Kingdom, the employer bears placement costs; any costs charged to the worker must be written and itemised in the Placement Agreement. Independent applications follow the route-specific cost rules below.

  1. Law 18/2017 Article 30(1): Indonesian migrant workers may not be charged placement costs. Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)
  2. Ministerial Regulation P2MI 17/2025: the employer bears placement costs. A worker may be charged only costs that are written and itemised in the Placement Agreement. Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)
  3. Any request for money outside that document, in cash or to a personal account, is a red flag.

Cost rules for this route

What is the minimum pay for working in the United Kingdom through Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals?

The official pay floor for the Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals route in the United Kingdom is GBP 12.71 per hour, in force from 1 April 2026 (HM Government (GOV.UK)). This is the legal minimum in the United Kingdom, not an offered wage.

Official floor
Area or group Official floor Approximate rupiah value
UK, aged 21 and over Applies to: National Living Wage, the hourly minimum for workers aged 21 and over GBP 12.71 per hour In force from about IDR 300,851 rate as of 8 October 2026

HM Government (GOV.UK)

Which visa do you need to work in the United Kingdom through Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals?

Health and Care Worker visa: Work visa for doctors, nurses and health professionals with a licensed sponsor; lasts up to 5 years before extending. Official source

What are the steps to work in the United Kingdom through Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals?

  1. Make sure you are a nurse with an active STR from the Indonesian Health Council (KKI) and the work experience the employer asks for.
  2. Get English evidence accepted by the NMC, such as IELTS or OET, then apply to the NMC for registration as a nurse trained outside the UK.
  3. Take the NMC Test of Competence: a computer-based test (CBT) and a practical exam (OSCE).
  4. Get a job offer from a health or social care employer with a sponsor licence; the employer issues a CoS.
  5. Apply online for the Health and Care Worker visa; show maintenance funds unless the sponsor certifies them.
  6. Report as an independent migrant worker under Law 18/2017 Article 63, or go through an active P3MI if you use an agency in Indonesia.

The order and timings are editor estimates, not promises.

Which schools or training lead to the United Kingdom?

The education and training routes linked to working in the United Kingdom through Health and Care Worker visa for nurses and health professionals: D3 vocational diploma in Indonesia, Bachelor's degree (S1) in Indonesia, Language tests for working abroad.

What is the minimum salary for this visa?

For the Health and Care Worker visa your pay must meet the minimum set by the Home Office or your job's going rate, whichever is higher, and employers must pay at least the minimum wage. For nurses, the going rate follows national pay scales. The visa salary figures are on GOV.UK; KarirAman does not show them in the table yet because we have not verified their effective date. The pay table on this page is the general UK minimum wage, not the visa salary threshold.

How can you check a nursing sponsor in the UK?

Look up the employer in the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. The UK government says the sponsor licence fee, certificate of sponsorship fee and immigration skills charge must be paid by the employer, and repayment clauses must not recover those fees. Read the contract before you sign it, and do not pay intermediaries to 'arrange' sponsorship.

How do you prepare a CV for UK nursing jobs?

UK health employers expect a CV in their own format, which differs from an Indonesian CV. These two guides from our sister site explain the format and give a worked example: how to write a CV for NHS Jobs and Trac (CourseToJob UK) and nurse CV example for UK applications (CourseToJob UK). Never pay anyone to write your application or to 'guarantee' an interview.

What are the warning signs of offers to the United Kingdom through this route?

  • A 'UK care worker visa' offer for applicants in Indonesia. Care workers and senior care workers can only use this visa to extend or switch inside the UK.UK Home Office (GOV.UK)
  • You are asked to pay for a certificate of sponsorship (CoS), a sponsor licence or the immigration skills charge. The UK government says the employer must pay these.
  • The contract has a repayment clause that recovers costs the employer should pay.Department of Health and Social Care (GOV.UK)
  • The employer is not on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors.Home Office (GOV.UK)
  • The agency in Indonesia is not listed as an active P3MI on SISKOP2MI, or appears on the list of P3MI under administrative sanctions.KP2MI/BP2MI (SISKOP2MI)

How to check a P3MI agency in 5 steps Learn the signs of trafficking through job offers

KarirAman is 100% free. We never ask for money. Our no-fee policy

Not legal advice. Always check SISKOP2MI before you sign up.

Frequently asked questions

Do nurses need another English test for the visa?

According to GOV.UK, nurses, midwives and doctors do not need to prove English again for the visa if they have passed an English assessment accepted by their professional regulator. Other applicants prove at least level B2.

How long does the Health and Care Worker visa last?

According to GOV.UK, the visa lasts up to 5 years before it needs extending, and can be extended while you still meet the requirements. After 5 years you may be able to apply to settle if you meet the other requirements.

Who wrote and reviewed this page?

Written by KarirAman editorial team Published Updated

Prepared with AI assistance. Checked against official sources and approved for publication by Kaiser Khan (editor). Approval date: .

Sources

The facts on this page come from these sources. Dates show when we opened them.

  1. Health and Care Worker visa (GOV.UK) UK Visas and Immigration (GOV.UK) · accessed
  2. Health and Care Worker visa: your job (GOV.UK) UK Home Office (GOV.UK) · accessed
  3. Applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad, part 1 (GOV.UK) Department of Health and Social Care (GOV.UK) · accessed
  4. Register of licensed sponsors: workers (GOV.UK) Home Office (GOV.UK) · accessed
  5. Test of Competence for all nursing fields and midwives Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK) · accessed
  6. Provide language evidence (NMC overseas registration how-to guide) Nursing and Midwifery Council (UK) · accessed
  7. Konsil Kesehatan Indonesia (KKI) Konsil Kesehatan Indonesia · accessed
  8. SISKOP2MI: Profil Lembaga P3MI, detail dan daftar sanksi administratif KP2MI/BP2MI (SISKOP2MI) · accessed
  9. Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2017 tentang Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · UU 18/2017 · accessed
  10. Peraturan Menteri P2MI/Kepala BP2MI Nomor 17 Tahun 2025 tentang Biaya Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · Permen P2MI 17/2025 · accessed
  11. National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (GOV.UK) HM Government (GOV.UK) · accessed
How to cite

KarirAman (2026). Nurses to the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa: requirements, costs, pay and visa. Updated 8 October 2026. https://kariraman.com/en/work-abroad/united-kingdom/health-and-care-worker-visa/

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Change log
  • : Added guidance on preparing a CV for UK nursing jobs.