How do Pakistani nurses and doctors get a UK Health and Care Worker visa? (2026)

Who can get a UK Health and Care Worker visa from Pakistan?

GOV.UK says the visa is for qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals with a confirmed job offer in an eligible role. It is part of the Skilled Worker system, with lower fees and no health surcharge.

Which employers can sponsor you

The employer must be approved by the Home Office as a sponsor and must be one of three types GOV.UK lists: the NHS, an organisation providing medical services to the NHS, or an organisation providing adult social care. A private hospital in the UK that does no NHS work may still sponsor you, but usually on the ordinary UK Skilled Worker visa, with its higher fees and surcharge.

Which jobs qualify

GOV.UK lists eligible occupation codes for first applications. They include generalist and specialist medical practitioners (2211 and 2212), the nursing codes from 2231 to 2237, which cover midwifery nurses, community, specialist, mental health and children’s nurses, and nurse practitioners, as well as codes such as pharmacists (2251) and paramedics (2255). Your employer picks the code, and it must match the duties in your contract.

Care workers and senior care workers

GOV.UK says that from 22 July 2025 the route for care workers and senior care workers (codes 6135 and 6136) closed to new applications from overseas. Appendix Skilled Worker keeps a transitional rule for people already working lawfully in those roles in the UK, who can apply until 22 July 2028. For someone in Karachi or Lahore today, a “care visa” offer does not fit the rules.

How much does the Health and Care Worker visa cost?

As of 15 September 2026, GOV.UK lists £324 per person for a certificate of sponsorship of up to 3 years and £628 for longer. You, your partner and your children do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge on this route.

The Home Office fee table in force since 8 April 2026 shows the same figures, whether you apply inside or outside the UK, and the table due on 8 October 2026 shows no change. GOV.UK’s surcharge page lists health and care workers eligible for this visa, and their dependants, among the people who do not pay it.

Money to support yourself

GOV.UK asks for at least £1,270 in your bank account, held for 28 days in a row, with day 28 within 31 days of your application. You usually do not need this if your employer can cover your costs during your first month. Ask the employer to confirm that on your certificate, rather than in a WhatsApp message.

What salary do nurses and doctors need for the visa?

GOV.UK says you usually need to be paid at least £25,000 a year, or the going rate for the job if that is higher. For nursing and medical codes, the going rate comes from the GOV.UK table of national pay scales for eligible healthcare jobs.

How the national pay scales table works

The table, last updated on 22 July 2025, sets out rates by NHS pay band and UK nation, based on a 37.5-hour week, or 37 hours in Scotland. Rates are pro-rated for other hours. For England, it lists £24,071 for Band 3, £26,530 for Band 4 and £29,970 for Band 5. Nursing codes 2231 to 2237 and medical codes 2211 and 2212 appear in it. These figures change when pay awards change, so check the current table before you compare an offer.

Nurses and midwives awaiting registration

Many nurses from Pakistan start work before their NMC registration is complete. Appendix Skilled Worker allows a temporary lower salary for up to 8 months, if all of these apply:

• you are working towards NMC registration;
• before applying, you met the English requirement and passed the CBT;
• you will sit the OSCE within 3 months of starting the job;
• the pay is at least the appropriate Agenda for Change Band 3 rate.

The rules also say the employer must stop sponsoring you if you do not achieve full registration within those 8 months. That is a real deadline, so prepare for the OSCE before you fly.

What English test do you need for the visa and for registration?

For the visa, GOV.UK asks for English at CEFR level B2. For registration, your regulator sets its own, higher scores, and a pass accepted by the regulator can also satisfy the visa.

The visa requirement

GOV.UK lists four ways to prove B2: a UK school qualification, a UK degree taught in English, a degree from outside the UK taught in English and confirmed by Ecctis, or an approved Secure English Language Test. It adds that doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives do not need to prove English separately if they have passed an English assessment accepted by their regulated professional body.

NMC scores for nurses and midwives

The NMC says scores are valid for two years. You can combine two sittings of the same test if they were taken within 12 months of each other, each sitting tested all four skills, and both fall within two years of the date the NMC assesses you. It also accepts a nursing qualification taught and examined in English, or one year of recent practice in a majority English-speaking country, as alternative evidence.

How do Pakistani nurses and midwives register with the NMC?

You apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, pass its Test of Competence, and then register. As of 15 September 2026, the NMC lists £1,170 in fees for this route, before any resits.

The steps and fees

1. Qualification evaluation: £140, non-refundable.
2. Test of Competence Part 1, the computer-based test (CBT): £83.
3. Test of Competence Part 2, the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE): £794.
4. Registration: £153.

The NMC also carries out health and character checks and a face-to-face identity check. Its page for internationally trained applicants was last updated on 14 August 2026, so check it again before paying.

The CBT

The NMC candidate booklet describes the CBT as a numeracy part and a clinical part, with 115 questions over 3 hours. It is taken at a Pearson VUE test centre, which the booklet says is available in most countries, so most nurses sit it before leaving Pakistan. The same booklet allows three attempts within one application, after which you wait six months to apply again.

The OSCE

The OSCE is a practical exam available only in the UK, at a designated test centre. The NMC says you must pass the CBT and OSCE within two years of each other, and a passed Test of Competence stays valid for five years. Resits cost extra, and the £1,170 total does not include them.

Your records in Pakistan

Keep your Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council registration active, and make sure your degree, transcripts and experience letters show your name exactly as it appears on your passport. When I review a nurse’s file, a missing experience letter or a name spelt two ways causes more delay than the exams themselves.

What about doctors and allied health professionals?

Doctors register with the General Medical Council, and professions such as physiotherapists, radiographers and dietitians register with the Health and Care Professions Council. The visa rules are the same; the registration path is different.

Doctors and the GMC

GOV.UK guidance for health workers applying from abroad says doctors need GMC registration, and that international medical graduates typically take the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board test, known as PLAB, which has two parts. The GMC sets out every route to registration on its own website, and your route depends on your qualifications and experience.

The GMC website did not allow automated checking when this guide was reviewed, so this guide does not quote PLAB fees, test dates or English scores. Check them yourself on the GMC website before booking. Keep your MBBS degree, PMDC registration, house job certificates and any FCPS records consistent with your passport.

Allied health professionals and the HCPC

The HCPC has an international application process with its own document checks. As of 15 September 2026, its English page asks for IELTS 7.0 with no element below 6.5 for most professions, and 8.0 with no element below 7.5 for speech and language therapists. It also lists OET options for several professions, including physiotherapists and radiographers. Check HCPC fees and processing times on its own website.

Can NHS employers recruit nurses from Pakistan under the red list?

Not actively. Pakistan is on the red list in the UK code of practice for international recruitment, but you can still apply directly for a UK job on your own behalf.

What the code of practice says

The code of practice for the international recruitment of health and social care personnel in England, last updated on 27 March 2025, uses the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List 2023 as its red list. Pakistan appears on that red list. Countries on it must not be actively targeted by health or social care recruiters unless a government-to-government agreement is in place. As of 15 September 2026, only Kenya and Nepal are on the amber list, where such agreements apply.

What active recruitment means for you

The code defines active recruitment as UK employers or agencies targeting individuals to market UK jobs to them, including through advertising and referral schemes. It also says employers may consider a direct application from someone living in a red list country who applies on their own behalf, without a third party. In practice, a Lahore agency saying it has “NHS contracts to recruit from Pakistan” is describing exactly what the code stops. A nurse applying to a trust’s vacancy herself is not.

The 2026 WHO update

WHO updates its list every three years. Slides from a WHO information session for member states on 4 March 2026 showed Pakistan among the countries dropped from the list under the 2026 criteria, with the final list to be published later. As of 15 September 2026, the UK code still lists Pakistan as red. Treat any change as pending until the code on GOV.UK is updated.

What should you check in a UK nursing contract or repayment clause?

Check who pays which costs, whether a repayment clause exists, and whether any clause follows the code of practice. Read it before you sign, not after you land.

What the code allows employers to reclaim

The code says a repayment clause must come with a written, itemised schedule, and the costs must taper over time. Its example uses 3 years:

• leaving within 12 months: up to the full itemised expenses;
• between 13 and 24 months: up to 50%;
• between 25 and 36 months: up to 25%;
• after 36 months: nothing.

The code lists relocation expenses, visa fees and regulatory exam fees as costs that may be included. It lists agency fees, the Immigration Skills Charge, the sponsor licence fee, the certificate of sponsorship and the cost of the interview process as costs that must not be. It also expects employers to consider waiving repayment in situations such as bullying, discrimination or poor working conditions.

Recruitment fees are unlawful

The code says it is illegal under section 6(1) of the Employment Agencies Act 1973 for a recruitment organisation based in Great Britain to charge a fee for finding someone work. GOV.UK guidance for health workers abroad says to report such agencies to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.

I read these contracts as a lawyer would read any loan agreement: the amount, the trigger, the taper and the exit. A clause asking for a fixed sum in pounds whenever you leave, with no breakdown, is a reason to stop and ask questions.

Can you bring your family, and what else do you need from Pakistan?

Nurses, midwives and doctors can usually bring a partner and children. You also need a TB certificate and, for most health roles, a police character certificate.

Partner and children

GOV.UK limits dependants for care workers and for medium skilled jobs, with narrow exceptions. Registered nursing and medical roles are not caught by those limits. Each dependant pays the same visa fee but no surcharge, and unless an exemption applies, GOV.UK asks for £285 for a partner, £315 for one child and £200 for each additional child, held for 28 days. If your spouse is British or settled instead, the UK spouse visa guide covers that separate route. Parents who only want to visit you later need a visitor visa, explained in the UK visit visa guide.

TB test

Pakistan is on the GOV.UK list of countries where a TB test is needed if you are coming for 6 months or more. The certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of your x-ray. The GOV.UK clinic list for Pakistan, updated on 20 February 2026, shows approved clinics in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Mirpur.

Criminal record certificate

GOV.UK says most Health and Care Worker applicants need a criminal record certificate. The exceptions are a few codes such as biochemists and laboratory technicians. If you are 28 or over, you need one from each country where you stayed 12 months or more in the last 10 years; if under 28, from each such country since you turned 18. That includes Saudi Arabia or the UAE if you worked there.

Translations and emigrant registration

Any document not in English or Welsh needs a certified translation. Before you leave, the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment expects emigrant registration with the Protector of Emigrants, as the Skilled Worker guide explains.

How long does a decision take, and can you settle in the UK?

GOV.UK says you usually get a decision within 3 weeks after applying and proving your identity. The visa lasts up to 5 years and can be extended, and settlement is currently possible after 5 years.

Timing your application

You can apply up to 3 months before your start date, and GOV.UK says the certificate of sponsorship must be used within 3 months. The GOV.UK processing times page, updated on 9 September 2026, also lists 3 weeks for this visa outside the UK. These are usual times, not promises, so avoid resigning from a hospital job in Pakistan until the visa is granted.

Settlement and the earned settlement proposals

As of 15 September 2026, GOV.UK says that after 5 years on this visa you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain, if you meet the other requirements. The Home Office fee tables list £3,226 for that application.

In November 2025 the government consulted on earned settlement. The consultation document proposes a 10-year default period, with 5 years taken off for people employed for 5 years in a specified public service occupation at RQF level 6 or above, such as medical professionals. It separately proposes a 15-year baseline for lower-paid Health and Care visa holders, and says the changes would apply to people in the UK who do not yet have settlement. The consultation closed on 12 February 2026, and GOV.UK says feedback is still being analysed. These are proposals, not rules.

How do you spot a fake NHS job offer or sponsorship scam?

A genuine NHS offer comes after a real application and interview, from an employer you can verify, without a fee for the job. Fake offers usually fail at least one of those tests.

Warning signs

• A request to pay for “sponsorship”, a certificate of sponsorship or a “job file”.
• An overseas care worker or senior care worker job, which the rules no longer allow.
• Unexpected contact, vague duties or a salary far above the pay scales.
• Emails from free addresses rather than the employer’s own domain.
• Payment asked in cash, by money transfer or into a personal account.
• No interview, or no questions about your clinical experience.

Checks you can make yourself

Search the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors for the employer’s exact name and town. Find the trust or company’s phone number yourself and ask its HR team to confirm the offer. GOV.UK says you will never be asked to pay for a visa in cash or by money transfer, and tells people to report visa scams to Report Fraud. In Pakistan, fake agents can be reported to the FIA. Before you pay any adviser, read the guide to checking a visa consultant in Pakistan.

How do you apply, step by step?

For a nurse, registration and the visa run side by side. The order below keeps your English and CBT results valid while the job and visa come together.

1. 1

   Confirm your route with the UK regulator

   Nurses and midwives start with the NMC, doctors with the GMC, and allied health professionals with the HCPC. Gather your degree, transcripts, PNMC or PMDC registration and experience letters, with names matching your passport.

2. 2

   Pass the English test your regulator accepts

   For the NMC, that means IELTS Academic with 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing, or the OET equivalent. Results are valid for two years, so plan the next steps around that date.

3. 3

   Pass the computer-based test

   Once the NMC confirms you need the Test of Competence, book the CBT with Pearson VUE. You must pass the CBT and the OSCE within two years of each other.

4. 4

   Get and check a genuine job offer

   Apply directly to an NHS employer, an NHS supplier or another eligible sponsor. Check the employer on the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors and read the contract and any repayment clause before you sign.

5. 5

   Receive your certificate of sponsorship and prepare documents

   Your employer assigns the certificate of sponsorship. Book a TB test at an approved clinic in Pakistan and get a police character certificate, because most health jobs require one.

6. 6

   Apply online and pay the visa fee

   Apply on GOV.UK within 3 months of receiving the certificate, and no more than 3 months before your start date. Pay £324 or £628; there is no Immigration Health Surcharge on this route.

7. 7

   Prove your identity and register before you fly

   Complete the identity step as instructed. GOV.UK says a decision usually takes 3 weeks. After approval, complete emigrant registration with the Protector of Emigrants before leaving Pakistan.

8. 8

   Sit the OSCE and complete registration in the UK

   The OSCE is taken only in the UK. If you start work before registration, the Immigration Rules expect you to sit it within 3 months of starting and be registered within 8 months.

What goes wrong most often?

Letting test results expire

NMC English results last two years, and the CBT and OSCE must be passed within two years of each other. Nurses who pass IELTS early and then wait for an offer can find the score has expired just as the job arrives.

Paying an agent for an NHS job

UK agencies cannot lawfully charge you for finding work, and the employer pays for the certificate of sponsorship. Money paid for a “ready NHS placement” is very hard to recover, and a fake certificate can damage a later genuine application.

Signing a repayment clause without a breakdown

A clause with no itemised costs and no taper does not follow the code of practice. Ask for the schedule in writing before you accept, and keep a copy of every version.

Arriving unprepared for the OSCE

If you start on the Band 3 arrangement, you must sit the OSCE within 3 months and register within 8. Failing to plan for resits can end the sponsorship itself.

Documents that do not match

A different spelling on your PNMC card, degree and passport, or an undeclared earlier refusal, creates questions for both the regulator and the Home Office. Fix records through NADRA and your university first.

A realistic example

This is a hypothetical nurse, an illustration and not a real client. The names and details are invented.

Ayesha Siddiqui is 28 and works as a registered nurse in a private hospital in Multan. She holds a BSc Nursing degree and active PNMC registration, and has four years of ward experience.

• January. She takes IELTS Academic and scores 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. She applies to the NMC and pays the £140 evaluation fee.
• March. She passes the CBT at a Pearson VUE centre and applies herself to vacancies posted by NHS trusts.
• May. After a video interview, a trust offers her a nursing post, paid at least Band 3 until registration and at the registered nurse rate after. The contract lists the relocation and visa costs it will reclaim if she leaves early, tapering to zero after 36 months.
• June. She checks the trust on the register of sponsors, receives a 3-year certificate, takes her TB test at an approved clinic in Lahore and gets a police character certificate.
• July. She applies online, pays £324 with no surcharge, completes emigrant registration after approval, and sits the OSCE within her first 3 months in the UK.

Nobody asked her for a recruitment fee. Every document shows the same name, and she kept each step inside the deadlines.

The version that goes wrong

Now imagine Ayesha answers a Facebook post promising “NHS sponsorship for Pakistani nurses, no IELTS needed”. An agent on WhatsApp sends a PDF offer for a care worker role, asks for a large “processing fee” into a personal account, and adds a contract requiring her to repay a fixed sum in pounds whenever she leaves. The route is closed, the fee is unlawful for a UK agency, and the clause has no itemised costs. The right move is to stop, keep every message and report it.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions