Table Of Contents
- What is Health and Care Worker ILR
- When to apply for ILR using the Health and Care Worker visa
- If you have been a dependent (partner or child) on a Health and Care visa
- Health and Care Worker ILR for your family members
- How long does it take to get a decision
- If you stay outside of the UK for more than 2 years after obtaining ILR
- Summary
A Health and Care Worker visa is for medical professionals who want to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS (National Health Service), an NHS supplier (any organisation or company that provides goods or services to the UK’s NHS under a contract or formal agreement), or in adult social care (services that support adults (usually aged 18 and over) who need help with daily living due to age, illness, disability, or mental health conditions).
If you are on the Health and Care Worker Visa, your path to Health and Care Worker ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) is relatively straightforward—but timing and eligibility are crucial.
You can normally apply for ILR after 5 years of continuous lawful residence in the UK on an eligible immigration route. This includes the Health and Care Worker route.
What is Health and Care Worker ILR?
Your Health and Care visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to apply to extend it. You will need to extend or update your visa before it expires or if you change employers or jobs. You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you wish, as long as you still fulfil the eligibility requirements.
You may be able to settle permanently in the UK if you have a Health and Care Worker visa. ILR (also called ‘settlement’) is how you settle in the UK, which allows you to live, work, and study in the country for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you are eligible. You can also later apply for British citizenship.
To be eligible, you must have lived and worked in the UK for 5 years, meet the salary requirements, continue to be needed for your job, and meet the salary requirements after you get ILR. You will need to supply a document from your employer (sponsor) to confirm this.
You will also need to pass the ‘Life in the UK’ test if you are 18 to 64.
On the other hand, you do not need to meet the English language requirements when you apply to settle using your Health and Care Worker visa because you did this when you applied for your visa.
When to apply for ILR using the Health and Care Worker visa?
The earliest you can apply for ILR is 28 days prior to having been in the UK for 5 years on a Health and Care visa.
For example, if your visa start date is 1 June 2022 and you complete 5 years of continuous residence on 1 June 2027, the earliest you can apply for a Health and Care visa ILR is 4 May 2027.
Your ILR application may be refused if you apply earlier.
Your 5-year qualifying period can include time spent on a Health and Care Worker Visa, Skilled Worker Visa, or Tier 2 (General) visa (if you switched within the same route). The time is combined if there are no breaks in your lawful residence.
To qualify, you must not have been absent from the UK for more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month rolling period and must maintain lawful status (no overstays).
You should not wait until your current visa expires. If your visa expires before you can apply for ILR, you will need to renew it first.
If you have been a dependent (partner or child) on a Health and Care visa
In the 5 years you have lived in the UK, you cannot include any time you have spent in the UK as a dependent partner or child on this visa.
Health and Care Worker ILR for your family members
You can include your partner and children on your ILR application, provided they are eligible for it.
Your partner and children can also apply separately at a later date, for example, because they are not eligible yet. They can continue to extend their visa as your Health and Care Worker dependant, even after you obtain ILR.
How long does it take to get a decision?
After you have applied, submitted documents, and enrolled your biometrics, you will usually get a decision within 6 months. If you used the ‘super priority service’, you will get a decision within 2 working days, or within 5 working days if you used the ‘priority service’.
Working days are Monday to Friday and do not include bank holidays.
UKVI will contact you if your Health and Care Worker ILR application is complex and will take longer, for example:
• They need to verify your supporting documents
• If you need to attend an interview
• Because of your personal circumstances, for example, if you have a criminal conviction
If you stay outside of the UK for more than 2 years after obtaining ILR
You can lose your ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) status if you stay outside the UK for more than 2 years at a time. In such a situation, you may need to apply as a returning resident to the UK.
Summary
The Health and Care Worker route is one of the fastest and most secure ways to settle in the UK because it is a clear 5-year route to ILR, has lower visa fees, and there is high demand for roles in these sectors (NHS, care sector).
You don’t have to wait for the exact 5-year completion to apply for Health and Care Worker ILR. You can apply up to 28 days before completing 5 years in the UK.
You must meet the continuous residence rules along with other requirements.
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