Making an application to the United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI)

After receipt of your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from NHS England , you can then apply to the UKVI to gain your Skilled Worker visa

Once your application for a Skilled Worker CoS has been reviewed and accepted by NHS England National Overseas Sponsorship Team, you will be issued with a CoS number. You should check this document fully to ensure that there are no mistakes. After receipt of your CoS you can then apply to the UKVI to gain your Skilled Worker visa. NHS England is not able to track the progress or provide an update on the status of your Visa application, as this is the UKVI process. You can request an update on your application from the UKVI.

If you have already renewed or obtained a valid visa

If you are not sponsored by NHS England on your current visa, then you will need to apply for a new Skilled Worker visa sponsored by NHS England and obtain your NHS England sponsored Visa before you start you training.

Applying

You should make your visa application under the Health and Care visa route. The Health and Care visa is a type of Skilled Worker visa and are not 2 different types of visas.

We will confirm your eligibility for this on your CoS issued to you. You will find this in the Summary of job description field of the CoS.

The requirements for Health and Care visa can be found on the UKVI website.

Under the SOC Code for Medical Practitioners, you can and should make your visa application under the Shortage Occupation list.

More information about making your Skilled Worker application can be found on the UKVI website.

If you want to have have your CoS issued until the end of your Period of Grace

The UKVI do not issue a CoS to the end of period of grace as not everyone requires it. This is decided between you and your local NHS England office towards the end of your training, if you do require a period of grace you must send confirmation from the local NHS England office confirming this. Only then can we issue you an extension CoS covering this period (usually 6 months). The UKVI allows 14 days after your Visa has expired for you to make arrangements. Please note the Period of Grace does not apply to those undertaking training in General Practice.

Cost

When you apply for the Health and Care visa, you will be pay the reduced application fees.

All visa application fees can be found on the UK visa fees page on UKVI website.

The visa fee reduction will also apply to your partners and dependants of Health and Care visa. Your partners and dependants should therefore also tick this box. In addition to the reduced visa fee, when applying for the Health and Care Visa yourself and your family will be exempt from having to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

If you have overpaid your Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

NHS England do not deal with IHS. This is a UKVI requirement. Individuals who have made their application since March 2020 may need to apply for refund.

UKVI requirements

It is useful to be aware of the following UKVI requirements at an early stage in your application.

Criminal Records Certificates

The UKVI requires those applying to come to the UK as a Skilled Worker doctor or dentist in training, and their adult dependants, aged 18 or over, to produce a criminal record certificate from any country in which they have been present for 12 months or more, consecutively or cumulatively, in the previous 10 years.

If you are successful in being appointed to a training programme in the UK, and require Skilled Worker sponsorship, you will be required to provide the criminal record certificate to the UKVI when you make your visa application. As it can take some time to obtain a criminal record certificate, you should begin the process of seeking certificates, if required, at the earliest opportunity. Please note, that this is for entry clearance applications only, so will only be applicable if you are applying from outside the UK. You do not require a Criminal Record Certificate if you already have UK entry clearance.

Details of how to obtain such a check from the relevant authorities abroad is available on the UKVI website.

If the country concerned is not listed, please contact the relevant embassy or consulate for further details.

NHS England National Overseas Sponsorship team do not require a copy of your Criminal Records Certificate as this is a requirement of your UKVI application. 

Maintenance

NHS England cannot offer to certify maintenance on the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). If you are successful in being appointed to a training programme in the UK, and require Skilled Worker sponsorship, you will be required to provide evidence of maintenance (funds) to the UKVI when you make your visa application.

If you are already on a Tier 2 visa/Skilled Worker visa (whether extending or changing employment), you do not need to prove maintenance.

Full guidance can be found on the UKVI website.