Getting a UK or Canada visa from the Philippines

Which route fits you

Canada: Express Entry. No job offer needed. Until 2 November 2026 a job offer adds no points. From 3 November 2026 an offer in a high-wage occupation adds 50 to 100 points, with no LMIA needed (what changes). You are scored on age, education, language and work history. The Philippines was the second-largest source country for Canadian economic immigration in 2024, with 22,675 admissions, behind only India (IRCC Annual Report 2025).

Canada: health care category draws. IRCC's 2026 category-based draws include health care and social services occupations, and require at least 12 months of full-time work experience in a qualifying occupation (IRCC). Category candidates can be invited at lower scores than the general pool.

UK: Skilled Worker. A licensed employer must sponsor you first. You must be paid the higher of £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) or the going rate for your job; £33,400 applies to Immigration Salary List, new entrant and PhD cases.

UK: Health and Care Worker. For qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care professionals with a sponsor. Lower fees, no health surcharge. Still open to nurses; no longer open to new care workers from abroad.

→ Work out your Canadian points: two minutes, before you spend anything.

What is different for Filipinos

Care worker recruitment from abroad has closed; nursing has not. Overseas recruitment of care workers and senior care workers (codes 6135 and 6136) ended on 22 July 2025; only people already in the UK can switch into those jobs (Home Office). The Health and Care Worker visa is still open, and the UK and the Philippines have a standing memorandum of understanding "on the recruitment of Filipino nurses and other healthcare professionals" (gov.uk, 11 November 2021).

Canada's caregiver pilots are paused, not closed. On 19 December 2025 IRCC said it "will pause intake until further notice. This means that the pilots' intake will not re-open in March 2026" (IRCC notice).

You are not exempt from an English test. The UK's list of majority-English-speaking countries has 18 entries and the Philippines is not one of them (Appendix English Language). You need an approved test, or a degree confirmed as taught in English by an approved assessment provider. Canada exempts nobody.

Your NBI clearance can be mailed to you abroad. Canada accepts the NBI Multi-purpose Clearance Certificate, applied for "online or in person at any National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) office". From abroad, apply at the nearest Philippine embassy or consulate or by mail to the NBI head office, and the certificate "will be mailed" rather than collected (IRCC Philippines). It is in English, so no translation. If it carries a remark such as "no pending case" or "record as stated", IRCC wants a written NBI explanation, court documents and your own account. For the UK, applicants abroad legalise the clearance at their embassy and use a representative in the Philippines (gov.uk).

A TB test is required for UK stays of six months or more. Six approved clinics in five cities: Physicians' Diagnostic Services Center in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro, plus IOM Manila (approved list). The Home Office "will not accept a TB test certificate from a clinic we have not approved". Certificates last six months from the x-ray.

The UK Ancestry visa does not apply. It is for Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent, and the Philippines is not a Commonwealth member (member list).

Biometrics in Manila or Cebu for both countries. Canada's visa application centres are in Cebu and Manila (IRCC); VFS Global runs UK centres in the same two cities.

Documents and steps specific to the Philippines

1. English test. Book early; results gate both countries.
2. Credential assessment (Canada). Your degree must be assessed by an IRCC-designated body such as WES; check WES's required-documents tool for the Philippine list before contacting your university.
3. NBI clearance. Online or at an NBI office; from abroad, via the embassy or by mail. Canada needs one for every country lived in for six or more consecutive months since 18.
4. TB certificate (UK, six months or more). One of the six approved clinics only.
5. Medical exam (Canada). Valid 12 months.
6. Biometrics. Manila or Cebu.
7. NMC registration for UK nursing routes, alongside the job offer.

What it costs

Fees are set in Canadian dollars and pounds; we do not convert to pesos.

Health and Care Worker applicants pay a lower fee and no surcharge: over three years, the largest single saving available to a Filipino nurse.

Alternatives if the obvious route does not fit

• Health and Care Worker visa (UK): lower fees, no health surcharge, for eligible health and social care occupations with a sponsor.
• Immigration Salary List (UK): jobs on it use the £33,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) threshold and lower going rate.
• New entrant or PhD thresholds (UK): a reduced general threshold early in a career or with a relevant PhD.
• Global Talent visa (UK): no sponsor or job offer; endorsement in academia and research, digital technology, or arts and culture.
• Express Entry category draws (Canada): health care and social services, trades, French, and new 2026 categories.
• Provincial Nominee Programs (Canada): 600 points with a nomination; many healthcare and trades streams.
• Home Care Worker pilots (Canada): paused since 19 December 2025, until further notice.
• In-country switching (UK): if you are already in the UK and a licensed sponsor hires you.