Can I get a UK care worker visa from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, India or the Philippines?

Not under occupation code 6135: overseas recruitment closed in July 2025 for all nationalities. Nursing auxiliary roles and registered nursing remain open, and Canada is actively selecting healthcare workers.

What is the closest open alternative to care work?

Nursing auxiliaries and assistants (code 6131) in the UK, and Canada's healthcare Express Entry category. Which suits you depends on your qualifications; the assessment will tell you in a few minutes.

I already have a Certificate of Sponsorship. Is it still valid?

It depends on when it was assigned and whether you were already in the UK. Check the date against current Home Office guidance and ask the sponsor directly.

Can I switch to a care worker visa from a student visa inside the UK?

Yes. In-country switching remains available if your employer holds a sponsor licence and, in England, CQC registration.

No reopening date has been announced. Immigration rules change regularly and we monitor the Home Office weekly, so this page will reflect it if the position moves.

Is Canada easier than the UK for care workers?

Different, not easier. Canada's Express Entry scores you on age, education, language and experience rather than requiring a job offer. Many people who cannot access the UK route score well enough for Canada without realising it.

Your career in the UK

Your care career abroad: the UK care worker visa and the routes still open

Picture a career caring for others abroad, and a new home for you and your family. Here is the honest picture of where that can happen now. UK care worker sponsorship from overseas closed in July 2025, but care and health workers are still being recruited into both the UK and Canada through other routes, and one of them may fit you. Below: what changed, which routes are open now, and how to find out in three minutes which ones fit your situation.

What changed

Code: 6135: Care workers and home carers
New applications from overseas: Closed since July 2025
Already in the UK: Still open: extend, change employer, apply to settle
Standard rate: £33,400 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025)
Lower rate: £25,000 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025)
List: Immigration Salary List

This is a rule, not a law of nature. We check the Home Office weekly and this page updates when it changes.

What is open right now

1. Nursing auxiliaries and assistants: UK, open

Occupation code 6131. Still open to overseas applicants, and still eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa, which means no immigration health surcharge: a saving of £1,035 (UK Home Office, effective February 6, 2024) per person per year, for you and your family.

This is a genuinely different role from care work, with different duties and usually a clinical setting. It is not a renamed care worker job. But for many people with care experience, it is the closest open door.

2. Registered nursing: UK, open

Open, well-sponsored, and among the best-paid routes into the UK for health workers. Salary follows NHS pay bands rather than a fixed going rate.

Being straight about the cost: you need NMC registration first. The competence test carries several NMC charges and takes months. If you already hold a nursing qualification, this is usually worth starting now.

3. Canada: healthcare is a priority category, open

Canada runs category-based Express Entry draws, and health care and social services is one of the 2026 categories, confirmed by the Canadian government in February 2026. Candidates in these occupations can be invited at lower scores than the general pool.

Provincial programmes also run healthcare streams, and a provincial nomination adds 600 points, which in practice effectively secures an invitation.

One thing to know: Canada's dedicated Home Care Worker pilots paused new applications in December 2025 and have not reopened. The Express Entry healthcare category is separate and is running.

4. Already in the UK? This route still works for you

If you are in the UK on a sponsored care visa, you can change employer, extend your stay and apply to settle. If your sponsor loses its licence, you can move to another; the Home Office confirmed this explicitly.

In England, your employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Before you pay anyone

Two things are always true, and checking takes two minutes:

A UK sponsor cannot lawfully charge you for a Certificate of Sponsorship. Not as a processing fee, a training bond, or a placement fee
Search the employer on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors. If they are not on it, they cannot sponsor anyone. In England, check the Care Quality Commission register too

Both registers are free and public.

Check your own offer

UK Skilled Worker salary check

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a UK care worker visa from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, India or the Philippines?: Not under occupation code 6135: overseas recruitment closed in July 2025 for all nationalities. Nursing auxiliary roles and registered nursing remain open, and Canada is actively selecting healthcare workers.
What is the closest open alternative to care work?: Nursing auxiliaries and assistants (code 6131) in the UK, and Canada's healthcare Express Entry category. Which suits you depends on your qualifications; the assessment will tell you in a few minutes.
I already have a Certificate of Sponsorship. Is it still valid?: It depends on when it was assigned and whether you were already in the UK. Check the date against current Home Office guidance and ask the sponsor directly.
Can I switch to a care worker visa from a student visa inside the UK?: Yes. In-country switching remains available if your employer holds a sponsor licence and, in England, CQC registration.
Will this reopen?: No reopening date has been announced. Immigration rules change regularly and we monitor the Home Office weekly, so this page will reflect it if the position moves.
Is Canada easier than the UK for care workers?: Different, not easier. Canada's Express Entry scores you on age, education, language and experience rather than requiring a job offer. Many people who cannot access the UK route score well enough for Canada without realising it.

Rules last checked on September 14, 2026.

Official sources

Policy updates: when rules change, we publish here