Occupational therapist in the UK: your Skilled Worker visa, step by step

One title to protect

Unlike physiotherapy, which has two protected titles, occupational therapy has exactly one: "occupational therapist". The Health and Care Professions Council protects that title, and it is against the law to call yourself an occupational therapist in the UK unless you are registered. The HCPC's law protects the words, not the work itself, but that technicality does not open a back door. NHS trusts, local authorities, private rehabilitation providers and visa sponsors all insist on registration, so the practical rule is: register first, then work.

If you qualified outside the UK you apply through the HCPC's international route. The HCPC compares your education and practice against its standards. Its decision may be to register you outright, to ask for a test of competence, or to require a period of adaptation. The one-off scrutiny fee is not refunded whatever the outcome. How long the assessment takes varies, according to the HCPC, so nothing on this page should be read as a timeline.

Typically starting on Band 5

Occupational therapy is a pay-scale occupation. There is no going rate for code 2222 on gov.uk; the national pay scales for eligible healthcare occupation codes apply instead. Healthcareers.nhs.uk describes occupational therapists as typically starting on Band 5. From there the NHS Employers profiles read:

Band 7 is unusually broad for OTs: team manager posts, advanced clinical posts and advanced community posts all sit there, so a Band 7 OT could be running a team or leading a community caseload. The band you are sponsored at is fixed by the vacancy, and nothing on this page can predict it. What the visa rules do fix is the floor: the salary on your Certificate of Sponsorship has to be at least the rate for that band in the nation where you will work, whether the employer is an NHS trust or a private provider.

There are also the two general Skilled Worker thresholds, £41,700 (UK Home Office, effective July 22, 2025) and £33,400. Occupational therapy is not on the Immigration Salary List (ISL), the list that unlocks the £33,400 figure. Pay-scale codes are assessed against the band table, and the salary checker linked at the top of this page does that arithmetic for you.

NHS band rates by nation (annual)

Titles gov.uk lists for code 2222

Gov.uk names one related title: occupational therapists. Sponsors select the occupation code themselves when they assign a Certificate of Sponsorship. The duties described on the certificate have to match what an OT actually does. Community, mental health, paediatric and acute OT posts all fall under 2222 as long as the work is occupational therapy.

Visa costs: the surcharge you will not pay

Code 2222 is on the list of occupations eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa, which is the Skilled Worker visa with two concessions for health and social care staff. The first is a lower application fee. The second is exemption from the immigration health surcharge. Other work visas add £1,035 (UK Home Office, effective February 6, 2024) for every applicant and every dependant, for every year of the visa. An OT bringing a partner and a child does not pay it for any of them. The concession follows the occupation code on the certificate, so make sure the sponsor uses 2222. As with everything in immigration, check gov.uk again shortly before you apply, because eligibility lists are updated.

Routes to consider alongside sponsorship

• Already in the UK on a Student or Graduate visa? Switching into Skilled Worker from inside the country is often possible once a licensed sponsor offers a post.
• Canada Express Entry health care category. IRCC confirmed on 18 February 2026 that the health care and social services category continues in 2026; candidates in a category can receive invitations at lower scores than the general pool.
• Canadian provincial nomination. Many provinces run healthcare streams. A nomination is worth 600 points in the CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System).

Our assessment checks you against every open UK and Canadian route in about three minutes and shows your score, where you stand and the first thing that would raise it. No card needed for that. Seeing every route in full needs a plan. See where you stand →