United Kingdom — Work (Health and Care Worker visa (doctors, nurses, health professionals))

Main requirements

You must be a qualified doctor, nurse, health professional or adult social care professional with an offer and CoS from the NHS, an NHS supplier or an adult social care organisation, in an eligible occupation code. Care worker (6135) and senior care worker (6136) codes are only allowed for extensions, updates or in-country switches, not new applications from abroad after 22 July 2025.

Salary: per the official source as of October 2026, usually at least £25,000 a year or the national pay scale rate for the job.

Documents

CoS reference; passport; English evidence; professional registration (or progress towards it, depending on the role); translated criminal record certificate (required for health jobs when applying from abroad); £1,270 funds unless the employer certifies maintenance. Iran is not on the TB test list.

Language

Usually B2 for the visa, but doctors and nurses who passed their regulator's English test don't need to prove it again for the visa. The NMC requires IELTS Academic 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing, or OET B (C+ in writing). The GMC asks doctors for IELTS Academic 7.5 overall with at least 7.0 in each skill, or OET Medicine with grade B in each skill.

Costs and proof of funds

Per the official source as of October 2026, the visa fee is £324 for up to 3 years and £628 for more than 3 years, and you and your family pay no IHS. £1,270 for 28 days is needed unless the employer certifies it. The main costs are language tests and professional registration: for nurses the CBT is £83 and the OSCE (in the UK) £794; for doctors, from April 2026 PLAB 1 is £283 and PLAB 2 (in the UK) £1,036, plus related travel.

Steps and timeline

IELTS or OET; professional registration (nurses: Test of Competence with CBT and OSCE; doctors: PLAB 1 and PLAB 2); find an NHS job (many trusts run international nurse recruitment); CoS; visa; arrival. Exams and registration usually take the most time. The nursing CBT runs at Pearson VUE centres and the NMC lists no centre in Iran, so check Pearson VUE's centre finder before planning. PLAB 1 isn't held in Iran; see the GMC's list of overseas venues (e.g. Dubai).

Notes for Iranian applicants

Where to give biometrics: visa decisions aren't made in Tehran, but GOV.UK's visa application centre finder lists Iran with a link to the VFS page, and Persian sources say the UK visa centre in Tehran (Heravi Center) has been taking applicants again since 21 June 2026. We couldn't open the VFS page itself, so check which centre the online form offers for Iran when you book. If Tehran isn't available, the nearby options are Istanbul and Ankara, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and Yerevan.

Iranian nurses and doctors need provable degrees and work records, and men need a service or exemption card. Iranian bank cards don't work for international payments, so plan a legal way to pay exam and registration fees in advance. Care worker jobs, once a common route for Iranians, are no longer open from abroad; don't trust agency promises about them.

After arrival (work while studying, post-study stay, path to settlement)

The visa lasts up to 5 years and partners and children can join (doctor and nurse codes are higher skilled). NHS care is free from the visa start date. Settlement (ILR): the current rule is still 5 years, but the government's earned settlement plan proposes a 10-year baseline (shorter for high earners and public service roles) and says it will apply to people not yet settled. The plan isn't law yet; under the current rules (October 2026) settlement is after 5 years. The English level for settlement rises to B2 from 26 March 2027. Per the government, under the new plan doctors and nurses may be able to settle after 5 years.