Switch student visa to a Health and Care Worker visa: How to convert your student visa: A guide. Are you a student in the UK with a student visa who will soon graduate and become a registered healthcare professional? With a graduate visa, are you now seeking employment in the healthcare industry? Discover how to transition to a Health and Care Worker visa and secure a fulfilling job in Scotland’s NHS.
Graduates Visa
After completing your degree successfully, you can convert your student visa to a graduate visa if you want to live and work in Scotland. Depending on your degree of education, this will allow you to remain in the UK and seek employment for a maximum of two or three years.
Learn more about submitting a graduate visa application.
You can Switch straight to a Health and Care Worker visa if you land a job with the NHS within a few months after graduating.
Qualifications for converting a visa
You must fulfil the following requirements in order to change your graduate or student visa into a health and care worker visa:
- You need to have a worker’s licence and a job offer from the NHSScotland Health Board.
- The minimal requirements for the remuneration must be met.
- The offered position needs to be listed as an eligible occupation.
- You need to be able to speak and understand English.
- In certain situations, you need to have enough money to sustain yourself in the UK.
Every position in registered nursing, midwifery, AHP, and medicine that is listed as an eligible occupation satisfies the minimum wage standards.
The majority of health boards have a sponsorship licence.
How to convert your visa
To convert to a Health and Care Worker visa, take these actions.
1. Registration
You must apply for registration with the appropriate professional body as soon as you obtain a job offer.
You can find the registration procedure on one of the following websites if you haven’t already registered with your appropriate professional body:
2. Visa conversion
When you receive your certificate of sponsorship from your employer, you can apply to the UK Government for a Health and Care Worker visa . You must do this before your Student visa or Graduate visa expires.
3. Proficiency in the English language
Your application for a visa conversion may need you to provide proof of your fluency in English. To find out if you will need to demonstrate your English proficiency, visit the UK Government website.
4. Next actions
The UK Government may take up to three weeks to process your visa application. You have up to five years to live and work in the UK after obtaining a Health and Care Worker visa.
You can apply for a visa extension as often as you like if you wish to stay longer. You must still fulfil the eligibility conditions, though.
You might be eligible to apply for permanent residency after five years in Scotland or another UK country. Indefinite leave to remain is another name for this.
NHS Scotland – More Details