Health and Care Worker Visa for Filipino Nurses: Philippines to Glasgow 2026

What is the Health and Care Worker Visa for Filipino nurses?

The Health and Care Worker Visa is a sub-category of the UK Skilled Worker route designed for doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and eligible social care workers taking up roles with the NHS, NHS-funded employers, and registered care providers. It offers reduced Home Office application fees and a complete exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge, the annual surcharge that adds over £1,000 per year to the cost of a standard Skilled Worker Visa. The route leads to Indefinite Leave to Remain after five continuous years.

For Filipino nationals, this visa is the main route into NHS nursing in Glasgow and across Scotland. The Philippines is one of the world’s largest exporters of internationally trained nurses, and the UK NHS is one of the most consistent destinations. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lothian, Lanarkshire, and Forth Valley all recruit actively from the Philippines, and a substantial Filipino nursing community has built up in Glasgow over the past two decades. If you are a Filipino nurse with a job offer from an NHS employer or another qualifying UK health provider, this is the route you will use.

This page explains the Health and Care Worker Visa as it applies specifically to Filipino nationals: the TB test requirement, the English language options, NMC registration context and how it sits alongside the visa timeline, the VFS Global process in Manila and Cebu, the PSA documents you will need, the rules on bringing your family, and how to reach Indefinite Leave to Remain. For the full route rules, see our Health and Care Worker Visa guide.

Registered nurses and care workers: two distinct sets of rules

Before going further, it is important to be clear that the Health and Care Worker Visa covers two groups of Filipino healthcare workers whose rules are significantly different. Many people use the terms interchangeably, but the immigration rules do not.

Registered nurses (SOC code 2231) are the primary audience for this page. To work as a nurse in the UK, you must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The NMC registration process for Filipino nurses involves a Computer Based Test (CBT) in the Philippines and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the UK. Once registered, or in the process of registration with a confirmed employer, you can apply for the Health and Care Worker Visa. Registered nurses can bring their partner and children to the UK as dependants. There are no domestic-recruitment restrictions on this group: NHS employers can recruit a Filipino nurse directly from the Philippines without first advertising the role to workers already in the UK.

Care workers and senior care workers (SOC 6135 and 6136) are governed by different, more restrictive rules that changed significantly in 2024 and 2025. In England, care providers sponsoring overseas care workers must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. From 9 April 2025, English care providers must also demonstrate that they have tried to recruit care workers already in the UK before sponsoring anyone from overseas. Care workers sponsored since 11 March 2024 generally cannot bring dependants to the UK. In Scotland, care employers must be registered with the Care Inspectorate rather than the CQC. The Care Inspectorate is the relevant Scottish regulator for care homes, care at home services, and supported living providers in Glasgow and across Scotland. The England-specific domestic-recruitment restriction does not apply in the same terms in Scotland, though the broader changes in this period affect Scottish care providers too.

If you are a care worker or senior care worker, rather than a registered nurse, the current rules need to be confirmed with us before your employer assigns a Certificate of Sponsorship. The care worker rules have moved more than once since 2024, and acting on guidance that was accurate a year ago carries real risk.

Who qualifies: occupation codes and employer requirements

You qualify if you have a genuine job offer in an eligible health or care occupation from a UK employer that holds a valid Home Office sponsor licence, and the role meets the relevant occupation code and salary requirements. For Filipino nurses the qualifying employer is typically:

• an NHS trust, health board or foundation trust in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK;
• an NHS-funded employer providing health services under NHS contract; or
• an adult social care provider registered with the Care Inspectorate in Scotland or the Care Quality Commission in England.

The Health and Care Worker Visa uses Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes to define eligible roles. For Filipino healthcare workers, the most common codes are:

• 2231 Nurses (registered nurses, the primary group on this page)
• 2211 Medical practitioners (doctors)
• 2232 Midwives
• 2235 Paramedics
• 2236 Physiotherapists
• 2237 Occupational therapists
• 2442 Social workers
• 6135 / 6136 Care workers and senior care workers (subject to the 2024-2025 restrictions described above)

The code on the Certificate of Sponsorship determines eligibility, not the job title on the contract. A Certificate of Sponsorship that assigns the wrong code will lead to refusal regardless of what the role involves day to day. You must also demonstrate English language ability to the required standard. Filipino nationals are not exempt from the English requirement, though Filipino nurses commonly meet it through the same test used for NMC registration. We confirm eligibility and the correct code at the first consultation before you or your employer take any steps with the Certificate of Sponsorship.

The Certificate of Sponsorship

Before you apply, your employer must assign you a Certificate of Sponsorship. This is a unique reference number generated through the Home Office sponsorship management system. It records your job title, occupation code, salary, start date, and the employer’s sponsor licence reference number. These details are what the Home Office uses to assess whether your application meets the requirements of the route.

Errors in the Certificate of Sponsorship are a consistent source of delays and refusals. A salary entered incorrectly, a code that does not appear on the eligible list, or a mismatch between the declared start date and the supporting documents can cause the application to fail. For Filipino nurses, a common source of confusion is the interaction between the NMC registration timeline and the visa start date. Your employer may assign the Certificate of Sponsorship before your OSCE is completed, on the understanding that registration will be in place before or shortly after your start date. The Certificate of Sponsorship must reflect this accurately. We review the CoS with you before it is finalised, and we flag any error to your employer before the application is submitted.

NMC registration context: CBT, OSCE, and the visa timeline

To practise as a registered nurse in the UK, you must be on the NMC register. For Filipino nurses, the NMC registration process under the Overseas Registration route involves two stages. First, a Computer Based Test (CBT) taken in the Philippines, which assesses nursing knowledge. Second, an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) taken at a test centre in the UK after you arrive. The OSCE is only available in the UK, which means Filipino nurses who have passed the CBT typically come to the UK on the Health and Care Worker Visa, complete the OSCE, and then join the NMC register.

This sequence is familiar to NHS employers recruiting from the Philippines, and the Home Office expects it. Your employer can issue a Certificate of Sponsorship and you can apply for the visa while OSCE completion is still pending, provided the NMC has assessed your application and your employer has confirmed the role is subject to registration. Your NMC PIN is issued after the OSCE, and you are expected to complete registration before or promptly after your supervised clinical start date.

We are not NMC registration advisers, and we do not provide advice on the registration process itself. We explain the visa timeline and how it sits alongside the registration steps, and we check that the Certificate of Sponsorship reflects the correct stage accurately. If you have questions about NMC registration, the NMC website and your NHS employer’s international recruitment team are the right sources.

English language: OET or IELTS, and how one test can serve both requirements

Filipino nationals are not exempt from the English language requirement for the Health and Care Worker Visa. English is widely spoken in the Philippines and is a medium of instruction in Philippine nursing education, but the Philippines is not on the Home Office list of majority English-speaking countries. You must demonstrate English at B1 CEFR level across all four components: speaking, listening, reading and writing.

The two most common routes for Filipino nurses are the Occupational English Test (OET) and IELTS Academic. Both are approved Secure English Language Tests for the visa. The OET has a particular advantage for Filipino nurses: it is also accepted by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for registration purposes. A pass at OET B grade satisfies the NMC English competence requirement and meets the visa B1 CEFR standard. This means Filipino nurses who sit and pass OET B satisfy the English requirement for both the visa and the NMC in a single test. IELTS Academic at 6.5 overall (with no component below 6.0) also satisfies the visa English requirement, but IELTS is not an NMC-accepted test. For most Filipino nurses coming to Glasgow to work in the NHS, OET is the more efficient choice.

Some Filipino nurses also hold a degree taught in English from a Philippines university. A degree taught in English can satisfy the visa English requirement if the qualification is verified by Ecctis, but this route is not accepted by the NMC as evidence of English competence. In practice, most Filipino nurses taking the NMC route will sit OET or IELTS anyway, making the degree-taught-in-English route less relevant for this group.

We confirm which English route applies to your circumstances and which is the most efficient choice given your NMC timeline.

TB test and PSA documents: Philippines-specific requirements

The Philippines is on the Home Office tuberculosis testing list. If you have been living in the Philippines for six months or more, you must include a TB test certificate from a Home Office approved clinic in your Health and Care Worker Visa application. No certificate means no visa, and an expired certificate is treated the same as a missing one.

The TB test certificate is valid for six months from the date of your examination. This creates a timing constraint: if you test too early and the visa process takes longer than expected, your certificate may expire before your visa is granted. The correct approach is to book the TB test at an approved clinic in the Philippines once the Certificate of Sponsorship has been assigned and you have a clear application timeline, not at the beginning of the process. Approved clinics operate in Manila and across the Philippines. We advise on which clinic to use and when to book relative to your VFS Global biometrics appointment so the certificate remains valid throughout.

Civil documents issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) are the standard identity and family documents for Filipino visa applications. PSA-issued birth certificates, marriage certificates, and certificates of no marriage (CENOMAR) are issued in English by default, which saves time and cost compared with nationalities whose documents require certified translation. For the Health and Care Worker Visa, you typically need your PSA birth certificate as identity evidence. If you are including dependants, you also need the PSA marriage certificate and birth certificates for any children. We confirm the exact document list for your application at the outset.

VFS Global in Manila and Cebu: how the application centre works

Filipino nationals applying for a UK visa attend a VFS Global visa application centre to provide biometrics (fingerprints and a photograph). VFS Global operates UK visa application centres in Manila and Cebu. Once you have submitted your online application form and paid the Home Office fee, you book a biometrics appointment at whichever centre is most convenient. Manila is the primary centre, and Cebu serves applicants from the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

The VFS Global centre collects your biometrics and forwards your documents to UK Visas and Immigration. VFS Global does not make the visa decision; that is made by the Home Office. Standard processing from the date of your biometrics appointment is typically around three weeks, though timelines vary and the Home Office service standard allows longer at busy periods. A priority processing service is not universally available for all routes and centres; we advise on whether it is available for your application and whether the additional cost is worth it given your employer’s start date.

Most Filipino nurses we work with in Glasgow applied through the Manila VFS Global centre. The appointment system, document requirements and centre procedures at Manila are well-established. We advise on exactly what to bring on the day and what to expect during the appointment.

Fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge exemption

The Health and Care Worker Visa application fee is lower than the standard Skilled Worker route. The current fees are around £324 for entry clearance up to three years, and around £628 for entry clearance over three years. There is no Immigration Health Surcharge on top of these amounts.

The surcharge exemption is one of the most significant practical advantages of this route. On the standard Skilled Worker route, the surcharge is £1,035 per year of leave, paid upfront. A Filipino nurse granted five years on the standard route would pay over £5,000 in surcharge alone before the visa fee is counted. On the Health and Care Worker Visa, applicants pay nothing, and the exemption extends to every dependant. For a Filipino nurse bringing a partner and two children to Glasgow, the saving across the family over a five-year grant is substantial. This is a complete waiver, not a deferral.

In addition to the visa fee, budget for the TB test at an approved clinic in the Philippines, the OET or IELTS test fee, PSA document costs, and the VFS Global appointment booking fee in Manila or Cebu. We provide a written cost breakdown at the assessment stage so you know the total outlay before committing to any bookings.

The salary requirement for nurses and health workers

The Health and Care Worker Visa has a lower salary floor than the general Skilled Worker route. The requirement is the going rate published by the Home Office for your specific occupation code, or a lower health-and-care floor, whichever is higher. For registered nurses (SOC 2231) on NHS pay scales, the NHS band rates typically meet or exceed the going rate, though the specific band and the advertised salary on the Certificate of Sponsorship both need to be confirmed. For allied health professions and social care roles, the going rate varies by code and needs to be checked against the specific pay offered.

There is also a minimum hourly rate requirement for some occupation codes, separate from the annual salary figure. We map both the annual and hourly requirements to your specific code and pay band before the Certificate of Sponsorship is finalised, so the salary declared in the CoS can actually support the application.

Bringing your family to Glasgow

Registered nurses on the Health and Care Worker Visa can bring their partner and children under 18 to the UK as dependants. The Immigration Health Surcharge exemption extends to all dependants, which is a meaningful saving for a Filipino family joining NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde or another Glasgow employer. Your partner has the right to work in the UK without restriction. Dependent children can study at UK schools. We prepare the family’s visa applications alongside your own so that document sets are consistent and biometrics appointments can be coordinated.

If you are a care worker rather than a registered nurse, and you were sponsored on or after 11 March 2024, the rules on bringing dependants are different. Confirm the current position with us before making any plans for family travel.

Glasgow has a well-established Filipino community, particularly in the south side of the city. A number of Filipino families whose nurses are NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employees have settled in Shawlands, Govanhill, and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Local Filipino community networks, including Filipino faith communities in Glasgow, provide a practical support structure for newly arrived families that many of our clients have found valuable.

Care worker rules: what changed in 2024 and 2025

The rules governing overseas care workers and senior care workers changed more than once between 2024 and 2025. The main changes were: the requirement for sponsoring care providers in England to be registered with the Care Quality Commission; the restriction on care workers sponsored from 11 March 2024 bringing dependants to the UK; and the introduction from 9 April 2025 of a requirement for English care providers to demonstrate they have tried to recruit care workers already in the UK before sponsoring anyone from overseas.

In Scotland, the relevant regulator for care providers is the Care Inspectorate, not the CQC. Care homes, care at home providers, and supported living services in Glasgow must be registered with the Care Inspectorate. The CQC registration requirement in the care-worker rule changes applies specifically to England. The domestic-recruitment requirement introduced in April 2025 is also framed around England.

If you are a Filipino care worker or senior care worker considering applying from the Philippines, or if you are a Glasgow care provider that wants to sponsor a Filipino care worker, the current position needs to be confirmed against the rules in force at the time you intend to apply. We advise on the current requirements at the outset and do not charge for initial assessments.

Extension and settlement: the route to ILR in Glasgow

The initial grant can run for up to five years. Before it expires you apply to extend on the same route. Your employer assigns a new Certificate of Sponsorship, and the occupation code and salary requirements apply again at extension. Most Filipino nurses in Glasgow who have been on the visa for two or three years find extension straightforward: they have completed NMC registration, they are established on a specific NHS pay band, and the salary on the new CoS reflects the current band rate. We start extension preparation around three months before leave expires and check both the annual salary and hourly rate before the new CoS is assigned.

After five continuous years on the Health and Care Worker Visa, or on a qualifying combination of this visa and predecessor routes such as the Tier 2 (Health and Care) visa, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. You need to meet the continuous residence requirement (no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling twelve-month period), pass the Life in the UK Test, and demonstrate English at B1 CEFR level or above. You do not need to switch routes or change employers to reach ILR. Twelve months after ILR you can apply for British citizenship, or immediately if your partner is a British citizen. Many Filipino nurses who came to Glasgow on this route are now settled residents and British citizens. See our ILR service for how the settlement application works.

If your application is refused

Most refusals on the Health and Care Worker Visa route relate to the Certificate of Sponsorship, the occupation code, the salary threshold, a missing or invalid TB test certificate, or a gap in the English language evidence. Some refusals carry a right of administrative review where the decision contains a case-working error. In other cases a corrected fresh application with the Certificate of Sponsorship reissued, or with a valid TB certificate added, is the faster and stronger route.

We review every refusal letter against the Immigration Rules, advise honestly on which route gives the better prospect, and rebuild the application file for resubmission where a fresh application is the right course. Where an appeal is the right path, we advise on the merits and refer you to a representative for the tribunal hearing, while we support the underlying evidence. We do not conduct tribunal advocacy ourselves, but we remain involved in the case.

Filipino nurses in Glasgow: the NHS, the community, and the Care Inspectorate

Glasgow has one of the most established Filipino communities in Scotland, and a substantial part of that community works in or around the NHS. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employs Filipino nurses across the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, the Royal Infirmary, the Western Infirmary site, the Princess Royal Maternity, and community hospitals and health centres across the city. NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and other health boards in the west of Scotland recruit from the Philippines with regularity.

The Filipino presence in Glasgow is not a recent development. Generations of Filipino nurses have built careers in Glasgow and made it their permanent home. Filipino community organisations, including Filipino faith communities, Filipino cultural associations, and informal nursing networks, operate across the city. Newly arrived Filipino nurses step into an existing community that can offer housing recommendations, local knowledge, and practical support that immigration advisers cannot provide.

For employers: to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship, your NHS trust, health board, or care provider must hold a valid Home Office sponsor licence. If your employer does not yet have a licence, or if it needs to be amended or restored, that is a separate application. Care providers in Glasgow must also confirm their Care Inspectorate registration status before applying to sponsor overseas workers. We handle sponsor licence applications and compliance advice for NHS and care employers in Glasgow. See our Sponsor Licences service for how that works.

We work regularly with Filipino nurses at different stages: those still in the Philippines preparing their first entry-clearance application, those already in Glasgow on an existing grant preparing an extension, and those approaching the five-year ILR point. We know the NMC registration timeline, the NHS pay band structure, the Care Inspectorate framework for Scottish care employers, and the specific circumstances that arise for Filipino healthcare workers in Glasgow.

How UK Visa Assistance helps

UK Visa Assistance is a Glasgow immigration practice. We prepare Health and Care Worker Visa applications for Filipino nurses and healthcare workers end to end: confirming eligibility, checking the occupation code and Certificate of Sponsorship, confirming the TB test and English language route, reviewing PSA documents, advising on the VFS Global Manila or Cebu process, preparing every supporting document, completing the application form, and submitting on your behalf. We work on fixed fees agreed in advance, and we do not charge for an initial assessment of your circumstances.

Most of the Filipino nurses we work with in Glasgow are joining NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, a Scottish health board, or a Care Inspectorate-registered care provider in the city or the west of Scotland. We know the employment landscape, the professional registration sequence, and the specific document requirements for Filipino applicants.

For related routes: Filipino partners and spouses of people settled in the UK use a different route, see our Spouse Visa for Filipino nationals guide. Filipino professionals in non-healthcare roles use the standard Skilled Worker Visa. After five years, the settlement path runs through our ILR service. To start on the Health and Care Worker Visa, call 0141 496 0321 or request a callback.