Health and Care Worker visa

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Taking on additional work

You can do additional paid work on a Health and Care Worker visa as long as you’re still doing the job you’re being sponsored for. You can also do unpaid voluntary work.

If you complete your GP training, you can do 4 months of additional paid work.

You may need to apply to update your visa to do additional paid work. This will depend on the type of work you’re doing and the hours you’re going to work.

Work you can do without updating your visa

You can work unlimited hours without updating your visa if you’re:

  • working overtime in the job you’re being sponsored for
  • working ‘bank shifts’ for your NHS sponsor

You can also work up to 20 hours a week in another job or for your own business without updating your visa so long as the work you do is either:

  • in the same occupation code and at the same level as your main job
  • in a shortage occupation

Find out if the work is in a shortage occupation by checking both:

When you’ll need to update your visa

Whether or not you need to update your visa depends on how many hours a week you’ll be working and the type of work you’re doing.

If your additional job is more than 20 hours a week

You must update your visa.

If your additional job is 20 hours or less a week

You’ll need to update your visa if your job is not in a shortage occupation and is either:

Find out if the job is in a shortage occupation by checking both:

Apply to update your visa

To apply, you’ll need to:

  • get a new certificate of sponsorship from your second employer

  • include a letter with your application explaining that you want to change your current permission to stay

Apply to update your visa.

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