Recruitment
Health and Care Worker visa Launched in August 2020, the Health and Care Worker visa is designed specifically to help medical professionals come to and work in the UK for the NHS, as an NHS supplier or in adult social care. This was in response to changes to the UK visa system, in particular, the new requirements of the Points-Based System (PBS) introduced post- Brexit. Part of the Skilled Worker visa route, this scheme offers medical professionals: n 50 per cent visa fee reduction. n Exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
n Speedier decision following an application including a decision within three weeks.
n Reduced fees for an applicant’s dependants and exemption from the HIS.
Since its introduction, the scheme has been expanded further to help fill gaps in the adult social care workforce. As a result, from 15 February 2021, care staff of all levels, including social care workers, care assistants, and home care workers, will be eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa. These new occupations will be added to the senior care workers, registered managers, and other medical professionals who already benefit from this scheme. A key existing requirement of the
Skilled Worker route is that the job offer must be one which involves duties and responsibilities involving skills equivalent to RQF level 3 – broadly equivalent to a level of skills obtained through A-levels or Scottish Highers. However, applicants do not need to hold a formal qualification for this visa and, instead, it is the skill level of the job they will be doing that determines whether this threshold is met. Care workers taking up this new opportunity will be able to apply for the scheme over a minimum period of 12 months. To be considered for a Health and Care visa an applicant must: n Have an eligible job offer from an approved sponsor that is an approved
The new immigration rules are complex and while the new visa routes are already supporting many workers to come to the UK, many applicants have little knowledge of the visa process and licensed Home Office sponsor.
n Meet the English Language requirement. n Be paid at least £20,480 per annum, (£10.10 per hour/39-hour week).
If successful, applicants will be permitted to stay in the UK for up to five years and bring their dependents with them. If they remain employed, they may be able to take advantage of the pathway to settlement. This new visa route allows employers in the health and social care industry to recruit for much-needed roles within their organisations while ensuring that the nation secures the best overseas talents in these important areas. It should help the care sector to recruit staff at all levels but will be particularly important to those looking to hire entry-level or lower-skilled positions, where the salary requirements of the existing point-based scheme have made it challenging. To take advantage of this visa, care companies need to hold a Sponsor Licence under the Skilled Worker visa route or be approved by UKVI to sponsor workers under the Health and Care Worker visa route.
Obtaining a Sponsor Licence Before starting a Sponsor Licence application, applicants must: n Check that their business is eligible. n Choose the type of licence they wish to apply for which will depend on what type of work they want to sponsor.
n Decide who will manage the sponsorship within the business.
n Pay a fee.
If the application is successful, the business will be given a licence rating and be able to issue certificates of sponsorship if they
have jobs that are suitable for sponsorship. Sponsor Licences are valid for four years. Businesses must meet their responsibilities as a sponsor to ensure they do not lose their licence. These include, but are not limited to, the following: n Check that foreign workers have the necessary skills, qualifications, or professional accreditations to do their job and keep copies of documents showing this.
n Only assign certificates of sponsorship to workers when the job is suitable for sponsorship.
n Tell UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if the sponsored workers are not complying with the conditions of their visa.
Many care company owners may feel that their operations are not big enough or developed enough to apply for a licence. However, the Home Office rules on eligibility for sponsor licences are fairly flexible and most care providers will meet the eligibility criteria, as long as: n They do not have unspent criminal convictions for immigration offences or certain other crimes, such as fraud or money laundering.
n They have not had a sponsor licence revoked in the last 12 months.
There are no restrictions on the income of a business or the length that it has been trading, but businesses must ensure they have appropriate systems in place to monitor sponsored employees and people to manage sponsorship in your business.
The benefits of having a sponsor licence Even if businesses are not recruiting overseas now, the sponsor licence is a requirement for sponsoring overseas workers on Skilled Worker visas in future. This does not mean businesses can recruit every role from overseas, but it does open the door for to offer jobs to those who are eligible to apply for a skilled worker visa as a sponsored employer. The job will need to have a standard occupation code (SOC) and the job must meet the minimum salary threshold. The government sets a ‘going rate’ for
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com June 2022
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