What English level does the UK Health and Care Worker visa need?

Gov.uk says: if you had this visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating it, you need B1 and do not need to prove your English again. If you are switching from a Skilled Worker visa, you also do not need to provide proof again. Switching from any other visa needs B2 (gov.uk).

Instead of a test, gov.uk accepts a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, or Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English from a UK school you began before age 18; a degree taught in English and awarded by a UK institution; or a degree taught in English outside the UK, with an Ecctis code confirming it is equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree or higher.

Nationals of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the British overseas territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA are exempt (gov.uk).

Doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives do not need to prove their English if they have already passed an English language assessment accepted by their regulated professional body. For the nursing regulator's own test rules, see IELTS for nurses in the UK.

The visa is for eligible jobs with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care, with a Home Office approved employer and a certificate of sponsorship (gov.uk). Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Confirm the current requirement on the gov.uk Health and Care Worker page before you book a test or apply. This guide restates the official page; it is not legal or immigration advice.