As of 28 August 2023, the Home Office have restricted the number of additional hours that Skilled Workers on a Health and Care visa can work. In this blog, we discuss the recent changes migrants should be aware of so as to comply with their visa conditions.
What were the rules before?
Those on Skilled Worker visas are sponsored to carry out a specific role, for a specific employer in the UK.
Prior to February 2023, all Skilled Worker visa holders were only permitted to take on additional work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week. The additional work had to be in the same occupation code and at the same level as their sponsored role, or on the shortage occupation list.
In February 2023, the Home Office changed the rules to allow those on a Skilled Worker (Health and Care) visa to carry out additional work (outside of their sponsored employment) beyond the 20 hours usually permitted under this immigration route.
This meant that such visa holders could take on unlimited hours of extra work for another organisation, provided that the work was categorised with a health and care occupation code.
What are the rules now?
From 28 August 2023, the Home Office have reinstated the original restrictions, meaning that Skilled Worker (Health and Care) visa holders are again only permitted to carry out 20 hours of additional work.
If a visa holder wishes to continue working beyond the 20-hour restriction, they will need to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship for their additional employment and apply to the Home Office to update their current visa.
How Gherson can assist
Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
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