How to work as a UK Healthcare Assistant from Zimbabwe

Are you from Harare, Bulawayo or elsewhere in Zimbabwe, and interested in working as a Health Care Assistant in the UK?

Most Zimbabweans will need to apply for a work visa before they can work in the UK, so this guide will help you prepare to apply for a UK work visa. Once your application is accepted, you will be able to move to the UK to work in healthcare. 

What qualifications does a UK Healthcare Assistant need?

There are no mandatory qualifications for Healthcare Assistants working in the UK health and social care sector. 

But if you are from Zimbabwe and want to move to the UK to work in healthcare, these qualifications could help to support your application:

• Care Certificate – click here to sign up for our online Care Certificate course
• Diploma in Health and Social Care 
• GCSE (grades 9-4 or grades A*-C)
• SSCE or WAEC certificate

Do Zimbabweans need a visa to work as a UK NHS Healthcare Assistant?

If you are from Zimbabwe and want to work in the UK as a healthcare assistant, you will need to apply for a Health and Care Worker visa first. This is a skilled worker visa and was previously known as the Tier 2 work visa. 

To be eligible for this visa, you must have been offered a job that meets all the following conditions:

• The job must be appropriate for this type of visa (at least RQF level 3)
• You must be earning at least the minimum salary requirements.
• Your future employer must have been approved by the UK Home Office for sponsorship and hold a valid Certificate of Sponsorship. If they need to apply for a sponsorship licence, this process will take around eight weeks.
• You must have been given an occupation code by your employer.
• The vacancy you are filling must be genuine. Your application will be refused if the UK Home Office has any reason to believe that the vacancy is fake or was created just to allow you to move to the UK.

If you meet all of these requirements, you will be given an electronic ‘Certificate of Sponsorship’ containing your employer’s details and details of your job.

How do I apply for a UK visa from Zimbabwe?

Once you have received your Certificate of Sponsorship, you have three months to apply for your Health and Care Worker visa from Zimbabwe. You will need to provide the following information:

• Your Certificate of Sponsorship number 
• Proof that you are proficient in English
• Your passport or other acceptable official proof of identity
• Your job title, salary details and occupation code
• The name of your employer, their contact details and sponsor licence number 

Once your visa application is approved, you will be granted a visa that is valid for up to five years. If you wish to remain in the UK, you must renew it on expiry or sooner if you wish to work for a different employer.

What English language proficiency requirements apply to a Healthcare Assistant from Zimbabwe?

Applicants for the Health and Care Worker visa must be able to prove that they are proficient in the English Language to Intermediate standard (B1) or above on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Acceptable proof includes:

• Having the nationality of a primarily English-speaking country
• Passing the SELT (Secure English Language Test)
• Passing a GCSE, A Level or Scottish Higher in English
• Holding a degree from a university that teaches in English
• Having successfully provided evidence for a previous visa application

How much does a Health and Care Worker visa cost?

UK visa fees for Zimbabwe citizens are currently £247 for visits lasting less than three years or £479 for visits planned to last more than three years.

Zimbabweans applying for a Health and Care Worker visa must also have a minimum of £1270 available in a bank account for at least 28 days out of the 30 days before making a visa application. This proves you can cover your costs for the first 30 days after you arrive in the UK.

If your employer is willing to provide financial cover for your expenses for the first month, they can make a note of this on your Certificate of Sponsorship.

Travelling to the UK with family

You can add the following people to your visa application if they will be travelling to the UK with you:

• A spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner
• Children aged under 18
• Children aged 18 or over who are unmarried and will be staying in the UK as your dependents.

When you make your visa application, you must be able to provide evidence that your relationship is genuine.

You will also need to have the funds required to support your family’s expenses during their first 30 days in the UK. Currently, this is:

• £285 to support a partner
• £315 to support your first child
• £200 to support each additional child

Other documentation necessary for Health and Care Workers from Zimbabwe

Your visa application may also need to include several other forms of supporting paperwork, including:

• Bank statements
• A criminal record certificate from any other countries you have lived in
• Proof of a negative TB (Tuberculosis) test 

You can find more information about applying for a UK Health and Care Worker Visa on the UK Government website. 

If you want to work as a UK healthcare assistant from Zimbabwe, making your application for a Health and Care Worker visa can be a complex process. Obtaining reliable advice from a reputable and experienced visa processing specialist can reduce the risk of errors or delays.