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Care workers changing sponsor: the rules in 2026

A care worker or senior care worker who wants a new sponsor applies to update their visa with a new certificate of sponsorship. The new employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission if the job is in England, and the fee is £324 for up to 3 years with no health surcharge.

Switching sponsor gets used for two different situations, and the rules for each are different. The first is a care worker who already holds a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa in care work and wants to move to a new employer. The second is someone who is in the UK on a different visa, such as a Student or Graduate visa, and wants to switch into care work with a sponsor. This guide covers both, and says which is which, because mixing them up is the most common way people end up reading the wrong rule.

Care workers (occupation code 6135) and senior care workers (6136) are in an unusual position in 2026. GOV.UK says these two codes are now listed only for people who are extending, updating or switching, so a new sponsor cannot bring someone in from abroad on these codes. What is left is a set of in-UK routes with specific conditions, mostly set out in rule SW 6.1B of Appendix Skilled Worker. Dates and the exact wording of each condition matter, and this page quotes them.

Everything here comes from GOV.UK's Health and Care Worker and Skilled Worker pages, Appendix Skilled Worker (updated 8 October 2026) and the GOV.UK pages for sponsors, read on 10 October 2026. It explains how the rules work. It does not say whether you can move employer, because that depends on dates and documents that a regulated adviser would need to see.

Two situations that both get called switching

Situation one: you already have permission as a Skilled Worker (including the Health and Care Worker version) in a care worker or senior care worker job, and you want to work for a different employer. GOV.UK calls this updating your visa. Rule SW 6.1B(b) is the one that matters: the application must be for permission to stay, and the applicant "must have permission as a Skilled Worker, sponsored in either of these SOC 2020 occupations codes" (6135 or 6136), or in the older 2010 codes 6145 or 6146.

Situation two: you are in the UK on another visa and want to switch to a care worker job. Rule SW 6.1B(a) covers this. The applicant must have been legally working for the sponsor in one of these codes for at least the three months ending on the date the certificate of sponsorship was issued, and the date of application must be before 22 July 2028. GOV.UK's Health and Care Worker page puts the same idea in plain words: "If you’re switching from a different visa, you must have been working legally in your job for your sponsor for at least 3 months."

The rest of this guide takes situation one first, because it is the more common search, and then situation two.

Moving from one sponsor to another when you already hold the visa

GOV.UK lists the cases where a Health and Care Worker must update the visa:

  • you want to change your job and the new job is with a different employer
  • your job changes to a different occupation code, and you are not in a graduate training programme
  • you leave a job that is on the immigration salary list for one that is not on it

For a care worker, the first bullet is the relevant one. The update needs a new certificate of sponsorship (CoS) from the new employer. A CoS is an electronic record, not a paper document, with a reference number that you enter in the application. Under rule SW 5.1 the certificate must name you, the job and the salary, must show a start date no more than three months after the date you apply, and must not have been used in a previous application that was granted or refused. A certificate used in an application that was rejected as invalid, made void or withdrawn can be used again. The certificate must also have been issued by the sponsor no more than three months before you apply (SW 1.2(d)).

The new employer must be an approved sponsor with an A rating on the Home Office's register of licensed sponsors (SW 5.3). The only exception in that rule is for someone who is continuing with the same sponsor as in their last permission, which is not a change of sponsor.

GOV.UK adds a rule specific to care work: "If you change your employer and you’re working in England, your new employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission." There is a carve-out in SW 6.1C that removes the CQC requirement, but it applies only when the applicant is continuing with the same sponsor as in their most recent grant and has held care worker permission continuously since before 11 March 2024. It does not help someone moving to a different employer.

Timing: when to apply and what you may do meanwhile

GOV.UK says you can apply to update your visa up to 3 months before the start date of your new job. It then addresses the gap between jobs directly: "You can continue working in your current job while your new application is being considered, or to work out your notice period - as long as you apply before your current visa expires." The Rules back the notice period point. Rule SW 18.2(e) says the conditions of a Skilled Worker grant allow "working out a contractual notice period" for a job the applicant was lawfully working in on the date of application.

GOV.UK also says: "You should not start your new job until you’ve got confirmation of your new permission." This is the line people most often miss. Applying is not the same as having permission to work for the new employer. The new job starts, as far as the visa is concerned, when the decision arrives. Employers who are told this sometimes ask for a later start date; the three-month window on the certificate gives some room, but that is something for the employer and worker to settle between them.

Two more points apply to every update application. First, travel: "You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do." Second, the decision time. GOV.UK's Health and Care Worker page says applicants usually get a decision within 3 weeks of applying online, proving their identity and providing documents, and says some applications take longer, for example where documents need verifying, an interview is needed or the applicant has a criminal conviction. A paid faster decision may be offered during the application, and the application will say if it is.

Fees, the surcharge and money to hold

The Health and Care Worker application fee on GOV.UK is £324 per person for up to 3 years and £628 per person for more than 3 years, and "The fee is the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK." There is no immigration health surcharge for Health and Care Worker applicants or their dependants. Biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) have no fee.

On money to hold, GOV.UK says "You must have at least £1,270 in your bank account to show you can support yourself in the UK", held for 28 days in a row with day 28 within 31 days of applying. It also says you do not need to show this if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if the employer covers your costs for the first month and the certificate says so. Rule SW 15.1 says the same about the 12 months for anyone applying for permission to stay. For most care workers moving employer inside the UK, this means no funds evidence is needed.

An employer may not pass its own costs to the worker. GOV.UK's guidance for sponsors says "Your licence may be revoked if you ask the sponsored worker to pay the fee or any costs linked to your application." The certificate fee is the employer's to pay, and the sponsor guidance lists it at £525 per certificate for a Skilled Worker certificate. If an employer asks you to cover a sponsor cost, that is worth raising with the Home Office and with a regulated adviser.

Salary rules the new job has to meet

For care workers and senior care workers, the salary rules sit in the group of jobs GOV.UK calls roles with different salary requirements. For these codes, GOV.UK says "You’ll usually need to be paid at least £31,300 per year, or the lower ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher." A lower floor of £25,000 applies in some cases, such as new entrants and jobs on the immigration salary list, and in those cases the job's going rate still applies.

The practical point for a move is that the new job has its own certificate and its own salary check. The pay on the old certificate does not carry over. If the new employer offers a different hourly rate or hours, the annual figure on the new certificate is what the Home Office compares with the rule. Our guide to the Skilled Worker salary thresholds explains the options in detail, and the care worker visa guide covers the pay rules for these codes.

Some terms in this area are specific. A "going rate" is the figure listed for the job's occupation code in Appendix Skilled Occupations. The "lower going rate" is the figure that applies to these health and care jobs. Whether a job is on the immigration salary list is set by Appendix Immigration Salary List, and the list has end dates for some entries; check the current appendix for the job in question rather than relying on a summary.

Switching into care work from another visa

Situation two has more conditions. Beyond the three months of legal working for the sponsor and the 22 July 2028 application deadline in rule SW 6.1B(a), GOV.UK lists who cannot switch at all. You cannot apply to switch if you are currently in the UK on a visit visa, a short-term student visa, a Parent of a Child Student visa, a seasonal worker visa, a domestic worker in a private household visa, or on immigration bail, or if you were given permission to stay outside the Immigration Rules, for example on compassionate grounds. People in those categories must leave the UK and apply from abroad, and for care worker codes the Rules do not allow that, since SW 6.1B requires an application for permission to stay.

If you are on a Student visa, GOV.UK adds that you must meet one of three conditions: you have completed the course you were sponsored to study, your job start date is after your course has finished, or you are studying for a PhD full time and have been for at least 24 months. Rule SW 1.5A sets out equivalent conditions A, B and C.

English language applies as well. For someone switching from a different visa, GOV.UK says "If you’re applying to switch from a different visa, you need level B2." Our guide to the B2 requirement explains how that can be shown.

Dependants cannot follow automatically. GOV.UK's Health and Care Worker page says "If you’re switching to this visa as a care worker or senior care worker, your partner or children will not be able to switch as your dependants to this visa." The Skilled Worker page lists narrow cases for children, for example a child born in the UK, or a child whose only living parent is the applicant. Our guide to the care worker dependants rule goes through those cases.

What goes wrong in practice

These are patterns in the rules rather than predictions about any one case.

  • A gap in employment. If the old job ends before the new permission is granted, the old conditions may no longer allow work. The notice period rule in SW 18.2(e) covers a contractual notice period for a job lawfully held on the date of application, and it depends on having applied before the current visa expired.
  • A new employer that is not registered with the CQC, or whose licence has been affected. Checking the CQC register and the Home Office's register of licensed sponsors before leaving a job is a step the worker can take. Our guide to revoked sponsor licences explains what happens to workers when a licence is revoked.
  • A certificate that cannot be used. A certificate used in an application that was granted or refused cannot be reused (SW 5.1(d)), and one issued more than three months before the application date is out of time.
  • The wrong occupation code. If the new job is coded differently from the old one, the code on the new certificate decides which rules apply. The rule at SW 6.2 says the sponsor must choose an appropriate code and the decision maker must not have grounds to believe a less appropriate one was chosen to get around a salary or eligibility rule.
  • Exploitation. Workers in abusive situations have extra routes; our guide to the 2026 rule change for victims of exploitation covers rule SW 18.3.

If an application is refused, the decision carries a right to administrative review, not an appeal. Rule SW 17.2 says so, and our guide to administrative review explains the process and its deadlines.

Worked examples (illustrative)

These examples show how the rules read. They are invented, they are not advice, and a real case could turn on details not shown.

Example 1. Amara holds a Health and Care Worker visa as a care worker (6135) with one employer in England. She is offered a job with another care provider in England. Under GOV.UK's description she would apply to update her visa with a new certificate from the new employer, who must be CQC-registered. She can apply up to 3 months before the new start date. She keeps working for her current employer through her notice period, as long as she applied before her visa expires, and does not start the new job until permission is confirmed. The fee on GOV.UK is £324 if the new certificate is for up to 3 years, with no health surcharge, and she would not need to show £1,270 if she has been in the UK with a valid visa for 12 months or more.

Example 2. Daniel is on a Graduate visa and has worked as a care assistant for a sponsor for two months. A certificate for a senior care worker job would be issued next week. Under SW 6.1B(a), he needs at least three months of legal work for that sponsor ending on the date the certificate is issued. Two months is short of that, so the date the certificate is issued is the point to examine.

Example 3. Priya's employer has told her that its licence has been revoked. The new-employer route above is one option the guidance describes, and deadlines under the curtailment guidance may be running. That situation has its own guide, linked above.

Finding a regulated adviser

Moving employer as a care worker turns on dates: when you started with the current sponsor, when the new certificate was issued, what the earlier permission was and which occupation code each job carries. If you want a regulated adviser to check those against your documents, GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser, and only IAA-registered advisers, solicitors and other qualified persons can give immigration advice in England and Wales.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

Can a care worker change employer on a Health and Care Worker visa?

GOV.UK says a Health and Care Worker must apply to update their visa if they change to a different employer. The update needs a new certificate of sponsorship from the new employer, and for care worker jobs in England the new employer must be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Can I start the new care job while my update application is being decided?

GOV.UK says you should not start the new job until you have confirmation of the new permission. It says you can keep working in your current job, or work out your notice period, while the application is considered, as long as you applied before your current visa expired.

How long does a Health and Care Worker update take?

GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks once you have applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents. It may take longer if documents need verifying or an interview is needed, and you may be offered a paid faster decision.

Do I pay the health surcharge when I change sponsor as a care worker?

GOV.UK says Health and Care Worker applicants and their dependants do not pay the immigration health surcharge. The application fee is £324 for up to 3 years or £628 for more than 3 years, the same inside and outside the UK.

Can I switch from a Student or Graduate visa to a care worker job in 2026?

Rule SW 6.1B(a) allows an in-UK application for care worker codes if you have worked legally for the sponsor in that code for at least the three months ending on the date the certificate was issued, and you apply before 22 July 2028. Other conditions apply, including English language and the Student visa conditions in SW 1.5A.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • Care worker visa in 2026: who can still apply — Under rule SW 6.1B, care workers (6135) and senior care workers (6136) can only apply for permission to stay, not for entry clearance from abroad. The rule allows either a switch after at least three months working legally for the sponsor, with an application before 22 July 2028, or an application by someone already holding permission in those codes.
  • Care worker visas and dependants: the 11 March 2024 rule — GOV.UK says a partner and children outside the UK can apply to join a care worker or senior care worker only if the worker has been continually employed in that role on a Skilled Worker visa since before 11 March 2024, or the child was born in the UK. Different conditions apply to dependants already in the UK.
  • Sponsor licence revoked: what it means for your visa — If your sponsor loses its licence, the Immigration Rules say your permission may be cancelled. Home Office guidance says that where you were not involved, cancellation normally leaves you 60 days to apply for permission with a new sponsor or to leave. There is no appeal or administrative review against cancellation. A temporary arrangement currently protects care workers.
  • Skilled Worker salary: £41,700 and going rates — Under Appendix Skilled Worker the general salary test is at least £41,700 a year and the occupation's going rate, whichever is higher. Lower thresholds of £33,400, £37,500 or £25,000 apply to specific groups, and only guaranteed basic pay counts.
  • Exploited by your sponsor: the October 2026 Skilled Worker change — From October 2026 a new Skilled Worker rule (SW 18.3) lets the Home Office amend the work conditions of a Skilled Worker who has a positive Conclusive Grounds decision from the National Referral Mechanism, so they can do any work for the rest of their permission. It is discretionary, it does not lengthen the visa and it does not give access to public funds.
  • Changing jobs on a Skilled Worker visa — A Skilled Worker must apply to update their visa if they move to a different employer, or to a job in a different occupation code. The update needs a new certificate of sponsorship and costs £943 for up to 3 years from inside the UK. You can keep working your current job until a decision, but should not start the new one.
  • Health and Care Worker vs Skilled Worker visa — The Health and Care Worker visa is a version of the Skilled Worker route for listed health and social care jobs with approved employers. It costs £324 for up to 3 years with no health surcharge, against £819 plus £1,035 a year on the standard Skilled Worker route. Which one applies depends on the job and employer, not on cost.
  • B2 English for Skilled Worker visas from 2026 — New Skilled Worker and Health and Care Worker applicants must show English at level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening. People who held the visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating need B1. Settlement applications from 26 March 2027 need B2 in speaking and listening.