A Quick Guide to Migrating to the UK as a Physiotherapist

The Health and Care Worker visa is the recommended visa option for physiotherapists desiring to work in the United Kingdom. This visa is used by all foreign healthcare professionals looking for work.

Physiotherapists must meet these requirements in order to be qualified to apply for a Health and Care Worker visa in the UK:

1. You should be a licensed physiotherapist.
2. You need to have a verified employment offer from a UK company that the Home Office has authorized.
3. You need to have a Certificate of Sponsorship from your place of employment, which should include a note on the work you were offered.
4. The Home Office needs to have accepted and authorized the job for which you have been hired.
5. Register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

1. Apply for HCPC Registration:

Before applying for a Health and Care Worker Visa, you need to be registered with the HCPC. Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements for any of these three routes:

1.To be eligible to apply for registration via the international route:

• You must have undergone training outside the UK and attained a qualification delivered outside the UK.
• You must not have been registered with the HCPC previously.

2. To be eligible to apply for registration based on mutual recognition under the Swiss Citizens Rights Agreement, you must be:

• A Swiss national.
• A non-EEA member state national who is the spouse or dependent of a Swiss national.
• A UK national settled in Switzerland.
• A non-EEA member state national who is the spouse or dependent of UK nationals settled in Switzerland.

And

• Your qualification was obtained in the EEA or Switzerland by December 31, 2020.
• You hold a third-country qualification that is recognized in Switzerland by December 31, 2020.
• You have completed an application to have your qualification recognized in Switzerland by December 31, 2020.

3. To be eligible to apply for registration based on the UK-Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein Free Trade Agreement, you must be a Specified State professional. This means that you:

• hold a qualification in the relevant profession that was awarded in one of the specified states; or
• have been engaged in the lawful and effective practice of the relevant profession in one of the specified states.

Requirements for HCPC registration:

1. Certified copies of documents to prove your identity and address
2. A completed HCPC course information form
3. A certified copy of your qualification certificate
4. English language proficiency (IELTS, TOEFL), except you can prove that English is your first language.
5. Scrutiny fee: £639.98

Note that copies of your documents must be certified and will also be checked for plagiarism. You will also be expected to sign a declaration that enables background checks to be made on you.

HCPC Online Registration

The HCPC online registration portal for international physiotherapists has six sections that cover your personal details, qualifications, professional experience, professional registration, English language proficiency, and declaration.

Be sure you have all these ready before you start your application here.

Processing Time:

Due to the high volume of applications, no time is given. But you will be updated as your application progresses through the different stages.

2. Job Offer and Certificate of Sponsorship:

Get a job offer from a UK employer who will sponsor your visa. The company must be a licensed sponsor, and they will provide you with a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) to help you with your visa application.

Health Care Worker Visa Docummentation

• A sponsorship certificate is required. This should include the reference number, job title, occupation code, annual salary, name of the company employing them, and sponsor license number.
• The applicant must provide proof of English language proficiency.
• A passport and other identification documents.
• Salary information.
• Evidence to show connection with your dependants tha would be coming with you.
• A TB test certificate (if required).
• A certificate of no criminal record.
• Application fee:
  • up to 3 years: £284 per person
  • more than 3 years: £551 per person

If your documents are not in English, they will need to be translated into English and verified.

It is best if you apply for your dependents at the same time as yourself.

Learn more about the Health Care and Worker Visa.

If you need help with this process of relocating to the UK as a healthcare worker, you can try these immigration lawyers and let us know how it goes.