Nurses, doctors and carers moving to the UK

About the Health and Care Worker visa

• It is for qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals and adult social care workers with a job offer from an approved UK employer.
• It can last up to 5 years.
• You and your eligible family do not pay the immigration health surcharge.
• You can usually apply up to 3 months before your job starts, and decisions usually arrive within 3 weeks.

Full details: GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker visa.

Before you fly

• Link your travel passport to your eVisa in your UKVI account (see eVisas on GOV.UK).
• Ask your trust or care provider whether they have arranged airport collection. Some do for international recruits. If they have, use it. If not, or if you land on a different day, book your own.
• Find out where you are staying for the first weeks. Many employers provide starter accommodation near the hospital.
• Carry your offer letter, NMC or GMC details and any OSCE or induction dates in your hand luggage.

Getting from the airport to your new address

Your first journey in the UK is usually your hardest one: a long flight, a new country and everything you own in two or three large cases. Trains and the Underground are cheap, but with heavy luggage, changes and stairs they are hard work, and a black-cab fare to outside London can run high. A pre-booked private car takes you from the arrivals hall straight to your front door.

• Flight tracked: we watch your flight and your driver is there when you actually land, early or late, with no extra charge for delays.
• 60 minutes of free waiting after landing, so passport control and baggage reclaim are not a race.
• Meet & greet: your driver waits in arrivals holding a name board and helps with your bags.
• Driver details before you travel, so you know who is meeting you.
• Fixed price in pounds, agreed when you book. No meter and no surge pricing.
• Room for luggage: choose an MPV (up to 6 passengers), a 9-seater (up to 8) or a 16-seat minibus for a family or group. Tell us how many cases you are bringing.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup, useful if your visa decision or start date moves.

We cover Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southampton, and drive to addresses anywhere in England, Scotland and Wales, not just London.

Get a fixed price

Working outside London?

Most international recruits are not placed in central London. We drive from Heathrow and Gatwick to hospitals and care homes across the South East, the Midlands and beyond, and a fixed price means you know the cost before you land, even for a long journey. A group of new starters from the same flight can share a 9-seater or 16-seat minibus to the same trust.

Your first week

• Share your eVisa with your employer using a share code for right-to-work checks.
• Apply for a National Insurance number if you don’t have one.
• Register with a GP, open a bank account and get a UK SIM.

Book your airport transfer

Visa rules change. Always check GOV.UK and your employer before you travel. Rushxo is a transport company, not an immigration adviser.

Moving to the UK: more guides

Skilled Worker arrivals · Students arriving · Joining family in the UK · Moving back to the UK · UK ETA for visitors · Heathrow to your London hotel