Large numbers of UK care employers are currently sponsoring overseas candidates or making plans to do so.
This is happening in response to a widespread shortage of care staff in the UK, and it’s great news for anybody looking for caregiver jobs with visa sponsorship in UK.
In early 2022, in response to what some labelled a staffing crisis in care, the UK government updated the visa regulations so that care workers were included on the list of ‘shortage occupations’. This is the list of job roles that are recognised as short of domestic staff such that skilled people from overseas can be recruited. This important change effectively opened the doors to a wider range of applicants who can now apply to UK jobs with a modest skillset & experience in care work. Before the change, only senior staff were able to be sponsored and the requirements were more stringent.
Sponsorship jobs in care are not available through every care provider however. Employers must apply for a license to sponsor overseas candidates – that is, to employ them and act as their custodian during their time in the UK. This is a relatively straightforward yet lengthy application process which understandably requires strict control measures on employers.
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So Where do I find Caregiver Jobs with Visa Sponsorship in UK?
You’ve probably realised by now that you cannot simply apply for the numerous care positions listed on various UK job sites. It’s unlikely that you will find an employer who provides sponsorship without a job being expressly listed as such. Of course you can use search terms such as ‘sponsorship’, but these jobs tend to be very oversubscribed and competition is high. Finding caregiver jobs with visa sponsorship in UK often requires a little digging.
There is a list of licensed sponsorship employers issued by the UK government on which you can find all UK employers currently licenced to sponsor overseas candidates. You can use this to make judicious choices about which employers to approach about sponsorship. Read websites & look out for jobs not listed on job boards, for example. Be mindful that not every employer licenced to sponsor overseas candidates is actively recruiting though.
See Also: 7 UK Care Homes With Certificate of Sponsorship In the UK
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What are Employers Looking for?
Moving to the UK to live and work probably fills you with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Believe it or not employers probably feel the same way! Visa sponsorship is a significant investment and is not without risk – mutual trust is required for it to go well. These roles inevitably attract people who are more motivated by visas than the jobs that come with them. Show employers you have genuine experience with a solid care-based employment history. Try to present yourself as passionate about care without sounding too forced. When writing your applications, it would be useful to imagine someone with all the pain points listed above reviewing them.
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Do I Need Care Experience & Qualifications to Apply?
There are no formal levels of qualification or years of experience required for the visa itself. This leaves it up to the discretion of the employer as to what is acceptable to some extent. In typical recruitment scenarios on home soil care employers are looking for aptitude above all else, and childcare experience or caring for family members is often acceptable. However, as part of their licensing conditions employers might need to justify their choices to the UK home office. In practice, you’ll be up against plenty of people with both experience and qualifications. We think the sweet spot is probably two years experience with good up-to-date CPD as expected.
Obviously any experience and training you can demonstrate is a definite advantage & a great way to pick up some widely recognised UK training in preparation for your applications is to complete a care certificate course.
Being overqualified for a role can sometimes be a disadvantage too. Imagine the scenario above in which the employer’s biggest fear is you seeking more enticing roles once on UK soil. Would you be comforted to find a candidate well equipped to find a more highly-skilled role? That’s not to say that people who have completed degrees then gone on to work a solid two years in care do not look very compelling to employers – they do! You might also face issues if you conceal things or misrepresent yourself when applying, so use your own judgment here.
See Also: How to Write a good CV for a Nursing Job Application abroad
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What About all the Documents Required for my Visa Application?
It’s well known by employers and candidates who are serious about a sponsorship visa that a handful of important documents are required by the UK home office for a visa application. In theory, these are not necessary until an offer of employment has been made and a certificate of sponsorship has been requested.
In practice however, many candidates have these at the ready and demonstrate this during their application. This does serve to reassure employers that the visa application will not be hamstrung by a failed English language test, for example. Some employers will meet the costs of these, but it remains a significant investment for some and one with no guarantee of reward. Employers should not be making these mandatory at the application stage, so a strong application should still potentially succeed without having them in advance.
See Also: List of UK Companies with Graduate Programmes
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