Do I need a criminal record certificate for a UK visa?

Some Skilled Worker jobs need a criminal record certificate. The rule applies to 69 SOC 2020 job codes, mostly in health, education, social care and childcare (SW 16.1). You need a certificate from each country where you spent 12 months or more in the 10 years before you apply, counting only the time you were 18 or over.

Who needs a criminal record certificate for a UK work visa?

The rule is in the Immigration Rules for the Skilled Worker visa (Appendix Skilled Worker). It says that if you apply for entry clearance and your sponsored job is in one of the listed occupation codes, you “must provide a criminal record certificate from the relevant authority in any country in which they have been present for 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the 10 years before the date of application, and while aged 18 or over” (SW 16.1).

Four more points from the rules and GOV.UK:

• Applying from outside the UK. The rule is for entry clearance, which means applying from outside the UK. GOV.UK’s guidance for overseas applicants says it does not apply to an application for an extension of stay.
• Waiver. The requirement does not apply if you give a satisfactory explanation why it is not reasonably practicable to get a certificate from any or all of the relevant authorities (SW 16.2).
• Partners. A partner applying for entry clearance needs a certificate too, if the Skilled Worker is sponsored in one of these codes (SW 34.1). GOV.UK’s overseas applicants guidance says this applies to adult partners, whether they apply with you or separately.
• Refusal. If you do not provide a certificate or a satisfactory explanation, your visa application will be refused. This is from GOV.UK’s guidance. That page still uses the name Tier 2 (General), which GOV.UK’s Skilled Worker page says the Skilled Worker visa replaced.

GOV.UK’s Skilled Worker documents page describes the affected jobs by sector:

• Education: for example teachers, education advisers, school inspectors, childminders, teaching assistants
• Healthcare: for example nurses, doctors, paramedics, managers, pharmacists, dentists, dental nurses, ophthalmic opticians
• Therapy: for example psychologists, speech and language therapists, counsellors
• Social services: for example social workers, managers, probation officers, welfare and housing officers

Which SOC codes need a criminal record certificate?

A SOC code is a 4-digit number that describes a type of job. SW 16.1 lists these 69 SOC 2020 codes. Each code links to its page on this site.

Occupation code	Title in SW 16.1
SOC 1171	Health services and public health managers and directors
SOC 1172	Social services managers and directors
SOC 1231	Health care practice managers
SOC 1232	Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
SOC 1233	Early education and childcare services proprietors
SOC 2211	Generalist medical practitioners
SOC 2212	Specialist medical practitioners
SOC 2221	Physiotherapists
SOC 2222	Occupational therapists
SOC 2223	Speech and language therapists
SOC 2224	Psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists
SOC 2225	Clinical psychologists
SOC 2226	Other psychologists
SOC 2229	Therapy professionals not elsewhere classified
SOC 2231	Midwifery nurses
SOC 2232	Community nurses
SOC 2233	Specialist nurses
SOC 2234	Nurse practitioners
SOC 2235	Mental health nurses
SOC 2236	Children’s nurses
SOC 2237	Other nursing professionals
SOC 2251	Pharmacists
SOC 2252	Optometrists
SOC 2253	Dental practitioners
SOC 2254	Medical radiographers
SOC 2255	Paramedics
SOC 2256	Podiatrists
SOC 2259	Other health professionals not elsewhere classified
SOC 2312	Further education teaching professionals
SOC 2313	Secondary education teaching professionals
SOC 2314	Primary education teaching professionals
SOC 2315	Nursery education teaching professionals
SOC 2316	Special and additional needs education teaching professionals
SOC 2317	Teachers of English as a foreign language
SOC 2319	Teaching professionals not elsewhere classified
SOC 2321	Head teachers and principals
SOC 2322	Education managers
SOC 2323	Education advisers and school inspectors
SOC 2324	Early education and childcare services managers
SOC 2329	Other educational professionals not elsewhere classified
SOC 2461	Social workers
SOC 2462	Probation officers
SOC 2464	Youth work professionals
SOC 2469	Welfare professionals not elsewhere classified
SOC 3211	Dispensing opticians
SOC 3212	Pharmaceutical technicians
SOC 3213	Medical and dental technicians
SOC 3214	Complementary health associate professionals
SOC 3219	Health associate professionals not elsewhere classified
SOC 3221	Youth and community workers
SOC 3222	Child and early years officers
SOC 3223	Housing officers
SOC 3224	Counsellors
SOC 3229	Welfare and housing associate professionals not elsewhere classified
SOC 3231	Higher level teaching assistants
SOC 3232	Early education and childcare practitioners
SOC 3433	Fitness and wellbeing instructors
SOC 3571	Human resources and industrial relations officers
SOC 6111	Early education and childcare assistants
SOC 6112	Teaching assistants
SOC 6113	Educational support assistants
SOC 6114	Childminders
SOC 6117	Playworkers
SOC 6131	Nursing auxiliaries and assistants
SOC 6132	Ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)
SOC 6133	Dental nurses
SOC 6134	Houseparents and residential wardens
SOC 6135	Care workers and home carers
SOC 6136	Senior care workers

How many countries and years does the certificate cover?

GOV.UK’s Skilled Worker documents page says you might need a certificate from each country you have lived in. It depends on your age and how long you stayed:

Your age	Certificate needed from
Under 28	Any country you have stayed in for a total of 12 months or more since you turned 18
28 or over	Any country you have stayed in over the last 10 years

The Immigration Rules say it like this: you were in the country for 12 months or more, in a row or added together, in the 10 years before you apply, while aged 18 or over (SW 16.1).

GOV.UK’s guidance for overseas applicants covers countries other than the UK. The process for getting a certificate is different in each country. You apply in the country, or to the relevant embassy in the UK. GOV.UK has country guidance in three parts: A to F, G to P and Q to Z.

What does the Health and Care Worker visa say?

GOV.UK’s Health and Care Worker documents page says you need a criminal record certificate if you apply from outside the UK. The exception is a job in one of these occupation codes:

• 2113 (biochemists and biomedical scientists)
• 2114 (physical scientists)
• 3111 (laboratory technicians)
• 6132 (ambulance staff, excluding paramedics)

The Skilled Worker rules (SW 16.1) list SOC 6132. They do not list 2113, 2114 or 3111. The two sources are quoted as they stand. See the Health and Care Worker visa guide.

Do other work visas ask for a certificate?

The rules for these visas contain no criminal record certificate requirement: Global Business Mobility, Scale-up, Global Talent, High Potential Individual, Innovator Founder, Graduate and Temporary Work. Two youth schemes do have one:

• Youth Mobility Scheme. You need a criminal records certificate if you are from Andorra, Uruguay or Iceland. It must be issued no more than 6 months before the date you apply (YMS 4.2). GOV.UK also lists a letter from San Marino’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
• India Young Professionals Scheme. GOV.UK lists a police report or clearance certificate from India among the documents. The Immigration Rules ask for a local police certificate or police clearance certificate issued no more than 6 months before the date you apply (YMS 4.2).

An application on any visa can take longer if there is a criminal conviction. GOV.UK’s processing times pages give this as an example of personal circumstances that can delay a decision. See UK work visa processing times.

For the other documents a Skilled Worker applicant may need, see how to get a UK work visa, the TB test guide and the Skilled Worker documents guide.