Immigration Health Surcharge rising from 6 February 2024
The Home Office announced a 66% increase to the Immigration Health Surcharge in Autumn 2023.
On Monday 15 January 2024, the Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2023 was approved in Parliament.
It will come into force after 21 days, that is for all applications made from Tuesday 6 February 2024.
The Immigration Health Surcharge is a mandatory charge payable so that visa applicants have access to NHS care in the UK.
It is paid upfront for the duration of the visa alongside the application or visa fee.
Until 5 February 2024
Full rate £624 per year
Discounted rate £470 per year (for Children, Students and Youth Mobility visas)
From 6 February 2024
Full rate £1035 per year
Discounted rate £776 per year (for Children, Students and Youth Mobility visas)
Anyone who is applying to enter or stay in the UK for more than 6 months, whether to join family, work or study here.
Can applications be made early to avoid the higher fee?
To avoid paying the higher fees, an online application must be submitted before the Immigration Health Surcharge has been increased, so by 5 February 2024.
Where an application is not subject to a visa expiry date or there is not a need to accrue a specified period of residence to be able to apply, then it could be submitted sooner, in order to avoid paying the increased Immigration Health Surcharge.
Example – An application from overseas to join a spouse in the UK may be able to be made sooner. However, an application for settlement where a period of 5 years’ residence must be accrued to be eligible cannot be made earlier.
Exemptions
There are a few categories of applicants who are exempt. These are those applying for:
Health and Care Workers
Who is a Health and Care Worker?
For the purposes of Skilled Worker visas and the Immigration Health Surcharge, a Health and Care worker must work for or have a job offer from:
Applying for a refund
Applicants who work in health and social care in the UK can a refund on any Immigration Health Surcharge they have paid upfront for a visa application.
They can apply for a refund for any period of 6 months where they work in an eligible job.
Example – If a person has a spouse visa and after coming to the UK obtains work as a Carer in an adult social care setting then they are eligible to seek a refund of the Immigration Health Surcharge they paid upfront for their visa application. They can apply for a refund for any period of 6 months where they worked in this role.
You can use this link below to apply for a refund on your NHS surcharge fees. You will need to answer all the question and follow the prompts:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-immigration-health-surcharge-refund
If you have any queries or wish to seek advice on visa applications, please contact our specialist business and personal immigration team on 0191 232 9547.
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