Healthcare/NHS surcharge

Hello! Just working on the application for my second visa, as my first spousal visa is expiring soon.

When I entered the UK back in December 2012, I was given free access to the NHS. Now, it seems like I need to pay this cursed 'healthcare surcharge' from what I can tell.

Does anyone know if I might be grandfathered into old rules, letting me avoid this new charge, since my first visa was granted before it was a thing? I mean, probably not, but gee, it would be nice to save the money. You'd think my working and paying tax would be enough to convince the government I am worthy of healthcare, but I guess not. 

Does anyone know if I might be grandfathered into old rules, letting me avoid this new charge, since my first visa was granted before it was a thing?

I'm afraid not - from April 2015, if you are applying for a visa, you will be required to pay the £200-per-year surcharge (£500 in total for FLR(M)).

If you don't pay it, they will not process the application and your visa will be refused.

From the UKVI website:

2. When you need to pay

For immigration applications made from within the UK, you’ll have to pay if:

-    you’re a national of a country outside the EEA
-    you’re making an immigration application for any length of time, including applications for 6 months or less (but you’re not applying to remain in the UK permanently)

There is a list of people who are exempt from paying it, but I'm assuming you won't qualify for an exemption:

When you’ll need an IHS reference number

You still need to use the payment service to get an immigration health surcharge (IHS) reference number but you won’t need to pay if:

-    you’re applying for a Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) visa (or you’re their dependant)
-    you’re a child under 18 who has been taken into care by a local authority
-    you’re a national of Australia or New Zealand
-    you’re the dependant of a member of the UK’s armed forces
-    you’re the dependant of a member of another country’s forces who is exempt from immigration control
-    you’re a relevant civilian employee employed by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) or the Australian Department of Defence in the UK (or you’re their dependant)

See: https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/when-you-need-to-pay

Thank you for the helpful info! Wish it wasn't so...

Thank you for the helpful info! Wish it wasn't so...

I agree, wish it wasn't so.....I just snuck inside the cut off getting here this Spring, but the next two visa's I'll have to pay. Although.......I'm likely to just stop my health insurance that I have had upon retirement when it comes up for a change in November. That saves me over $330 a month so I guess the £200 a year doesn't look so bad then 

Yeah, it is a deal if you look at it from the average American standpoint, sadly. But it's annoying when you consider that it should be free, especially when you're working and paying taxes to support the NHS!

Yeah, it is a deal if you look at it from the average American standpoint, sadly. But it's annoying when you consider that it should be free, especially when you're working and paying taxes to support the NHS!

Yeah, that's my problem with it - if you're working in the UK, you're already helping to fund the NHS through your taxes, same as everyone else in the UK... so why should you have to pay even more for the same services just because you are on a visa and not a UK citizen/permanent resident?

As an example, a UK citizen earning £25,000 is already paying about £1,100 in tax towards the NHS every year (2012 figures: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16744819).

But a US citizen visa holder earning £25,000 in the UK will be paying that same £1,100 PLUS the £200 NHS levy per year.

Oh but it's worse! In another thread, I have already voiced my view that in fact, this means you will be paying for the NHS three times!!! Through the IHS, NI contributions from work but also from your visa fee. It has been well established that visa fees are higher than the cost of processing the visa and the excess is meant to be a contribution towards the use of local services (including health services), but that money seems to have disappeared!

http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/blog/2010/09/paying-high-price-migration-visa-fees-set-go-again

How can we know that the IHS is actually going towards the NHS?!

How can we know that the IHS is actually going towards the NHS?!

It is held by central government and each time a IHS/BRP is presented for free NHS, the cost of that treatment is claimed back by that NHS trust, from central government. I assume this will mean they can use this information to set the fee for future IHS.

How can we know that the IHS is actually going towards the NHS?!

Well for starters, it is likely that the systems/admin costs more than the money raised. So the money in reality is going to some well-connected IT contractor's investment portfolio.

But assuming that some sort of "profit" is ever achieved, legislation states that funds will either go to local NHS committees to be used for the undefined notion of "front line services" (carpet? Tea mugs? MRI machines?), or be dumped into the general fund....which considering the comparative amounts is like putting a drop of blue food colouring in an olympic swimming pool.

But considering the dark times ahead with these guys....this may be pretty light stuff.

Yeah, that's my problem with it - if you're working in the UK, you're already helping to fund the NHS through your taxes, same as everyone else in the UK... so why should you have to pay even more for the same services just because you are on a visa and not a UK citizen/permanent resident?

Because the government doesn't want immigrants...

Because the government doesn't want immigrants...

I agree, although I would say the population in general doesn't want immigration. This is true of pretty well any country I would think (I'm American, but have lived in the UK 14 years, Germany 10 years + Okinawa, Japan 5 years)....any country I've had close contact with hasn't been very fond of "other" people coming to live. In this case since I'm retired and not working the next visa will just be the £200 a year (for 2 more visa's).....and the local surgery where I'm living was pretty good last time I was here so I think for me it's a heck of a deal. I didn't know that the NHS was that big of a chunk of a person's pay though....My step-daughter is a nurse in Leeds a this time so I do get some decent gossip about how things run.