The Immigration Health Surcharge is set to increase significantly

If you are a sponsor licence holding employer who recruits internationally, or you are an overseas national who is planning to apply for a visa or extend your stay in the UK, then you may want to know about significant proposed changes in the Immigration Health Surcharge.

This is a fee that most visa applicants have to pay as part of their immigration application to access the NHS services in the UK.

The UK government has recently published a draft order that proposes to increase the Immigration Health Surcharge significantly. The draft order also confirms some exemptions for certain applicants, such as victims of modern slavery and statelessness, and some NHS workers and their dependants.

The draft order will come into force on 16 January 2024 or 21 days after it is made, whichever is later. It will not apply to applications made before that date.

Once in force, the annual Immigration Health Surcharge paid by visa applicants and their dependants will be raised from £470 to £776 for students, youth mobility scheme applicants and children under 18, and from £624 to £1,035 for all other applicants. This will mean that the Immigration Health Surcharge payable on a 3 year Skilled Worker visa for example will be £3,105.

---

If you would like to understand more about how the changes will affect you, and especially if you have visa applications which need to be progressed urgently to avoid the increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge, then please contact the our Business Immigration team at immigration@freeths.co.uk. We would be happy to help you with any immigration issues you may have.