Apply for Your UK Visa Before the Immigration Health Surcharge Increases to £1,035 on 16 January 2024
Our immigration solicitors are recommending that if you are planning on applying for a visa to come and live or work in the UK you do so before 16 January 2024.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors
For UK immigration and visa advice call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
The immigration health surcharge
The immigration health surcharge is payable by those coming to the UK to live or work. There are only a few exceptions, including:
- Health and Care Worker Visa applicants
- Youth Mobility Scheme applicants
- Those coming to the UK on Visitor Visas for less than 6 months
There is no exception to paying the immigration health surcharge if you are coming to the UK to reunite with your family on a Spouse Visa, Partner Visa, or Dependant Visa and your sponsoring partner is only on a relatively low income. Likewise, if a visa applicant is applying for a Skilled Worker Visa and is on an income of £30,000, they pay the same immigration health surcharge as someone on a salary of £100,000. Equally, the immigration health surcharge is payable whether you are coming to the UK from the US or China – it isn’t country-specific.
The immigration rules require you to pay the same amount in immigration health surcharge whether or not you have an existing health condition or whether or not you use the NHS for medical treatment during your time in the UK. You do not get a refund if you do not go to an NHS doctor or hospital whilst you are in the UK on a visa.
You also can't escape paying the immigration health surcharge by saying that you or your UK employer has paid for comprehensive private health insurance and that you will go private rather than use the NHS.
The Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2023.
The immigration health surcharge is currently £624 per year for visa applicants and their dependant partners and £470 for children. On 16 January 2024, the immigration health surcharge is due to rise to £1,035 a year for adult applicants and to £776 for children.
The rise in fees may have a significant impact as the fees are payable when you apply for your visa. The Home Office does not allow you to pay the immigration health surcharge on an annual basis or to set up a monthly direct debit. That inflexibility can make the surcharge hard to afford for some visa applicants. Take the example of a family of four with the main visa applicant applying for a Skilled Worker Visa. If the visa is for 3 years the family will need to find £10,866 to cover the immigration health surcharge for 2 adults and 2 children. On top of the immigration health surcharge, there will be visa application fees to find as well as the expense of physically moving the family and any belongings to the UK.
Talk to our Immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors
Our individual Immigration solicitors stress that if you are thinking about applying for a UK Work Permit Visa or any type of Family Visa or Student Visa you should take immigration legal advice as soon as possible and make your application before 16 January 2024.
It is best to talk to an Immigration solicitor as soon as you can because it can take time to apply for a visa. For example, with a Spouse Visa application, our Spouse Visa Solicitors often recommend that you gather paperwork in support of your application as without the best documents your Spouse Visa application may be refused by the Home Office. That isn’t something we want to happen as it adds to the costs and delays the reunification of your family.
Many other visas also require an Immigration solicitor to advise on the documents you need to find so that’s why it is essential to take immigration legal advice now so our specialist Immigration lawyers can advise you on your best immigration options and prepare the best visa application possible to help you secure your visa before the immigration health surcharge rises come into force.
We can help with all your individual immigration visa needs including:
- Spouse Visas
- Partner Visas
- Fiancé Visas
- Student Visas
- Visitor Visas
- Work Permit Visas
- Skilled Worker Visas
- Youth Mobility Scheme applications
OTS Solicitors are recommended for their personal immigration work in the 2024 edition of the Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession. Our experts are here to help with all your visa questions.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors
For UK immigration and visa advice call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
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