formula

Starting from 6 April 2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...o_web_v1_2.pdf

To be paid by those who come/came to the UK to join family, work or study for more than 6 months. Those with a visa for 6 months and under, and all visitors, to pay full NHS charges (as they have always had to).

£200 per year for temporary migrants. No charge for those with ILR. £150 per year for students. Full amount to be paid up front with the visa application. Surcharge returned if visa refused.

Applies to those extending their temporary stay in the UK too.

The surcharge will cover existing conditions.

Those exempt from this charge are:-
Australians and New Zealanders, because these countries have recriprocal health agreements with the UK.
Those on Tier 2 (ICT) visa.
These people will still need to go through the health surcharge process to receive their unique number, but it will come up with payment as Nil.


The document confirms that the surcharge will always remain lower than than basic private medical insurance. Basic private insurance would not cover everythings i.e. existing conditions.

This is for UK visa applications only. It differs from EEA nationals and their families who will still need Comprehensive Sickness Insurance which covers all existing conditions, for all their family, for times when the EEA citizen isn't in work in the UK.

not2old

c&p'd from a section of that link...


Will it apply to Brits that return to the UK that take up residence?

All not very clear too me, so my thinking is, does it (100% certain) apply to one or both of the following who are spouses of Brit nationals?.

a) Those that arrive in the UK to settle on the 'family of a settled person' visa (the £16,600 or £62,500) that go the 'settlement visa, then the FLR to the ILR?

b) Those who enter & settle in the UK via the Surinder Singh route, who immediately qualify for & get a UK residence card & who after 90 days also have access to public funds?

formula

Under present rules, British citizens returning home to live will get free full use of their own national healthservice, under the Immigration Act 2014.

formula

Working on proposal so that from April, non-EEA citizens using the NHS are to pay 150% of the NHS. Unless they have bought the surcharge for the length of their UK visa stay.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/m...million-a-year

I wonder when they will bring in the proposed 125% for EEA nationals using the NHS cost?

People are going to have to travel to the UK with medical insurance now, especailly with free for all A&E ending in England in 2015/6.

mikelincs

If you read the quote it does say 'temporary', those returning to live will not be 'temporary'

formula

They have to buy the surcharge until they are granted ILR. Before that, they only have limited leave to remain in the UK and will not have access to free NHS (unless they have the £200 a year NHS surcharge which will give them free NHS).

Not sure if the spouse who entered the UK under Singh will have the chance to buy the NHS surcharge that those that entered on a UK visa can have; or if they will have to buy full medical insurance to pay for all their NHS treatment and medication. I asked about this before but we never worked it out and it still doesn't seem any clearer yet.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/citiz...thcare-845701/

How does a non-EU citizen who enters the UK under Singh, have access to UK public funds?

chaoclive

What about non-EEA citizens who are already in the UK on a residence card (EEA2) issued under the EEA regs? Any idea about changes for them?

formula

They will come under whatever rules are presently in, or come in in the future, under EU rules/UK changes for those using EU rules. Just keep an eye on those changes. I have seen you on immigrationboards so you know how many get caught out when they thought they had made their 5 years to PR to stay in the UK, only to find they didn't keep up with all the never ending EU changes and they were correctly refused PR in the UK.

The reason I questioned before about those arriving with a Brit under the Singh route with a non-EU, is because as far as I am aware, when they enter the UK they then come under the rules of being with a Brit. i.e. even if the Brit doesn't work then their non-EU partner could still have free NHS. Now partners of Brits will not get free NHS from 6 April, until they have ILR.

Whereas when an EEA national moves to the UK as a wife of a Brit, she has to be a Qualified Person to have a right to reside in the UK. If she doesn't work and claims her right to reside in the UK as a Self Sufficient qualified person, then she needs to buy a Comprehensive Sickness Insurance policy even though she is married to a Brit.
The same with a partner of an EEA national in the UK; if the EEA national doesn't work then they have to buy Comprehensive Sickness Insurance too.

chaoclive

Indeed. That's exactly what I was worried about. Hopefully my partner will be Irish before all that comes in!

Take care

LondonSquirrel

I don't understand why the Tier 2 people with no prior connection to the UK are exempt but spouses of British citizens have to pay? That's messed up! What about family members of Tier 2?

michali

It seems that those already here on a spousal visa(and maybe other visas longer than six months) will be entitled to free NHS until they apply for FLR(M) at which time they will pay the surcharge. I wonder if those on FLR(M) will pay the surcharge when they apply for ILR ?

spouse of scouse

Thanks for the info, formula. I'm a bit surprised at the above, as I've always thought the reciprocal health agreement between our two countries only applied to A&E treatment.

theoldgit

It's worth noting that if the non EU spouse of a British National settles in the UK, immediately finds work and thus makes NI contributions and pays UK income tax, they will still need to pay this surcharge, so are effectively paying for their cover twice.

Regarding the point about returning UK citizens the guidance states "Citizens who return to the UK on a settled basis will be classed as ordinarily resident, and will be eligible for free NHS care immediately".

formula

Only Tier 2 (ICT) it reads. Therefore not those on Tier 2 General. Tier 2 (ICT) is a short term type visa that fills a skills needs for companies who want to move staff to their UK office for a while. Some only get a visa for 1 year. The ICT visa doesn't lead to settlement anymore and the companies pay fees to UKVI.

The spouse visa is much, much easier to get than Tier 2 General. There is a higher earnings requirement; at least 35k needed to be earned for ILR. As it's capped to 6 years, a driving offence could mean that they can never get ILR and have to leave the UK with all their family.

It says dependants get the same rate.

formula

Thanks for saying thanks.

AFAIK, it does only cover urgent treatment. I wondered if someone had made an error? Or they had been in further talks with Oz and NZ about the agreements?

They seem to be putting all these surcharges in a pot and then the various NHS hospitals/areas claim back from that pot when the surcharge card(?) is used. I assume by next April they will know if the money taken in covers the money going out.