What is the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)?
The immigration health surcharge is the fee paid when submitting a visa application. The IHS is paid in an initial lump sum at the time of application. The purpose of the IHS is to allow migrants to access the NHS in the United Kingdom.
Please note the IHS is not applicable on health and care visas, visit visas and indefinite leave to remain applications and more. For a full list of exempt visa types please see here.
Applications that require payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge include:
- Most Work visas
- Student Visas
- Family based visas including partner applications
- Private life applications
When will the change occur and how much will it be?
The Government are in the process of finalising the legal framework to increase the IHS in the immigration (health charge) (amendment) order 2023, this is currently set to take effect on 16 January 2024 at the earliest.
The IHS will be increasing from £624 per year (current fee) to £1,035 per year (new fee). Please be aware that fee applies to all applicants, the main applicants and all their dependants.
Examples: a current visa for a 5-year duration, the IHS costs £3,120. Following the implementation of the fee changes the IHS will be £5,175. This is not including the other fees associated with submitting a UK visa application.
Is there a way to avoid paying the higher fee?
The Home Office calculate the Immigration Health Surcharge to be paid based on when an application is submitted. Therefore, to avoid paying the increased cost, you can ensure that the application is submitted before the new charges are introduced.
Where applicable, it may be worth considering getting applications submitted before Christmas 2023 to avoid the effect of the substantial fee increases in 2024.
Businesses may wish to plan their visa applications due over the coming year and strategize to submit some applications early to avoid the less favourable fee prices next year. If you have any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of our team using the button below: