Immigration
Health Surcharge for
NZ and AUS applicants
10 February 2016
Australian and New Zealand nationals living in the UK will soon be forced to pay an upfront fee for their UK healthcare.
The UK Immigration Rules are changing and as of 6 April this year, Australian and New Zealand nationals wishing to come to the UK for a period longer than six months, or to extend their current UK visa, will join the ranks of migrants who are already subject to an upfront healthcare fee during the UK immigration process.
Based on the number of years for which their UK visa is valid, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) was introduced in April 2015 and is currently payable by almost all UK visa applicants applying to stay in the UK for longer than six months, along with current visa holders wishing to extend their stay.
Currently, Australian and New Zealand nationals are exempt from paying this charge, however this will change in April 2016 as the UK government cracks down on immigration to the UK.
If you would like advice on the payment of the fee and how this will affect your plans to move to the UK, contact Smith Stone Walters.
The face of UK immigration is certainly becoming more severe, as further clampdowns are certainly in the making. We are yet to see whether or not Tier 2 ICT applicants will also be removed from the exemption list but it is highly likely that an expanded list of those subject to IHS will feature in the reforms to come.
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