Immigration Health Surcharge uplift

During yesterday’s budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed to Parliament that the immigration health surcharge is set to increase from £400 to £624 per year.

It was also announced that the existing discounted rate applicable to students, their dependents and those on the Youth Mobility Scheme will be increased by £170 (from £300 to £470). 

By way of some consolation, a new discounted rate of £470 for children under the age of 18 will be introduced. 

All the new fees will apply from October 2020 and will be expanded to include EEA migrants from January 2021 when the UK cuts formal ties with Europe.  

The news of this increase will not come as a surprise to those familiar with the Conservative party’s recent election manifesto. The document outlined the need for migrants to contribute to the NHS via this surcharge and the new government’s intention to increase the payment to cover “the full cost of use”.

For a family of four choosing to relocate to the UK for a five year period, that cost just increased from £8,000 to £10,940.