Immigration Health Surcharge To Rise
As a result of the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has introduced a £30 billion plan to help the economy to ensure the UK is kept “healthy and financially secure”. The government will also provide statutory sick pay for workers in businesses with up to 250 employees, who are required to self-isolate for 14 days. For those who are self-employed, the government will provide a £500 million welfare boost and a £500 million hardship fund.
The chancellor has also introduced other measures such as a reduction in entrepreneurs’ lifetime relief from £10 million to £1 million. The research and development investment will increase to £22 billion a year. The national living wage will reach £10.50 by 2024 as well as £12.2 billion will be provided for affordable homes.
The Immigration Health Surcharge
The increase in health surcharge for migrants to £624 will be the most important and detrimental change. The current charges are £300 for a student or Tier 5 visa and £400 for all other applications. The Home Office will require any adult dependants to pay the same amount as the applicant.
Any migrants wishing to apply for a visa in the future should do so as soon as possible to avoid paying the increased health surcharge. The additional costs will only make it harder for individuals who are not in a good financial position. This increase will also reduce immigration and leave sectors with staff shortages. This may impact the NHS where around 153,000 of their 1.2 million staff have reported to be of non-British nationality.