The UK Government has announced that it will be introducing a UK Immigration Health Surcharge for all non-EEA nationals wishing to live in the UK for more than six months, so this does not apply to those applying as visitors.
This newUK Immigration Health Surcharge will be introduced from 6 April 2015, and will enable non-EEA nationals who are applying to work, study or settle in the UK to gain the same access to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) as a UK permanent resident for the duration of their visa.
The health surcharge will be £150 per year for students and £200 per year for all other applicants. In essence this will mean that all visa applications submitted from 6 April 2015 onward will have to be accompanied by this amount, and it will be payable for the total period of the UK visa being applied for. The health surcharge will form part of the immigration application, so it will be payable at the same time that an applicant submits their visa application on-line.
Applicants may also need an Immigration Health Surcharge reference number to access health services whilst in the UK.
As stated above visitors to the UK will not be affected by this surcharge, as they would continue to pay for any medical treatment they may receive in the UK. Furthermore nationals from Australia and New Zealand, for example, are also exempted from this surcharge as the UK has a reciprocal healthcare agreement with these two commonwealth countries.However, they will still need to complete a simple online process to receive a unique surcharge reference number.
For more information on who is exempt and the relevant conditions in place, please refer to the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/when-you-need-to-pay