Reduce or scrap the immigration health surcharge for overseas NHS Staff.

To revoke the Immigration Health Surcharge increases for overseas NHS staff. The latest budget shows an increase of £220 a year for an overseas worker to live and work in the UK, at a time when the NHS, and UK economy, relies heavily on them.

The March 2020 budget shows a hike in the surcharge from £400 to £620 year. For an overseas nurse on a three year contract thats almost £1,900 in addition to their tax and NI contributions. The NHS is under staffed and relies on the dedication, devotion and sacrifice of thousands of overseas nurses, doctors, assistants, cleaners and so on coming to the UK. Raising the charge is an outcry and unjustified, and could potentially lead to staffing shortages in the future.

Health and care workers from all over the world are playing a crucial role in the UK’s efforts to tackle coronavirus and save lives, and we are immensely grateful for all they are doing.

The Prime Minister has asked the Home Secretary and the Department of Health and Social Care to work together to exempt NHS and care staff from the immigration health surcharge. This means the Immigration Health Surcharge will not be increased for this group of workers but will instead be removed.

The Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care are working through how to implement this change and full details will be announced in due course.

The overall purpose of the surcharge is to benefit the NHS, help to care for the sick and save lives. NHS, wider health and social care workers from abroad who are granted visas are doing this already through the fantastic contribution they make.

Home Office