NHS surcharge - How much exactly?

Drunken Max · Sep 3, 2018

Brom27 said: ↑

You don’t need to pay for IHS anyway if you plan to apply for fiancé visa.
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I was going to ask that question. So a fiance settlement fee
includes the surcharge then?

Brom27 · Sep 3, 2018

Drunken Max said: ↑

I was going to ask that question. So a fiance settlement fee
includes the surcharge then?
Click to expand...

No it doesn’t coz you only need to pay the IHS if you stay in the UK more than 6 months but since a fiancée visa is only valid for 6 months then you don’t need to pay it. You pay for it when applying for FLR(M) once you get married.

UKDJ · Sep 4, 2018

PorkAdobo said: ↑

My own recent experience...

Miss R came to the UK on 17th May on the 'Fiancée Visa.'

We have long stopped using protection. If *it* happened, then great. Although we've only seen each other during my 3 annual holidays for the past 6 years or so (so not exactly timed to coincide with her menstrual cycle), I'd assumed that one of us had a problem. Therefore, when she produced a positive test on 1st July, I can't say that I was slightly relieved for the sake of my own masculinity. Must have been the Great British sunshine. The test also gave a 2-3 week estimate of the pregnancy, so that ruled out everyone bar me and the Tesco delivery man.

However, the thought of paying for this did occur to me fairly soon. Marriage is tentatively booked for early September. Might have to bring that forward a bit.

I told Miss R to keep things quiet for now as things were so early. She absolutely had to tell her closest friends and mother, however.

After just over a week, she complained of soreness on the left side of her tummy. I Googled it. Apparently, this is her insides moving around to get ready to accommodate the womb. Nothing to worry about. There was also slight bleeding after she urinated. Miss R continued to complain. It was potentially too serious to leave in the hands of Google. I took her to the GP surgery on Tuesday and saw the nurse in the walk in centre. She arranged a scan at North Manchester General that afternoon. If the pain got worse, she told us to go earlier and not wait for the appointment.

Miss R was still a bit uncomfortable, so I took her to the hospital at 11am rather than wait until 4pm.

The doctor saw her quite soon. She did an examination and uttered the dreaded words that it may be early stages of a miscarriage. We needed that scan.

A lady for overseas patients saw us. She had already done a check and could not see Miss R as having paid the IHS surcharge. Whatever. Just wanted to get this sorted and cross that bridge afterwards.

Whilst we waited for the scan, the staff were very attentive. However, the nurse in charge was not very discrete when talking with her colleagues. The lady in bed 2 was having a probable ectopic pregnancy. That was us. I didn't pass this info on to Miss R just yet.

Eventually, the scan was made. Ectopic confirmed. I don't think Miss R fully understood what was going on. I can't imagine how daunting the whole thing must have been for her. Once we were alone, I broke the news. She was devastated. The most heart wrenching I've ever experienced was when she asked if I saw the baby's heartbeat on the scan. Of course, at 6 weeks it was too early for this. I just told her no.

A doctor told us about the next steps. She was to be transferred to bloody Oldham where they would perform keyhole surgery. Christ, first time I've been to Oldham and it's like a different planet. The heartbreak and fear Miss R would have been feeling, I simply couldn't imagine. Unfortunately, it had to be done. The ambulance took us to Oldham and surgery was performed close to midnight.

I was kicked out of the gynaecology ward at 3am. Blimey, what a depressing place that is. Thank God I'll never have to stay in that ward as a patient. Women of all shapes and sizes watching Love Island and passing round copies of Now magazine. Surprisingly, we hadn't encountered any Filipino nurses during our whistle stop tour of North Western hospitals.

Arrived later in the morning to meet Miss R. She was still recovering from the surgery minus one fallopian tube. She would probably be discharged later that day.

Another Overseas officer came to see us. She was much less clued up than the lady in North Manchester. She said if we could prove Miss R was living in the UK, there would be no fees. We need to get her name on the council tax, bank account or utility bill and email that to her. I liked her. I think she simply wanted to find anyway so that it would not cost anything.

That evening, shortly before England crumbled against Croatia, we finally went home.

I have complained before that I feel I get poor value for money as a tax payer. I've never claimed benefits. I've had no health problems beyond a broken arm aged 13. The roads are a shambles. I'm charged an extortionate amount for the visa application. I feel I pay tax to help everyone else.

However, this experience has made me a fan of the NHS. It's not perfect and the staff are human (fallible), but it's a true essential. In the Philippines, Miss R would probably have come back with a massive scar across her tummy. Here, she has a few small holes stitched up which will be barely noticeable in a few more weeks.

The practicality of payment will be a big variable if my experience is anything to go by. Some hospitals/officials may be more zealous than others. The best advice is to avoid pregnancy if at all possible until further on in the visa process!
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@PorkAdobo... Are you able (yet?) - and willing - to give a breakdown of what the costs to you have been for this unfortunate and harrowing experience?

PorkAdobo · Sep 4, 2018

UKDJ said: ↑

@PorkAdobo... Are you able (yet?) - and willing - to give a breakdown of what the costs to you have been for this unfortunate and harrowing experience?
Click to expand...

Zero!

Got her name added to the electric/gas bill and heard no more from Oldham Royal. Given that it was emergency treatment, I think it would have stayed free, anyway (if what I've read subsequently is correct).

The main unknown was North Manchester General where they did (at the time) non essential procedures and scans. The Overseas Patients Registrar was pretty clued up compared to her colleague at Oldham. She was a white lady but wore a headscarf, so possibly she had her own personal knowledge of immigration matters? I was wondering whether I would get an invoice from them or if Miss R's records from North Manchester and Oldham were combined together. That's how it should have been, but public services don't always speak with the same voice.

Either way, no bills in the post which was a huge relief!

Markham · Sep 4, 2018

PorkAdobo said: ↑

Zero!

Got her name added to the electric/gas bill and heard no more from Oldham Royal. Given that it was emergency treatment, I think it would have stayed free, anyway (if what I've read subsequently is correct).

The main unknown was North Manchester General where they did (at the time) non essential procedures and scans. The Overseas Patients Registrar was pretty clued up compared to her colleague at Oldham. She was a white lady but wore a headscarf, so possibly she had her own personal knowledge of immigration matters? I was wondering whether I would get an invoice from them or if Miss R's records from North Manchester and Oldham were combined together. That's how it should have been, but public services don't always speak with the same voice.

Either way, no bills in the post which was a huge relief!
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Excellent news! I hope Miss R's recovery is outstripping expectations.

UKDJ · Sep 4, 2018

PorkAdobo said: ↑

Zero!

Got her name added to the electric/gas bill and heard no more from Oldham Royal. Given that it was emergency treatment, I think it would have stayed free, anyway (if what I've read subsequently is correct).

The main unknown was North Manchester General where they did (at the time) non essential procedures and scans. The Overseas Patients Registrar was pretty clued up compared to her colleague at Oldham. She was a white lady but wore a headscarf, so possibly she had her own personal knowledge of immigration matters? I was wondering whether I would get an invoice from them or if Miss R's records from North Manchester and Oldham were combined together. That's how it should have been, but public services don't always speak with the same voice.

Either way, no bills in the post which was a huge relief!
Click to expand...

That's good news...

I guess an EP is an emergency, so it makes sense!

Dave_E · Sep 5, 2018

PorkAdobo said: ↑

She was a white lady but wore a headscarf, so possibly she had her own personal knowledge of immigration matters?
Click to expand...

Quite possible.

PorkAdobo · Sep 21, 2018

Oh well. Have come home today to be welcomed by an invoice for £1200.

Considering it was my unborn child which was the cause of the whole palava, I'm quite pissed off now!

UKDJ · Sep 22, 2018

PorkAdobo said: ↑

Oh well. Have come home today to be welcomed by an invoice for £1200.

Considering it was my unborn child which was the cause of the whole palava, I'm quite pissed off now!
Click to expand...

The wheels of administration turn very slowly... Sorry to hear you have received this dent in your finances!

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NHS surcharge - How much exactly?

Drunken Max Well-Known Member Trusted Member

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