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NHS surcharge - How much exactly?

Discussion in 'UK Visa and Immigration Help' started by thingymejig2, Jul 21, 2018.

  1. thingymejig2
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    thingymejig2 Active Member

    Hi all,

    I read a short while ago that the NHS surcharge was doubling from £600 to £1200, as of April 2018.

    We are looking to apply for a Settlement Fiance Visa at the end of next month and would like to be fully prepared for the costs.

    I have entered my fiancee's details into https://www.immigration-health-surcharge.service.gov.uk/checker/Summary (based on 'Applying Alone'->'Settlement'->'Unmarried Partner'), and it returns £600.

    Is the site yet to be updated, or will it actually be £600?

    Thank you!
  2. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member


    WRONG!! not :unmarried partner., you want settlement: settlement marriage.
  3. thingymejig2
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    thingymejig2 Active Member

    These are the only options:

    upload_2018-7-21_13-57-47.png
  4. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member


    huh. seems "they" have changed it--yet again.
    you definitely do NOT want unmarried partner. thats for couples who have lived together continuously in a relationship akin to a marriage for 2 years or more

    have you ?

    fiancee visa WAS called settlement : settlement marriage when we applied in 2015. for a wife its settlement : spouse.

    try creating a vaf4 a/c and see what path it takes you down
  5. Brom27
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    Brom27 Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    You don’t need to pay for IHS anyway if you plan to apply for fiancé visa.
  6. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    good call there Brom--i had completely forgotten that.

    the £600 mentioned in the OP is the same for spouse visas--as its for more than 30 months.
  7. thingymejig2
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    thingymejig2 Active Member

    Hmm, so there will be no NHS surcharge at all, when we apply for a fiance Settlement Visa?
    For the past 8 months of watching this forum, I was convinced there was!

    Does the surcharge need to be paid after the 6 months period then, i.e.: when we apply for leave to remain (after getting married)?
    • Agree Agree x 1
  8. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    yes it does for the start of the spouse visa but at the moment its £500 if applicant is in the UK or £600 if outside
  9. thingymejig2
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    thingymejig2 Active Member

    Okay, that's a relief then. One less thing to worry about during the first step.

    Thank you!
  10. thingymejig2
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    thingymejig2 Active Member

    That drop-down menu of theirs makes sense now. No 'fiance/e' option, as it doesn't apply. :D
  11. UKDJ
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    UKDJ Active Member

    Just be aware, your fiancee will not be entitled to NHS treatment, except emergency/life-saving treatment, from the point they arrive in the UK until after you are married!
  12. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    no need to wait 6 months. she can apply for her first FLR as soon as your wed. that means she gets her BRP--and can work--and earn ( if thats important to you ). and you can apply for same day service in person at a UKVI office. costs extra--naturally.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  13. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    also contraceptive advice--and pills --are free of charge too.
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Drunken Max
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    Drunken Max Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Do they come with papel endorsement? ;)
    • Funny Funny x 1
  15. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member


    Emergency and Life saving treatment is free but not further treatment once admitted to hospital,
    • Treatment for certain infectious diseases (but for HIV/AIDS, only the first diagnosis and counselling that follows it are free); and

    • Compulsory psychiatric treatment;
      Who will be charged for accessing the NHS?
      Non-EEA nationals who are visiting the UK and have not paid the NHS surcharge (commonly those entering on a visitor visa/sought entry at the UK border), including those who hold long-term multiple entry visas, will be charged for accessing NHS services (except the free services noted above).

      British citizens/EEA/Swiss nationals who are visiting the UK may be charged for NHS services they receive at the point of accessing care. The final decision to charge will rest with the healthcare provider.

      Should you need NHS treatment and you have not arranged insurance, you will be charged at 150% of the standard NHS rate.

      What happens if I cannot pay?
      Once the hospital has established that you must pay for treatment, you will usually be asked to pay the full cost in advance, unless emergency treatment is required immediately.

      If you cannot pay in advance, the hospital will ask for a written undertaking to pay.

      If you cannot provide proof that you can afford to pay, treatment will be refused and you may be offered the chance to be treated privately.

      Note: Failure to pay for accessing NHS services may affect your ability to apply for a UK visa in the future.


  16. PorkAdobo
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    PorkAdobo Active Member

    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!
    • Like Like x 3
  17. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    That's a tragic story sir, and I am very sad to hear it, very sad for both of you, and I hope Miss R comes through this emotionally sound.

    Your point about the Phils might be correct in some places but mostly there it is about money, they are actually very skilled and I have known unlucky westerners who got ill there and got the best of treatment, don't underestimate the skills the real problem is that medical care is all about money in the Philippines, it depends on which hospital you end up in.

    But you are right we should all be fans of the NHS we don't know how lucky we are, and I hope you and Miss R don't get charged in the end.

    Again very sorry to hear this, very sad for both of you.
    • Agree Agree x 2
  18. Heathen
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    Heathen Active Member

    Sorry to read about your Fiancees ectopic pregnancy, yes your correct in saying had it happened in the Philippines she would indeed have had a massive scar across her tummy, i hope you can indeed have a child together in the future good luck.
  19. Drunken Max
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    Drunken Max Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    I hope your Fiancee's recovery goes well in body and spirit

    Kevin
    • Agree Agree x 1
  20. Nickel
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    Nickel Active Member

    No. i did not pay IHS when i was on a fiance visa,only when i applied for a spouse visa.

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