NEWS: UNITED KINGDOM

New Health Surcharge For Non-EEA Nationals Coming To The UK

From 6 April 2015 most non-EEA nationals coming to the UK for over 6 months (or extending their stay in the UK) will be required to pay a new “health surcharge”. Failure to pay the surcharge will result in refusal of applications. Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) migrants and nationals of New Zealand and Australia will be exempt from the fee, but must still complete the online process.

The surcharge is £150 per year for students and £200 per year for other applicants, payable in full at the time of application. This will mean, for example, that a Tier 2 (General) migrant sponsored for five years, accompanied by a spouse and two children, must pay £4,000, in addition to application filing fees.

Applications submitted before 6 April 2015 will not be subject to the charge and accordingly those intending to apply in the near future may wish to consider lodging their applications prior to this date.