The UK government
says the state-funded national health service (NHS) will increase from £624 per
year to £1,035 per year.
According to the government, the cost of study
visas is to also go up by 15 percent (from £363 to £417) and
work visas by 20 percent (from £1,235 to £1,482 for a period of more than three
years).
In a video seen
on Friday, John Glen, chief secretary to the UK treasury, said the prices
of visit and work visas, post-study work (PSW) visas will rise.
Similarly, he said the cost of study visas, certificate of
sponsorship (COS), indefinite leave to remain (ILR), settlement status, and
others will be more expensive.
Glen added that priority visa applications will also
increase significantly.
“We plan to increase the rates of the immigration health
surcharge, which have been frozen for the last three years,” he said.
“Despite high inflation and wider pressures facing the
economy and the system, in general, to ensure that it covers the full
healthcare costs of those who actually pay.
“Under our plans, the
main rate will increase to £1,035, and the discounted rate for students and
underage teens will increase to £776.
“This increase in the surcharge will help fund the pay rise
for doctors. At the same time, we will increase fees across a range of
immigration and nationality routes, including for people coming here to live,
work and study at a time of record high immigration numbers.
“Specifically, this means increasing the cost of work visas
and visit visas by 15 percent and increasing the cost of study visas, COS, settlement,
citizenship, wider entry clearance and ILR visas and priority visas by at least
20 percent.
“We’re also equalising cost for students and for those using
a priority service so people pay the same whether they apply from within the UK
or from outside the UK.
“This will help cover
more of the costs of migration and border system allowing the home secretary to
divert more funding to police forces to help fund the pay rise for the
police.
“We will cut back on civil service recruitment in the
ministry of defence until March 2025 to help fund the pay rise for all forces.”
The development is coming a day after Rishi Sunak, the UK prime minister,
announced plans to significantly increase visa application fees.
The prime minister had said the government intended to raise over £1 billion to pay
teachers, police, junior doctors and other public sector workers.
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