Is healthcare free in the UK for those on Dependant visas?

In the UK, free healthcare is provided by the National Health Service, widely known as the NHS. If you have permission to be in the UK as the Dependant Partner or Child of a main applicant, you may be entitled to ‘free’ use of the NHS. 

Technically, for most Dependants, use of the NHS is not actually free. In order to access the NHS, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) must have been paid on submission of your visa application. The fee is £624 per year for most adults (with some exceptions paying £470), and £470 per year for children. 

If you are coming to the UK for more than 6 months, or you are making a leave to remain application from within the UK, payment of the IHS is mandatory in most circumstances. 

There are some exemptions to this rule, for example, if the main applicant is applying for a Skilled Worker visa under the Health and Care category; in these circumstances, Dependants are exempt from paying the IHS. Another example is if you are applying as a Dependant under the EU Settlement Scheme – again, Dependants are exempt. 

It is important to note that if you are required to pay the IHS and you fail to do so, your application could be rejected. 

How Gherson can assist

Gherson’s Immigration Team is highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an email, or, alternatively, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to stay-up-to-date.

The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please do not hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.

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