People who are living in the UK unlawfully will not risk deportation by presenting themselves for the Coronavirus vaccine. As ministers continue to urge the entire UK population to get the COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible, illegal immigrants are also being encouraged to register with a GP for this purpose.
The Coronavirus vaccine is free of charge and qualification for the vaccine is not contingent on a person’s immigration status.
During the on-going pandemic, the UK Government has made clear that any person seeking treatment or a test for Coronavirus would not have their immigration status verified, and this policy has now been extended to the vaccination too.
Historically, there have been concerns that the accessing of healthcare by undocumented migrants may lead to their information being passed to the immigration authorities, resulting in potential removal from the UK. As a result, many illegal immigrants have been “too afraid” to access healthcare in the UK, according to Steve Valdez-Symonds from Amnesty UK.
The Government’s liberal approach towards Coronavirus testing, treatment and vaccination is therefore to be welcomed and will hopefully lead to more of the UK population receiving the vaccine.
However, the vaccine policy is not an amnesty for immigrants, and will not result in leave to remain or any other immigration status being granted.
Accordingly to reports from the National Audit office, published in 2020, there has not been an updated estimate of the number of undocumented immigrants in the UK for the last 15 years. It is therefore unclear how many people this policy will affect.
In the event that you require any immigration advice or have any questions relating to regularising your stay in the UK, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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 don’t 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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