If you are applying for immigration permission (visa) for more than six months you must pay an additional fee to entitle you to free health care under the National Health Service. You will need to pay £776 for each year of leave you apply for and and extra £338 for any period less then 6 months. Any dependants applying with you will need to pay the same amount.
The calculation for IHS is based on the length of the visa you will be granted and not just the length of your course or the additional period you might be adding on to an existing visa.
Use the calculator on the UKVI website to check how much you will need to pay and you can confirm the current charges here.
You pay the charge as part of the Student visa application process and the form will calculate how much you need to pay based on the information in your CAS.
You are required by to pay the charge even if you have private medical insurance.
If you are applying to add a placement or move to an integrated masters course then you will likely be charged for some of the same period of time you have already paid for. Unfortunately, there is no way around this as the payment of the IHS is mandatory and this is just how the process works. However, you should be eligible for a refund of the overlapping period of IHS coverage provided the overlap in coverage between your two applications is 6 months or more. This refund should be processed automatically within 6 weeks of you obtaining a decision on your new application so you should get your money back eventually. You will only be eligible for a refund if you make your application from inside the UK.
If the application form incorrectly calculates your IHS you will still need to make the required payment and complete the application. One of two processes will then occur;
If the amount calculated is more than you should pay – you will need to pay the stated amount in the application form but any overpayment will be automatically refunded back to the account or card the payment was originally made from. You do not need to do anything for the refund to occur. It should be processed automatically within 6 weeks of a decision being made on your application. If you have not received the refund after 6 weeks please contact us.
If the amount calculated is less than you should pay – you will need to pay the stated amount in the application form but once your application reaches a caseworker they will email you with a web link to make a top up payment for your IHS – you need to click on this link and pay the remaining balance. The caseworker will then complete the application once the payment is received. Please ensure you check your emails frequently. If you do not receive a top-up link from UKVI contact us.
You are only eligible for an IHS refund if:-
- you paid the IHS twice
- your visa application was refused
- you withdrew your visa application
- you're applying to extend or switch your visa in the UK and have paid the IHS twice for the same period
You will not be eligible for an IHS refund if:-
- your visa application was successful but you were too late to start your course and you did not travel to the UK
- you leave the UK before your visa ends eg. because you are on a leave of absence or resit without attendance period or you are not eligible to submit a new visa application from the UK
- you are told to leave the UK before your visa expires eg. your visa is curtailed due to completing your course earlier than expected
You may also be eligible for an IHS refund if your healthcare is paid for by an EU country or Switzerland; please read the information on the UKVI website for further information.
(University Switchboard)
+44 (0) 161 306 6000
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
