Immigration Health Surcharge

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; Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). You will need to pay £776 for each year of leave you apply for and an extra £338 for any period less than 6 months. Any dependants applying with you will need to pay the same amount.

You can confirm the current rates for the IHS online.

You pay the charge as part of the Student route application process and the form will calculate how much you need to pay based on the information in your CAS and the length of the visa that will be granted. 

You are required to pay the charge even if you have private medical insurance.

Incorrect IHS calculation

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in the application form but any overpayment will be automatically refunded back to the account or card the payment was originally made from.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 and provide your IHS reference number.

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 please contact us.

IHS Refunds

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 will not be eligible for an IHS refund if:-

  • Your visa application was successful but you did not travel to the UK to start your course.
  • You leave the UK before your visa ends e.g. 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 e.g. your visa is curtailed due to completing your course earlier than expected.

Immigration Health Surcharge Refund for EU/EEA/Swiss students

You may be entitled to a refund of the Immigration Health Surcharge paid as part of your visa application if you are a full-time EU student with an EHIC card, your visa has a start date on or after 1 January 2021, and you won't work while you are in the UK.

Full details are available on the UKVI website.