Pay the immigration health surcharge
As part of your Skilled Worker online application, you need to pay a healthcare surcharge (called the Immigration Health Charge), irrespective whether you are outside the UK and apply for entry clearance as a Skilled Worker, or whether you are within the UK and apply for permission to remain in the UK as a Skilled Worker.
At the time of writing this post, the annual amount which must be paid in respect of a Skilled Worker application is £200.
Example 1
Your Certificate of Sponsorship indicates that the start date of the job you are being sponsored for is 1 October 2021 and that the end date of the job is 1 October 2024. You apply for a Skilled Worker visa with a length of validity of 3 years. You must pay an Immigration Health Charge of 3 x £200 = £600.
If you apply for permission to enter or remain including a part of a year, if the part year is 6 months or less, the amount payable for that part is half of the specified annual amount. If the part year is more than 6 months, the amount payable for that part is the specified annual amount.
Example 2
Your Certificate of Sponsorship indicates that the start date of the job you are being sponsored for is 1 January 2022 and that the end date of the job is 30 April 2026. You apply for a Skilled Worker visa with a length of validity of 4 years and 4 months. You must pay an Immigration Health Charge of 4 years and 6 months (4,5 x £200 = £900).
Example 3
Your Certificate of Sponsorship indicates that the start date of the job you are being sponsored for is 1 January 2022 and that the end date of the job is 31 July 2025. You apply for a Skilled Worker visa with a length of validity of 3 years and 7 months. You must pay an Immigration Health Charge of 4 years (2 x £200 = £800).
When your Skilled Worker visa is granted, you can start using the National Health Service (NHS). Certain types of services, such as prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and assisted conception, are not covered. You will have to pay for them separately.
You are exempt from paying the immigration health surcharge if you are a doctor or nurse.
If you want to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa and need my specialist advice, feel free to contact me. Please note that I am an accredited immigration adviser, not an employee of the UK Visas and Immigration. I charge fees for the advice provided.