Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2020 to Question 1925, if her Department will reassess charging the full immigration health surcharge to non-UK NHS staff in 2020.

The Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care have worked together to exempt non-UK NHS staff from the Immigration Health Surcharge. On 14 July, the Home Office published further detail regarding the Health and Care Visa. The introduction of this visa route demonstrates the Government’s commitment to deliver for the NHS and wider health and care sector. The new Health and Care Visa will come with a reduced visa application fee, fast-track entry and dedicated team to process applications. Those applying un-der the Health and Care Visa route will be exempt from paying the Immigra-tion Health Surcharge. Those who would qualify for the Health and Care visa and who paid the Sur-charge on or after 31 March will be refunded. More information will be pub-lished on the Immigration Health Surcharge gov.uk pages. All those working in the health and care sector who paid the Surcharge on or after the 31 March 2020, but who do not qualify for the Health and Care Visa will be eligible for a reimbursement of what they have paid since that date. The Minister for Health announced on 15 July that this reimbursement will be paid in arrears of six-month increments and that this scheme will be launched by 1 October 2020.