Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to require proof of legal immigration status when registering with a GP or dentist.

In-country controls, introduced over many decades, regulate a migrant's access to public services and deny access to those in the UK with no lawful status. These policies and checks form part of the UK's domestic compliance and enforcement arrangements, aimed at deterring illegal migration, promoting compliance with immigration laws and supporting enforcement whilst protecting vulnerable migrants from exploitation.

Only those ordinarily resident in the UK are eligible for free healthcare. Non-urgent secondary healthcare, unless it has been paid for, is denied to all migrants who are not ordinarily resident or who have not paid the Immigration Health Surcharge. Migrants without lawful status can be charged for treatment. The relevant legislation in England is the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015.

Immigration status data is already shared with the NHS in England and Wales via the Home Office Right to Healthcare Application Programming Interface (API) to enable the determination of who is eligible for free NHS treatment and who is chargeable for treatment.

In some areas where access to services is regulated, the measures require a third party to take action such as checking an individual's eligibility to access work or rent a property. Sanctions exist where these requirements are not complied with.