The increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge will come into effect on Tuesday 6 February 2024.
This follows Parliament’s approval of the Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order on 16 January.
The surcharge is paid by most applicants when submitting their visa application form electronically.
How much is the Immigration Health Surcharge in 2024?
For applications made on or after 6 February 2024, the main IHS rate for UK immigration applications will rise by 66% to £1035 from £624 per applicant per year of leave.
The discounted IHS rate for children, students, their dependents and youth mobility workers will also rise at the same time from £470 per year to £776 per applicant per year.
To illustrate, a visa issued for 3 or 5 years will incur the following charge for applications made from 6 February 2024:
| IHS charge from 6 February 2024 for 3-year visa | IHS charge from 6 February 2024 of 5-year visa | |
| 1 Adult | £3105 | £5175 |
| 1 Child | £2328 | £3880 |
| 2 Adults | £6210 | £10,350 |
| 2 Adults & 1 child | £8538 | £14,230 |
| 2 Adults & 2 children | £10,866 | £18,110 |
Half of the yearly amount is paid if the application includes part of a year that is less than 6 months. A whole year is paid if the application includes part of a year that is more than 6 months.
Can you avoid the IHS fee increase?
Applicants are advised where possible to finalise and submit their applications before the new fees take effect on 6 February. In some cases, you may be able to submit your application earlier than you think, enabling you to pay the current, lower IHS fee.
Take legal advice on your circumstances to determine if you can apply before the rate increase.
Need assistance?
DavidsonMorris are UK immigration specialists. If you have a query about the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge, including the increase and its impact on your application or your employees’ applications, please contact us.
Last updated: 17 January 2024
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
