Plea to extend health fee exemption

Four organisations representing health workers have written to the prime minister to ask for all overseas health and care staff and their families to be exempted from the immigration health surcharge. Last month the government said it would remove the obligation to pay the charge – currently £400 – from NHS workers.

Now the British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Physicians and public service workers’ union UNISON, have asked for all healthcare workers to be exempted, irrespective of whether they work in the NHS or not. The organisations also want refunds for those who have paid.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: "Now this wrong is to be righted, ministers must refund all charges paid and ensure family members are included too.

"Going that one step further and scrapping the charge for all overseas workers – so that everyone paying taxes and contributing to the economy is no longer punished financially – must now happen too."

• UNISON is also campaigning for a government scheme which exempts many classes of overseas health workers from visa fees to be extended to all care staff and NHS employees. Currently, the union says, only around 3,000 NHS workers qualify for the one-year free extension announced in April, leaving porters, health care assistants and others liable to pay.

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/2020/06/greater-clarity-needed-pm-plans-scrap-immigration-health-surcharge

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-health-worker-visa-extension

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2020/06/extend-free-scheme-frontline-care-nhs-staff-says-unison