to think it's unfair we have to pay a £500 surcharge for the NHS

[alaskanbaby]

My DH (let's call him Mr. Alaska) and I both work full time, and pay income tax like everyone else, which goes towards our use of the NHS like everyone else. We've just found out that we need to fork out a £500 surcharge for his use of the NHS as part of his extension of his immigration visa (for being my husband of 5 years, and father of our 18 month old DD - both she and I are British, though I guess she's sponging off the NHS quite a bit). Am I being unreasonable to think it's unfair that my DH has to pay twice?

I don't think its too unfair. He could have applied for citizenship after 5 years, and many countries have more expensive, and less extensive health services. There are an awful lot of countries in the world to choose to live in, if you really feel its that unfair and it bothers you, then you could choose a country which doesn't have such rules?

Its because of our NHS. Norway also has a NHS, I wonder how easy it is to become a citizen there, and how much non-citizens would have to pay to use their health service for 15 years.

I agree the cost of visa application is high but how much do you think it costs in administration? I don't think the immigration service is profit making.

YANBU.

"DoughDoe, most of the immigrants in the last 10 years are EU and swingeing fees won't touch them."

Not true:

fullfact.org/immigration/net_migration_eu_nationals_uk-30857

"More non-EU citizens come to the UK than EU citizens. On average, since 2004 170,000 EU citizens have migrated to the UK each year, compared to an average of 295,000 from outside the EU."

Immigration is painful in most places. Stressful, complicated and expensive. Very easy to get wrong and have to start again too. A very easy target for fees and additional complications because people seems to be programed to dislike immigrants even though studies show that they benefit their receiving countries far more than they cost. Countries like the UK with declining birth rates will increasingly need immigrants to up the tax base too.

I'm an immigrant from the UK to Canada, and they have recently changed the citizenship rules here so that (as of about two weeks ago) the fees have tripled and the waiting time doubled. Nothing we can do about it though, as we can't vote until we are citizens (our main driver).

OP you will probably find that this additional surcharge was put in place for totally party political reasons, so that the Tories could fight off some UKIP anti-immigrant rhetoric with a bit of their own. That's certainly how it is here.

"OP you will probably find that this additional surcharge was put in place for totally party political reasons, so that the Tories could fight off some UKIP anti-immigrant rhetoric with a bit of their own. That's certainly how it is here."

It's bi-partisan though, the fees have been going up for years. They went up hugely under Labour.

I agree it is a political thing, so the polititians can say hey we are doing something to stop health turism, even though those mesures apply to a bunch of ppl who are not abusing the system.

Same thing with the requirements for a uk citizen to get a visa for their partner: they added the income threashold etc to reduce the number of immigrants since there was an outrage at having a net immigration of more than 100k (how accurate is that number is another story). So they are making life difficult for uk families, while eu citizens can bring their families as their please! Seriously, how can that be fair?

Immigration is shit, and expensive and awful. I did it to Canada. However, they gave me a lovely C-section, free of charge with a VERY long hospital stay for nothing. And I wasn't a citizen then. I am now. So everyone saying that nowhere will give you free at the point of delivery healthcare whne you're not a citizen is wrong. The lovely Canadians will.

Lovely Canadian dogs.

By the way, immigrants are people too and There are an awful lot of countries in the world to choose to live in, if you really feel its that unfair and it bothers you, then you could choose a country which doesn't have such rules? that kind of comment is just bleugh.

The idea that tax-paying, law abiding, hardworking people, who contribute to the country should fuck off if they don't agree with every aspect of every part of the country they are in is weird. I've been in Canada for almost ten years and I think I'm entitled to an opinion. I think Mr and Mrs Alaska are about the UK.

YANBU. Your DH is paying twice - with his taxes and with this random, politically motivated surcharge. £500? Why not £1,000?!

The idea that tax-paying, law abiding, hardworking people, who contribute to the country should fuck off if they don't agree with every aspect of every part of the country they are in is weird.

Agree 100%

Assuming he pays that same in tax and NI as he would as a citizen, then I think this is unfair. If he hadn't been paying tax here I would expect a charge for the first couple of years. But from what I understand he has been paying in for years. So it doesn't seem fair.

I am assuming it would cost a fortune to test this against what tax people have paid etc. but still seems unfair.

I am British and lived there for the first 33 years of my life. because of a stupid idiot on the national insurance helpline giving me the wrong information, I missed payments for the first few years u lived abroad. I am dealing with this now and paying it back. In the meantime I was admitted while in England on holiday and charged £1700. I thought bloody good for them for showing some gumption and checking. My insurance reimburse me anyway and why should I get it when I haven't paid any tax for 16 years? The NHS isn't a magical concept. your dp will know only too well the true cost of healthcare. It's bloody expensive.

Alryan - but surely the difference is that OP's husband has been paying in for many years while you haven't. I don't think anyone has a problem with tourists being charged, including those who hold UK citizenship but are habitually resident in another country.

Bet the £500 doesn't go anywhere near the NHS. If it does msybe they could ring fence the money to pay for all the foreign nurses who will soon be asked to leave the country because they don't earn enough to stay here.

YANBU. Applying for visas in this country is crazy expensive. Especially if you need to do the priority processing. Which, if you want to be able to leave the country in the foreseeable future, you kinds need to do. On a tangent, it makes for a horribly long day. There's always delays. Take snacks and books.

However, I do believe a country can do whatever it wants with immigration, you dint like the rules, you don't have to play the game. You have to weigh up what is best for your family.

FYI, applying for ornament residency used to be free before labour made it ££££. I think I paid about £1k for that five years ago.

YABU. The other option is private insurance.

Surely reciprocation is an issue here.

I'm originally from nz and never had to pay a surcharge. However nz offered their health services free to Brits. Reciprocal rights!

The USA doesn't offer much for free health wise to its own citizens let alone foreigners so a surcharge is applied. Makes perfect sense to me.

Just to add the immigration process in most countries is an expensive frustrating and expensive business. You aren't alone and it's not just the UK.

crocodopolis - there is no other option. The surcharge is charged no matter if the applicant has private insurance or not. Wonder how long it will be until they introduce further charges for UK citizens too. Charging non-EEA residents is only the first step

You slipped in the fact that your DH worked abroad for two years.

Maybe that's why he is having to pay a surcharge, on the basis that he wasn't contributing during those two years, and isn't a british citizen.

Personally I don't much like the NHS anyway. I prefer the health systems in places like the Netherlands and France.

Crocodopolis as widowwadman said you cannot op out of the nhs even if you also get private insurance.