NHS

[jim1563]

So started applying for the NHS health surcharge and the cost is 936 dollars which is a joke paying in dollars anyway but with the exchange rates it works out to about 650 pounds I thought it was 500 pounds anyone else gone through the payment part

[durhamboy]

$936 sounds too much even with the exchange rate ripoff. Usually works out to be about 8% more by paying in dollars. So I would have expected the dollar amount to be about $720 given a rate of 1.44 to the £ :-

$936 / £650 = 1.44

£500 x 1.44 = $720

So where did the extra $216 go?

[7by7]

UKVI do not use the current commercial exchange rate, they use their own; usually a rate very advantageous to them.

Their justification being that it avoids them having to change the fee every day as the exchange rate fluctuates.

Of course, if they charged in Sterling then there would not be this difficulty; but they would also not be able to rake in this extra money!

There is a long topic about this exchange rate rip off, which includes the pathetic attempt from the Home Office to justify it, here.

I have written to the candidates for the three main parties in my constituency asking them for their view on this exchange rate rip off and what they will do about it should they win; none have as yet replied.

[wooloomooloo]

This isn't a new ripoff either. When my wife applied for settlement visa back in mid-2010 the THB / GBP exchange rate set by the then UKBA was nearly 2.5 baht more to the pound than the prevailing Thai banks exchange rate. This sleight of hand cost me nearly £30 extra, as I actually settled £673 for an advertised settlement visa fee of £644. I wasn't born yesterday, but my own government treated me as a mobile ATM - like £644 wasn't enough in the first place.

It's absolutely no surprise that five years later they're still pulling the same stunt, albeit on a different variation.

[tonyk]

I agree it is very unfair. I paid for an application recently it cost £631.00!! Totally unjustified extortion.

[durhamboy]

Hang on guys. I agree a small part of the difference is the exchange rate. Usually that ripoff amounts to 8%.

In the OPs case if the problem was just the exchange rate then the exchange rate used would be $1.87 to the £ ($936 / £500). The exchange rate when the transaction was made was 1.44 making a difference of 30%! Even HMG don't make that much on exchange ripoffs. So something else must be happening here.

[tonyk]

Yes something is happening. As the visa is issued with a validity of 33 months the NHS Surcharge is actually £600 as the 9 months over the two years is payable as a full year.

[durhamboy]

Ah yes tonyk that explains it.

But shouldn't the NHS surcharge be £550 for a 33 month visa i.e. the surcharge is supposed to be £200 p.a. So 33 months = 2.75 years x £200 = £550?????

[bigyin]

The rules say that over 6 months counts as a full year...under 6 months still counts as a half year.

[bobrussell]

Sounds a bit like discussions I have with my wife!

If I want to buy something at £26, she argues it is nearly £30 therefore a lot of money. If she wishes to buy something at £26 she claims it is just over £20, therefore not a lot of money!!

Could this be Ms May's approach to budgeting, I wonder?

Edited April 17, 2015 by bobrussell

[durhamboy]

The rules say that over 6 months counts as a full year...under 6 months still counts as a half year.

Yes that would make the figures add up in the OP.

He paid $936 for 3 years NHS i.e. £600. Therefore ex. rate used was $1.56 to £

Actual rate was 1.44 + the 8% rip off = 1.56.

All accounted for except that HMG get an extra 3 months NHS surcharge from nowhere + an ex. rate ripoff! No wonder people aren't happy.

[Tony M]

Yesterday payment for one year made - $319

[BIGJIMMY]

Will this figure have to be paid every 3 years then??? We're just going through a settlement visa and this NHS fee is still a learning point for me??

Thanks

[bigyin]

Yes for any settlement visa application as from now and again every time you apply for FLR but I think I am correct in saying not when you apply for ILR. So actually every 2.5 years.

[theoldgit]

Just bare in mind that if your wife gets a job, and then pays UK income tax and makes National Insurance contributions, she will still need to pay this surcharge again at the FLR stage, so effectively will be paying for her cover twice.

[jim1563]

well it cost 647.76 pounds with a uk visa card so 1.44 for the pound

[fbf]

I'd been assuming it was £500 but just seen this topic and see they round up, 33 months = 2.75 years = £600. So far so... understood.

What will happen at the FLR stage? Using today's figures, even though they're set to rise, the next visa extension is for 30 months, right? So will the IHS be rounded up to £600 or rounded down to £400?

Or do the "extra" 3 months paid for by paying £600 carry through, taking it to a total of 2.25 years needed and rounding down to £400?

Or will we only find out in late 2017/early 2018?

Edited May 30, 2015 by fbf

[ajb1985]

Why pay in dollars?

Don't you apply in England?

Or is this a NHS surcharge at the start of a visa and not the second FLR stage.

[MAJIC]

What ever the exchange rate it's a great world bargain!

[fbf]

Why pay in dollars?

Don't you apply in England?

Or is this a NHS surcharge at the start of a visa and not the second FLR stage.

See 7by7's post above regarding the currency.

It's paid as part of the initial settlement route application (e.g. leave to join a family member in the UK) and at each FLR stage but not ILR.

[elvisp1977]

I was charged £598.12 last week for the health surcharge.....£970 for the settlement application...

Cheers..

[7by7]

I'd been assuming it was £500 but just seen this topic and see they round up, 33 months = 2.75 years = £600. So far so... understood.

What will happen at the FLR stage? Using today's figures, even though they're set to rise, the next visa extension is for 30 months, right? So will the IHS be rounded up to £600 or rounded down to £400?

Or do the "extra" 3 months paid for by paying £600 carry through, taking it to a total of 2.25 years needed and rounding down to £400?

Or will we only find out in late 2017/early 2018?

The calculating period is rounded up to the next 6 months.

So for FLR, which is valid for 30 months, it will be the annual figure multiplied by 2.5.

At the current rate, that's £200 x 2.5 = £500.

Expect the annual rate to increase each year, probably in April when visa and LTR fees are increased, so you should check nearer the time of the application. The application form contains a link to a page where you can calculate the actual amount to be paid.

No, you wont get a refund of the 'extra' 3 months paid at the initial visa stage. The government loves taking as much money as they can from family migrants, they aint going to give any back!

[7by7]

<snip>

See 7by7's post above regarding the currency.

<snip>

I have written to the candidates for the three main parties in my constituency asking them for their view on this exchange rate rip off and what they will do about it should they win; none have as yet replied.

None of them ever did!

[fbf]

Thanks for explaining. Good that it's rounding in 6 month increments and not 12 anyway. While not exactly fair, £50 is relatively small in the big, expensive scheme of things (which for me includes visa costs, wedding costs and numerous flights, all entirely my choosing and I don't regret it for a moment).