UK settlement visa - change to how NHS charge is collected

[fbf]

Before travelling to Thailand to get married last month I created the online settlement application so my wife can join me in the UK. I didn't submit it yet, because some details could only be entered after the event.

As she's now got all her name change done (passport, driving licence, id card, house registration) I'm ready to submit the application, but I noticed this message on the login page:

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

The way that applicants pay their IHS has changed. If you are applying to work or study in the UK for over 6 months or intend to settle in the UK, please visit https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application to see how this change affects you. If you started your application prior to 4 July and have not made your IHS payment separately, you must re-start your online application before submitting it.

The first page of the linked article says:

If you’re applying online or through the premium service centre, you’ll pay the surcharge as part of your application or when you book an appointment.

So it looks like the NHS surcharge can be paid online within the main application now, which should be easier.

However, it also says I need to restart the application, as I started the application prior to 4th July. So far I can access the application and work on it as normal, but I'm thinking it might be safer to create a new one and copy/paste all the info across.

Has anyone else seen this, and if so how did you restart the application?

[fbf]

Ok, definitely need to restart the application - after submitting, there was no way to pay the IHS surcharge.

Here are the two applications, the old one at the bottom and a new one not yet populated at the top, but clearly with a new stage "Pay for IHS".

On the plus side, appointment availability is good (first one on Monday) so I have time to redo it.

[fbf]

Image link showing different applications:

http://ibin.co/28ELucKTZ5R1

[fbf]

Sorry for so many posts but can't seem to edit the above.

I finally submitted my application, the new process with the IHS surcharge should be reasonably easy and painless for most people. You get redirected to the IHS site and are logged in, then get directed back to the visa application site a few steps later. BUT...

I didn't change my wife's name in the visa account. In her "profile" on there, it had her maiden name, and on the application I just changed it to her new married name.

On the IHS site, the first/last name fields can't be changed! Even after changing the name in her profile, logging out, clearing all cookies from both sites, logging in and returning to the IHS step didn't fix this. I don't know what impact it would have if the IHS charge had her old name. Probably none, but I don't want to risk any trouble now or later. So I made a third visa application and now it's all submitted, correct and paid for.

Sorry to bump this thread but if anyone's Thai partner just changed their name then make sure you update the profile before doing the application.