Closed petition Refund the immigration health surcharge (IHS) to people paying UK income tax

Closed on 30 May 2024

We want the Government to provide a full or partial refund of the immigration health surcharge (IHS) to people who have paid UK income tax since arriving in the UK, based on the amount of tax they have paid, as these taxes help support the NHS.

When someone comes to the U.K. on a visa through which they are allowed to work - this could be a visa that allows them to come over to the U.K. for more than 6 months like a Spouse visa - they normally have to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) on top of the visa cost: which we believe is fair and understandable. However, if that person then gets a job it means they will also pay tax on that salary, including Income Tax, which is used to fund the NHS. In another words they have paid into the health service twice.

I think it would be fair in these situations that the government refunds those individuals that have paid into the NHS (or at least partially refunds based on the amount of tax paid).