Expensive visa fees could deter NHS staff

The Institute for Government has claimed that the UK’s ‘sky-high’ visa fees could deter vital NHS staff and the ‘brightest and best’ scientists.

Nurses, lab technicians, engineers and tech experts who currently migrate to the UK from the EU may not be able to afford to do so if Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s proposed immigration overhaul becomes law. At £1,220 per person, or £900 for those on the shortage occupation list, the fees are among the highest in the world – and this is before charges for using the NHS and costs for sponsoring employers are taken into account.

The think tank has published comparisons with fee structures in other countries, revealing that a family of five with a five-year work visa for one individual would have to pay £21,299 before they could enter in the country. This includes the annual £400 health surcharge that must also be paid upfront per person.

The £400 is double the fee charged by Australia and about 30 times the amount charged by Canada, where it costs just over £10,000 for a family for five years.

A single person coming to the UK is likely to be charged up to £3,220 for five years. If they want to move to the UK with a spouse, the cost would rise to £6,500 for a five-year work stint. In Canada, it is £220 for an individual visa for three years, £147 in Germany and £2,075 in France.