Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of temporarily dropping (a) visa and (b) leave to remain fees for healthcare workers.

Individuals applying to enter or for limited leave to remain on the Health and Care Visa already pay significantly reduced visa fees. In addition, they are also exempt from having to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge making applications significantly cheaper. These benefits apply to main applicants and their dependants.

More broadly, fees for migration and borders products and services play a vital role in our country’s ability to run a sustainable system. We believe it is right that those who use the system should contribute to its cost, thereby reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer.