Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on academic institutions in the UK of increasing the annual immigration health surcharge for overseas researchers from £624 to £1,035 for main applicants and to £776 for child dependants from this autumn in combination with an increase of 15 per cent in visa fees.

The Government is preparing full economic impact assessments for the increases to the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) and the immigration and nationality fees. Regulations will be laid in Autumn to increase immigration and nationality fees and the IHS.

The IHS rates have not increased since 2020, and the cost of providing public services has increased in that time. It is right that we keep the IHS level under review to ensure that it reflects the genuine cost to the NHS of providing healthcare to those who pay it.