Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will introduce the 100 per cent increase in the immigration health surcharge announced in February; and whether, before introducing that increase, they will publish a Children's Rights Impact Assessment of the likely impact on children subject to immigration control currently living in the UK who will need to apply for or renew their leave to remain.

The Government intends to introduce the change later this year. A full impact assessment will be published alongside the draft Order to be made under section 38 of the Immigration Act 2014.

The Immigration (Health Charge) Order 2015 provides clear exemptions from the requirement to pay the surcharge that are designed to protect vulnerable groups. These include an exemption for applications for leave to remain made by a child under the age of 18 where that child is being looked after by a local authority, an exemption for applications that relate to a claim for asylum or humanitarian protection and an exemption for victims of modern slavery.

These exemptions will be retained under the amended version of the Order. In addition, where an applicant qualifies for a visa fee waiver on destitution grounds, the surcharge is also waived.