Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

You have to pay the IHS if: 

• you are applying for your visa outside the UK and you’re coming to the UK for more than 6 months
• you are applying for your visa inside the UK and you’ll be here for any length of time 

UKVI information about the Immigration Health Surcharge 

You are exempt from the IHS charges if you are

• applying to come to the UK for a period of less than 6 months (for example, a Standard Visitor visa) 

Scotland information:  If you are coming to the UK for less than 6 months, and you will be studying full-time in Scotland, you are entitled to access free NHS healthcare services. However, this only applies to Scotland. You won’t be able to access free healthcare services in other parts of the UK, which means you should take out separate medical insurance if you want to travel within the UK. If residing in the rest of the UK (outside of Scotland), you may be charged for NHS treatment if here as a Visitor.

The IHS costs for Student and Student Dependant visa applications are:

• £776 per one year charge
• £388 per half year charge

A Student visa is issued by UKVI for a longer duration than your programme as it includes extra time at the start and end. The total IHS charge is based on the full length of the visa that is issued. 

If you are studying a full-time programme of longer than 12 months in length, the Student visa will be issued with an extra 4 months wrap up period at the end. 

If your visa is issued for a length of more than a year, you’ll have to pay:

• the yearly cost plus half the yearly cost, if it’s for 18 months or less
• the cost of 2 full years, if it’s for more than 18 months but less than 2 years

IHS Overview:  How much you have to pay

UKVI IHS Caseworker Detailed Guidance:   Immigration health surcharge.docx

How much it costs to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK

You must pay the IHS by debit or credit card as part of your online visa application. The IHS portal is integrated and the calculated charged will appear at the end of your visa application. Once all mandatory fees have been paid online, you can finally submit your visa application. The IHS charge will be calculated based on your CAS course start and end dates. 

If you do not pay the correct amount of IHS: 

You’ll get an email from UK Visas and Immigration if you do not pay the surcharge (or do not pay enough and need to pay a top-up).

The UKVI email will explain how to pay via an online payment link. It will go to the email address given in your visa application. Check your junk folder if you cannot see the email in your inbox. Once you get the email, you must pay the surcharge within:

-10 working days if you’re inside the UK-7 working days if you’re outside the UK

Your visa application may be rejected as invalid, if you do not pay the full IHS amount in the given time. The IHS and visa fees must be paid where this is required to ensure a visa application is valid. 

UKVI information about paying the IHS 

What is a CAS?