The UK’s oldest medical union, Doctors in Unite, have criticised the government’s proposal to raise fees for migrant workers utilising the state healthcare service in order to fund public-sector wage hikes.
The government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has recently approved recommendations to increase the salaries of teachers, doctors, and police officers by a range of 5.0 to 7.0 percent.
Sunak dismissed the possibility of implementing tax increases or government borrowing to finance the increase. Instead, he proposed generating £1 billion through the implementation of higher Immigration Health Surcharge and visa fees.
Doctors in Unite, a representative body for junior doctors, general practitioners, and hospital consultants, expressed strong disapproval of the decision, stating that it would result in migrants being charged twice the amount for accessing NHS services.
In the UK, the majority of employees have National Insurance contributions automatically deducted from their salaries. These contributions fund various social welfare programmes, including the National Health Service, state pension, and unemployment schemes.
“Just like other workers, migrants contribute to NHS funding through general taxation. Doubling the NHS surcharge to over £1,200 ($1,570) per year is an unjust additional penalty,” Doctors in Unite said.
“Migrants are effectively ‘taxed twice’ to access the same service,” it added, calling the move “immoral and divisive”.
Most migrants now pay the IHS due to stricter post-Brexit entrance requirements, which were originally implemented to avoid “medical tourism.”
For stays longer than six months, it is paid per person in addition to the visa expenses.
Under-18s and students pay £470 annually, while those over 18 pay £624 annually.
The government wants to increase the adult IHS to £1,035, and the reduced rate to £776.
The cost of student and leave-to-remain visas, among others, will increase by at least 20%, while work and visit visas would increase by 15%.
The Wellcome Sanger Institute, a genomics research facility, reported that in 2022, it will have paid more than £300,000 in staff immigration costs.
“These proposed increases create further barriers for global talent… and will have a detrimental effect on UK and global science,” said head of policy Sarion Bowers.
