London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

NHS fees to be scrapped for overseas health staff and care workers

NHS fees to be scrapped for overseas health staff and care workers

NHS staff and care workers from overseas will no longer have to pay an extra charge towards the health service after mounting pressure from MPs.

Boris Johnson's spokesman said the PM had asked the Home Office and Department for Health to exempt NHS and care workers "as soon as possible".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was "a victory for common decency".

The health immigration surcharge on non-EU migrants is £400 per year and set to rise to £624 in October.

The move to grant the exemption came after the PM's spokesman defended the fee earlier on Thursday.

Officials are now working on the detail and more will be announced "in the coming days".

But it is understood the plan will include exemptions for all NHS workers, including porters and cleaners, as well as independent health workers and social care workers.

The chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, Dame Donna Kinnair, said the charge had created "an unfair and unjust financial burden", adding: "At last the government has agreed with us.

"This will ease the pressure on families who may be struggling financially or emotionally as a result."

Mr Johnson himself stood by the charge on Wednesday, telling MPs he "understood the difficulties faced by our amazing NHS staff", but said the government "must look at the realities" of funding the NHS.

It caused a backlash, with a number of Tory MPs joining opposition MPs in calling for him to reconsider - including the Tory chairman of the Commons public administration select committee, William Wragg, and his backbench colleague Sir Roger Gale.

Earlier, No 10 defended the levy, saying the money "goes directly back into the NHS to help save lives".

But now Mr Johnson's spokesman has said: "[The PM] has been thinking about this a great deal. He has been a personal beneficiary of carers from abroad and understands the difficulties faced by our amazing NHS staff.

"The purpose of the NHS surcharge is to benefit the NHS, help to care for the sick and save lives. NHS and care workers from abroad who are granted visas are doing this already by the fantastic contribution which they make."

The change was welcomed by Labour, as the party had been planning to seek an amendment to the Immigration Bill to secure the exemption.

Sir Keir tweeted: "Boris Johnson is right to have u-turned and backed our proposal to remove the NHS charge for health professionals and care workers.

"This is a victory for common decency and the right thing to do. We cannot clap our carers one day and then charge them to use our NHS the next."

Mr Wragg also praised the decision, saying the PM had "shown true leadership, listened and reflected".

The leader of the SNP in Westminster, Ian Blackford, said he was "pleased to see the change of heart after pressure", while the acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, called it "a great cross-party win".

The change was also welcomed by of Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants.

But the charity's chief executive Satbir Singh added: "It's depressing that it's taken nearly two months for the government to listen."


Estimated costs

The surcharge is currently paid by non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals coming to the UK for longer than six months.

There are exemptions for victims of slavery or trafficking, children taken into care, and the dependants of armed forces personnel.

The current rate of £400 a year is double what it what it was when first introduced in 2015.

It is due to be extended to EEA citizens moving to the UK from from next January, after the post-Brexit transition period ends.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank has estimated that exempting NHS and social care workers in England would cost around £90m a year.

News of the exemption came as the government announced a trial for a coronavirus test that does not need to be sent to a lab and gives results in 20 minutes.

It has also been announced that 10 million antibody tests - that check if someone has had the virus in the past - will start being rolled out next week.

Meanwhile, lockdown restrictions in Scotland are likely to be relaxed slightly from next Thursday.

And in Northern Ireland, Education Minister Peter Weir has said the reopening of schools will begin for "key cohort years" in August, followed by a phased provision for all pupils in September.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×