Reduce or scrap the immigration health surcharge for overseas NHS Staff.
This petition gathered 16,347 signatures between 18 March 2020 and 18 September 2020, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 29 May 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 25 June 2020.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Reduce or scrap the immigration health surcharge for overseas NHS Staff.
To revoke the Immigration Health Surcharge increases for overseas NHS staff. The latest budget shows an increase of £220 a year for an overseas worker to live and work in the UK, at a time when the NHS, and UK economy, relies heavily on them.
The March 2020 budget shows a hike in the surcharge from £400 to £620 year. For an overseas nurse on a three year contract thats almost £1,900 in addition to their tax and NI contributions. The NHS is under staffed and relies on the dedication, devotion and sacrifice of thousands of overseas nurses, doctors, assistants, cleaners and so on coming to the UK. Raising the charge is an outcry and unjustified, and could potentially lead to staffing shortages in the future.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 29 May 2020; the petitions site lists the Home Office as responsible. Its summary:
The Prime Minister has asked the Home Secretary and the Department of Health and Social Care to work together to exempt NHS and care staff from the immigration health surcharge.
The response in full:
Health and care workers from all over the world are playing a crucial role in the UK’s efforts to tackle coronavirus and save lives, and we are immensely grateful for all they are doing.
The Prime Minister has asked the Home Secretary and the Department of Health and Social Care to work together to exempt NHS and care staff from the immigration health surcharge. This means the Immigration Health Surcharge will not be increased for this group of workers but will instead be removed.
The Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care are working through how to implement this change and full details will be announced in due course.
The overall purpose of the surcharge is to benefit the NHS, help to care for the sick and save lives. NHS, wider health and social care workers from abroad who are granted visas are doing this already through the fantastic contribution they make.
Home Office
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 649 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 217, came from Oxford East.
16,014 of the signatures were from the UK and 333 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Oxford East | 217 |
| Leicester South | 167 |
| Reigate | 164 |
| Chelmsford | 158 |
| South Cambridgeshire | 145 |
| Cambridge | 134 |
| Manchester Central | 116 |
| Leicester West | 112 |
| Camberwell and Peckham | 110 |
| Portsmouth North | 109 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 2,727 |
| South East | 2,656 |
| East of England | 2,073 |
| North West | 1,429 |
| East Midlands | 1,153 |
| South West | 1,130 |
| West Midlands | 1,062 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 801 |
| Scotland | 680 |
| Wales | 601 |
| North East | 467 |
| Northern Ireland | 304 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 25 June 2020. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/301948.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
6a87733c4008c716… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.