UK Immigration Health Surcharge for Pakistanis: £1,035 a Year, £776 for Students, and Who Pays Nothing
UK immigration health surcharge for Pakistanis: £1,035 a year for most visas, £776 for students and children, totals by visa length, exemptions and refunds.
Short answer: the UK immigration health surcharge (IHS) is £1,035 for each year of the visa for most Pakistani applicants, such as spouses, workers and adult dependants. Students, their dependants and anyone under 18 pay £776 a year. Visitors pay nothing, and Health and Care Worker visa holders and their families are exempt. A 3 year spouse or work visa costs £3,105 in surcharge, and a 2 year student visa £1,552. You pay it online with the visa application, and it is refunded in full if the visa is refused.
The surcharge is the payment that lets visa holders use the National Health Service (NHS), Britain's public health system, during their stay. It is paid on top of the visa fee, and for a family it often costs more than the visa itself. We read GOV.UK's guidance on the surcharge on 6 November 2026, and the figures below come from it.
The key rule: you pay for the length of the visa you are given, not the length of your course or job. A visa can last longer than the course, so the surcharge can be higher than you expect.
UK health surcharge rates: £1,035 or £776 a year
There are two yearly rates. Which one you pay depends on your visa and your age when you apply.
| Who you are | Rate per year | Example from GOV.UK |
|---|---|---|
| Student or student's dependant | £776 | £1,552 for a 2 year visa |
| Youth Mobility Scheme visa | £776 | Same as students |
| Any applicant under 18 | £776 | Child of a worker or spouse |
| All other visas, such as spouse, Skilled Worker, Graduate | £1,035 | £3,105 for a 3 year visa |
| Visitor visa | £0 | No surcharge |
| Health and Care Worker visa and dependants | £0 | Exempt |
GOV.UK says you still have to pay even if you have private medical insurance. The surcharge does not cover everything. Prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and assisted conception may still cost money.
How the surcharge is counted for part of a year
Visas rarely run for whole years, so GOV.UK sets rules for the extra months. Applying from Pakistan, a visa of 6 months or less needs no surcharge.
- 6 months or less: nothing if you apply from outside the UK. From inside the UK, you pay half a year: £388 for students and under 18s, or £517.50 for others.
- More than 6 months but less than 1 year: a full year, wherever you apply.
- More than 1 year, up to 18 months: one year plus half a year.
- More than 18 months but less than 2 years: two full years.
GOV.UK spells out these steps up to 2 years. We applied the same pattern to longer visas, so treat the longer rows as estimates and rely on the payment screen for the exact figure. Using GOV.UK's rates, here is what common Pakistani visa lengths cost:
| Visa length | Student or under 18 (£776 rate) | Spouse, worker or adult dependant (£1,035 rate) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 months | £776 | £1,035 |
| 15 months | £1,164 | £1,552.50 |
| 2 years | £1,552 | £2,070 |
| 2 years 9 months (spouse visa) | £2,328 | £3,105 |
| 3 years | £2,328 | £3,105 |
| 5 years | £3,880 | £5,175 |
A spouse visa from outside the UK is usually granted for 2 years and 9 months. Under the rules above, the 9 extra months beyond 2 years count as a full third year, which is why it costs the same as 3 years. The exact figure is shown on the payment screen for your own dates.
Family members pay their own surcharge
GOV.UK says dependants aged 18 or over usually pay the same amount as the main applicant. Children under 18 pay £776 a year. So a Pakistani worker on a 3 year Skilled Worker visa, with a wife and one child, would pay:
- Main applicant: £1,035 times 3 years, which is £3,105.
- Wife: also £3,105.
- Child under 18: £776 times 3 years, which is £2,328.
- Total surcharge for the family: £8,538, before any visa fees.
The visa fees come on top. Our Skilled Worker guide covers the job and salary rules, and our UK partner visa guide covers the income rule for spouses.
Who does not pay the UK health surcharge
GOV.UK lists the people who can use the NHS without paying the surcharge. The ones most relevant to Pakistani families are:
- visitors on a standard visit visa,
- people applying for indefinite leave to enter or remain, which is permanent residence,
- Health and Care Worker visa holders and their dependants,
- asylum seekers and people applying for humanitarian protection, and their dependants,
- people covered by the domestic violence concession.
Our Health and Care Worker guide explains which nursing and care jobs qualify. Students should also read our student surcharge guide.
How to pay, and when you get a refund
You pay the surcharge online by debit or credit card as part of the visa application. You will be asked for your course dates if you are a student, or the dates on your certificate of sponsorship if you are a worker. After you pay, you get an IHS reference number by email. It can be used only once, so a new application needs a new number.
If you do not pay enough, UK Visas and Immigration sends an email. From outside the UK, you then have 7 working days to pay. If you do not, the application is refused.
Refunds follow GOV.UK's rules:
- Full refund if the visa is refused, if you withdraw before a decision, or if you paid twice for the same application.
- Partial refund if you are given less time than you asked for, or if a dependant is refused, in which case you get only their surcharge back.
- No refund if the visa is granted but you do not travel, if you leave the UK early, or if you withdraw after the visa is granted.
Refunds go back to the card used to pay, without any form to fill in.
Common questions
How much is the UK health surcharge for Pakistanis in 2026?
£1,035 a year for most visas and £776 a year for students, their dependants and under 18s. Visitors pay nothing.
How much IHS do I pay for a UK spouse visa?
£1,035 a year. A spouse visa of 2 years and 9 months counts as 3 years, so the surcharge is about £3,105. Check the exact amount on the payment screen.
Do I pay the surcharge for a UK visit visa?
No. GOV.UK says you do not need to pay for a visitor visa.
Is the health surcharge refunded if my visa is refused?
Yes, in full. The refund goes to the card you used, and you do not need to apply for it.
Does my child pay the full £1,035?
No. Applicants under 18 at the time of applying pay £776 a year.
Can private health insurance replace the surcharge?
No. GOV.UK says you must pay even if you have private medical insurance.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 6 November 2026. Rates, part-year rules, exemptions, the payment steps, the 7 working day rule and refunds are from GOV.UK's guidance "Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application". The family and visa-length totals are our own arithmetic from those rates. The 2 year 9 month spouse visa length is the usual first grant and should be checked against your own decision letter.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
