Is IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge) a requirement?

[rhinoknight]

Hello Friends,

First of all I would like to appreciate the effort undertaken in running this board and thank you for the assistance that you guys are providing to thousands who need expert advise.

I am a 43 y.o Indian and am currently in the UK on a marriage visitor visa since beginning of June 2015. I have gotten court married few days back to my partner (whom I have met about more than an year back) here in the UK at the borough council of her home.
I will be applying to join family living permanently in the UK visa so that I can ultimately settle and start a job here in the U.K. So I will be heading back to India and start the visa application there.
I have read on a site (https://www.gov.uk/join-family-in-uk/overview) about the payment of the IHS to avail the healthcare services and am not sure if I'm eligible to skip it and if a IHS reference number would be required at all for my visa application considering that my wife has just acquired a naturalization certificate which makes her a British citizen now.

- Please let me know if the visa for joining family of a settled person is the correct visa that I should be applying to or am I eligible for any other ones.
- Is IHS a requirement given that my wife is a British citizen if I apply for the aforementioned visa, as it is a staggering £1000 in cost?
- Financial proof requirement of £18,600 is to be shown by me alone or is it accumulative with my partner's salary?

I thank you in advance for your expert comments on my queries. Appreciate.

[Wanderer]

You need to pay the surcharge I'm afraid.

Also only the sponsors income if taken into account - your's won't be.

[rhinoknight]

You need to pay the surcharge I'm afraid.

Also only the sponsors income if taken into account - your's won't be.

Hello Wanderer,

Thanks for the reply, but I'm confused about the following detail I found at the gov.uk website,

When you don’t have to pay or get an IHS reference number :
you’re a family member of a European national with European Union treaty rights

(Pls check link, https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/when-you-need-to-pay)

As I mentioned before, my wife has just obtained her British citizenship and has applied for the British passport. Comments are welcome, thanks.

[geriatrix]

you’re a family member of a European national with European Union treaty rights

your British national wife will become a European national with European Union treaty rights when she starts working outside the UK in any of the other EU countries. Then EEA immigration rules may apply to you, making you exempt from IHS. Until then she remains a British national and you fall under UK immigration rules.

[Wanderer]

You need to pay the surcharge I'm afraid.

Also only the sponsors income if taken into account - your's won't be.

Hello Wanderer,

Thanks for the reply, but I'm confused about the following detail I found at the gov.uk website,

When you don’t have to pay or get an IHS reference number :
you’re a family member of a European national with European Union treaty rights

(Pls check link, https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigrati ... eed-to-pay)

As I mentioned before, my wife has just obtained her British citizenship and has applied for the British passport. Comments are welcome, thanks.

Agree with Sushdmehta, your wife hasn't exercised a treaty right therefore can't use the EEA exemption.

[rhinoknight]

Thanks Sushdmehta and Wanderer......your replies were very useful indeed.