Nhs debt

[Porty1]

Hi,
I am currently on a tier 4 visa and will be getting married soon and applying for a spousal visa. On going through th eligibility, It States that owing money to nhs will result in refusal. How do I know if I owe money to nhs as I have never had any hospital treatment. I am registered with a gp and I do go in for appointments sometimes and get prescription ( mostly for acne) but I never pay for the prescriptions as I was told nhs is free for students. All I have gotten under nhs is free prescription and would like to know if that makes me owe money to nhs. Thank you.

[Petaltop]

Hi,
I am currently on a tier 4 visa and will be getting married soon and applying for a spousal visa. On going through th eligibility, It States that owing money to nhs will result in refusal. How do I know if I owe money to nhs as I have never had any hospital treatment. I am registered with a gp and I do go in for appointments sometimes and get prescription ( mostly for acne) but I never pay for the prescriptions as I was told nhs is free for students. All I have gotten under nhs is free prescription and would like to know if that makes me owe money to nhs. Thank you.

On a Tier 4 visa you were allowed to use the NHS for free.

[Deewani]

U must be lying when filling the back of the prescription....as only the following are allowed free medicines::::::::


You can get free NHS prescriptions if, at the time the prescription is dispensed, you:
are 60 or over
are under 16
are 16-18 and in full-time education
are pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months and have a valid maternity exemption certificate (MatEx)
have a specified medical condition and have a valid medical exemption certificate (MedEx)
have a continuing physical disability that prevents you from going out without help from another person and have a valid MedEx
hold a valid war pension exemption certificate and the prescription is for your accepted disability
are an NHS inpatient

You are also entitled to free prescriptions if you or your partner (including civil partners) are named on, or are entitled to, an NHS tax credit exemption certificate or a valid HC2 certificate (full help with health costs), or you receive either:
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or
Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
Universal Credit
NASS support

[Petaltop]

U must be lying when filling the back of the prescription....as only the following are allowed free medicines::::::::

Ah, I missed the bit about not paying for his prescriptions. NHS rates for medication but you had to pay that rate for each item.

What did you tick to say you should get your prescriptions for free?

[Wanderer]

Aren't prescriptions free in Scotland? OP could be in Scotland....

[Casa]

....or Wales and Northern Ireland. Free there too.

[Porty1]

Initially i did pay for my prescriptions which was always £7.40 i think but a friend told me i didn't have and all i had to do was tick one of the options and i can get it free which i did. But on reading extensively i realised i had been misinformed. I have had very few prescription in which i didn't pay for and just want to know if that will affect my application in any way and how i can make the payments as this would be less than £50 as most prescription was for acne and nothing more. And i am based in England and not Scotland. Thanks

[Petaltop]

Initially i did pay for my prescriptions which was always £7.40 i think but a friend told me i didn't have and all i had to do was tick one of the options and i can get it free which i did. But on reading extensively i realised i had been misinformed. I have had very few prescription in which i didn't pay for and just want to know if that will affect my application in any way and how i can make the payments as this would be less than £50 as most prescription was for acne and nothing more. And i am based in England and not Scotland. Thanks

What you did was fraud. You will need to contact the NHS and will most likely have to pay a Penalty Charge, which will be a fine of five times the amount of money you owe (maximum of £100) plus the cost of the prescriptions that you should have paid for. This is a civil fine and you will have 28 days to pay from when the Penalty Charge is issued.

If checks at a later date reveals your fraud (instead of you telling them what you did) then they can take you to court and prosecute you under a criminal offence. This carries a maximum fine of £2,500 but if you are under immmigration control then your conviction for fraud can affect your Good Character requirement.