U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declared a rise in immigration fees and the health surcharge paid by immigrants in response to pressure following an independent evaluation of remuneration for public sector workers.
To pay for the public sector salary increase, the fees and health surcharge—which go toward the National Health Service (NHS), which is supported by the state—will be greatly increased. Visa applications from all across the world are impacted by this decision.
He made sure to underline that more money wouldn’t mean more debt for the government or more taxes. The burden would have to be distributed elsewhere, he said, to make up for the pay increase.
Mr. Sunak clarified that given that these costs have not lately increased, this was “absolutely right.”
Increasing pressure and disagreements over public sector wages have led to strikes in various schools and hospitals. He said in a tweet that he had revealed a just method of ending the strikes.
In order to pay for the increased salary bill in addition to these adjustments, government agencies will be urged to review their expenditure priorities. The PM made it clear that this reallocation does not entail employment losses or a scaling back of services, but rather a reorientation towards new areas of focus.
With considerable increase in visa application fees and the immigration health surcharge (IHS), Mr. Sunak estimates that such changes will raise over £1 billion.