Maraming visa applicants ang nagbabayad ng malaking halaga para sa Immigration Health Surcharge o IHS. Kaya kapag na-refuse ang application, na-withdraw, nabawasan ang visa period, o nagkaroon ng double payment, isa sa unang tanong ay:

“Paano ko mare-refund ang IHS ko?”

Ang magandang balita: sa maraming situations, automatic ang IHS refund. Hindi mo kailangang gumawa agad ng separate refund application.

Pero may ibang klase ng IHS reimbursement na kailangang i-claim, particularly for certain eligible health and care workers, students and other specific categories.

Kaya importanteng malaman muna kung anong klaseng refund ang applicable sa iyo.

Ano ang IHS?

Ang Immigration Health Surcharge o IHS ay binabayaran ng maraming visa applicants bilang bahagi ng UK immigration application.

Kapag applicable sa iyo ang IHS at nabayaran ito, you can generally access NHS healthcare during your period of immigration permission, although may NHS services pa rin na may separate charges, tulad ng prescriptions, dental treatment at eye tests.

Sa kasalukuyang rates, ang IHS ay generally:

• £1,035 per year para sa karamihan ng adult immigration applicants; at
• £776 per year para sa students, kanilang dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme applicants, at applicants under 18.

Kaya kung family application, madaling umabot sa several thousands of pounds ang IHS.

Kailan Ka Makakakuha ng FULL IHS Refund?

1. Na-refuse ang visa application mo

Kung unsuccessful ang visa application, normally refundable ang IHS.

Importante: ang visa application fee at IHS ay magkaibang payment.

Hindi dahil refundable ang IHS ay refundable na rin automatically ang visa application fee.

2. Winithdraw mo ang visa application bago magkaroon ng decision

Kung nag-apply ka ng visa at nag-withdraw bago pa magkaroon ng decision, normally the IHS will be refunded.

3. Dalawang beses kang nagbayad ng IHS

Kung nagkaroon ng duplicate payment for the same application, normally refundable ang duplicate IHS payment.

Kailan Ka Makakakuha ng PARTIAL IHS Refund?

Hindi lahat ng refund ay full.

1. Mas maikli ang visa na binigay kaysa sa binayaran mo

Halimbawa, nagbayad ka ng IHS based on a longer period pero mas maikling visa lang ang na-grant.

The excess IHS may be refunded.

2. Na-refuse ang isang dependant

Halimbawa, family application ito.

Na-approve ang main applicant at ibang dependants pero na-refuse ang isang child or spouse.

Normally, ang IHS relating to the refused applicant ang mare-refund.

3. Nag-extend o nag-switch ka ng visa at nag-overlap ang IHS

Ito ang isang situation na maraming applicants ang hindi napapansin.

Halimbawa, may existing visa ka pa na may IHS coverage pero nag-apply ka ng bagong visa from inside the UK at nagbayad ulit ng IHS.

Kung nag-overlap ang dalawang periods, maaaring magkaroon ng partial refund.

Usually, kailangan at least 6 months ang overlapping period para magkaroon ng refund.

Ang refund is generally calculated in 6-month blocks.

Halimbawa:

15 months ang overlapping period.

The refundable period would normally be 12 months.

Kung less than 6 months lang ang overlap, normally walang refund for that overlapping period.

Paano Mag-apply ng IHS Refund?

Ito ang pinakamahalagang distinction.

A. Ordinary Visa-Related IHS Refunds

Kung ang refund mo ay dahil sa:

• visa refusal;
• withdrawal before decision;
• duplicate IHS payment;
• shorter visa granted; o
• qualifying overlapping IHS payments,

normally HINDI mo kailangang gumawa ng separate refund application.

Automatic dapat itong i-process.

The refund will normally be returned to the same card or payment method used when the IHS was originally paid.

Kung ibang tao ang nagbayad — halimbawa spouse, relative, employer o solicitor — normally sa payment method na ginamit sa original transaction babalik ang refund.

B. NHSBSA IHS Reimbursement

May separate reimbursement system para sa certain eligible applicants, particularly some health and care workers and other qualifying categories.

Sa ganitong cases, maaaring kailangan mong gumawa ng actual reimbursement claim rather than simply waiting for an automatic Home Office refund.

This is the link: https://ukvi.mysecurepay.co.uk/refund

For relevant NHSBSA IHS reimbursement enquiries, you may contact:

ihsreimbursements@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

UK telephone support:

0300 330 7693

Important: Huwag basta gamitin ang NHSBSA reimbursement email para sa ordinary visa refusal refund.

Kung na-refuse ang visa mo at entitled ka sa refund, normally automatic ang process.

The NHSBSA reimbursement route is primarily for specific reimbursement schemes.

Gaano Katagal ang IHS Refund?

For ordinary eligible visa-related refunds, the refund is usually expected within around 6 weeks of the relevant visa decision.

Kung nag-withdraw ka before a decision, normally around the same period ang expected processing time.

Pero may situations na mas matagal, particularly kung:

• may Administrative Review;
• may immigration appeal;
• nagbago ang payment card or bank details; o
• kailangan pang ma-confirm ang eligibility.

Lumampas na ng 6 Weeks — Ano ang Gagawin?

Kung entitled ka sa automatic refund pero lumampas na sa expected processing period, you should follow up with UKVI.

Prepare the following information:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• IHS reference number
• Unique Application Number or UAN
• Visa application/reference number
• Date of IHS payment
• Amount paid
• Date of visa decision
• Reason why you believe a refund is due
• Evidence of payment, if available

There are also UKVI contact routes for refund-related enquiries.

If you use a paid UKVI contact service, always check the current GOV.UK information first because contact charges and procedures can change.

Sample Email for IHS Refund / Reimbursement

Kung ang iyong case ay one of the categories requiring NHSBSA reimbursement, maaari mong gamitin ang template sa ibaba.

Copy, paste, and complete the missing information:

To: ihsreimbursements@nhsbsa.nhs.uk

Subject: Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) Refund / Reimbursement Request

Dear IHS Reimbursements Team,

I am writing to request assistance regarding the refund/reimbursement of my Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).

My details are as follows:

Full Name: [YOUR FULL NAME]

Date of Birth: [DD/MM/YYYY]

IHS Reference Number: [IHSXXXXXXXXX]

Visa Application / UAN Reference: [REFERENCE NUMBER]

Visa Type: [TYPE OF VISA]

Date IHS Paid: [DATE]

Amount of IHS Paid: £[AMOUNT]

Date of Visa Decision: [DATE, IF APPLICABLE]

Reason for Refund/Reimbursement:

[Briefly explain why you believe you are entitled to reimbursement — for example, eligible health and care worker reimbursement, student reimbursement, or another applicable reimbursement category.]

I believe that I am eligible for a refund/reimbursement of the IHS paid and would be grateful if you could check the status of my case and confirm whether any further information or documents are required.

I have attached the relevant documents in support of my request, where applicable.

Please confirm receipt of this email and advise me of the next steps.

Kind regards,

[YOUR FULL NAME]

[EMAIL ADDRESS]

[TELEPHONE NUMBER]

Important: Automatic Refund ba o Kailangan Mong Mag-email?

Before sending an email, identify muna kung anong klaseng refund ang hinahanap mo.

Kung visa refusal, withdrawal, duplicate payment or ordinary overlap refund:

Normally automatic.

Kung specific NHS reimbursement scheme for qualifying health/care workers, students or another eligible category:

You may need to submit a claim or contact NHSBSA.

Huwag pagsamahin ang dalawang processes dahil magkaiba ang Home Office refund at NHSBSA reimbursement.

Paano Kung Nagsara o Nagbago ang Bank Account?

Kung closed na ang original bank account or expired/replaced na ang card na ginamit sa payment, contact the relevant authority.

Do not assume na lost na ang refund.

Banks can sometimes redirect refunds associated with replaced cards, but if there is a problem, you may need to provide updated information.

Never send complete card numbers, passwords, PINs or online banking credentials by ordinary email.

Kailan HINDI Mare-refund ang IHS?

Normally, hindi ka entitled to an IHS refund simply because:

• successful ang visa pero nag-decide kang hindi pumunta sa UK;
• umalis ka sa UK before your visa expired;
• hindi mo ginamit ang NHS;
• mayroon kang private medical insurance;
• nag-withdraw ka after ma-grant ang visa; o
• your immigration permission ended early for reasons that do not fall within the refund rules.

“Hindi Ko Naman Ginamit ang NHS — Pwede Ko Bang I-refund?”

Generally, no.

Ang IHS is not calculated according to how many times you went to a GP or hospital.

Hindi ito parang private health insurance na kapag hindi nagamit ay automatically ibabalik ang premium.

Your entitlement to refund depends on the immigration and reimbursement rules, not simply whether or not you actually used NHS services.

Special Refunds para sa Health and Care Workers

May separate arrangements para sa certain health and social care workers.

Some eligible health and care workers who paid IHS may qualify for reimbursement.

Depending on your immigration route and employment circumstances, you may need to show that you:

• paid the IHS;
• worked in an eligible health or care setting;
• worked for the qualifying period;
• met the required working hours; at
• meet the other eligibility requirements.

Eligible dependants may also qualify in certain circumstances.

This is different from an automatic refund because of visa refusal.

Students and Other Special Categories

Certain students and people whose healthcare is funded through qualifying European healthcare arrangements may also be eligible for IHS reimbursement.

For example, certain students with qualifying EHIC arrangements may potentially claim reimbursement if they meet all the applicable requirements.

There are also separate arrangements involving S1 healthcare certificates.

These categories are technical, so do not assume that simply being a student or holding an EHIC automatically means you are entitled to a refund.

IHS Refund at Visa Application Fee Refund ay Magkaiba

Ito ang isa sa pinaka-importanteng points.

Suppose nagbayad ka ng:

Visa application fee: £1,500

IHS: £3,105

Then na-refuse ang application.

The £3,105 IHS may normally be refundable.

Pero the £1,500 application fee is not automatically refundable just because the visa was refused.

Separate rules apply to the immigration application fee.

Example

Si Maria ay nag-apply ng UK partner visa.

Nagbayad siya ng:

Visa fee, plus

more than £3,000 in IHS.

Unfortunately, na-refuse ang application.

Understandably, akala niya nawala na lahat ng binayaran niya.

Pero hindi necessarily.

Although the visa application fee may not be refundable, the IHS should normally be refunded if the application was refused.

Hindi rin normally kailangan ni Maria na gumawa agad ng separate IHS refund application.

She should first wait for the automatic refund.

Kung lumampas na sa expected period at wala pa ring refund, saka siya dapat mag-follow up with UKVI.

Bottom Line

Kung nagbayad ka ng IHS at may nangyari sa immigration application mo, huwag agad isipin na forfeited na ang pera.

You may potentially be entitled to:

• full IHS refund;
• partial refund;
• automatic refund;
• overlap refund; or
• special NHSBSA reimbursement.

The important questions are:

Ano ang nangyari sa visa application?

Na-refuse ba?

Na-withdraw ba before decision?

Nagkaroon ba ng duplicate payment?

May overlapping visa ba?

Mas maikli ba ang visa na na-grant?

Health or care worker ka ba?

Student ka ba under a qualifying reimbursement scheme?

In a family immigration application, several people may have paid IHS, kaya the amount involved can easily run into thousands of pounds.

Kung entitled ka sa refund, malaking halaga rin ang maaaring maibalik.

Always keep your:

• IHS reference number;
• visa application reference;
• payment confirmation;
• Home Office decision letter; at
• bank/card payment evidence.

These documents can become very important if you later need to trace or challenge a missing IHS refund.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration rules, IHS rates, refund procedures and contact arrangements can change. Individual circumstances should be assessed separately.

Magsino Solicitors don@magsinosolicitors.com
Solicitors in England & Wales
SRA No. 8014444