EU students – are you eligible for an Immigration Health Surcharge refund?

On 1st January  2022 the UK government introduced a scheme to refund some EU students the Immigration Health Surcharge that they paid as part of a visa application to come to the UK.

You may qualify if:

• you’re in full-time higher education in the UK
• you have a visa that started on or after 1 January 2021
• you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued in an EU country* or Switzerland
• you live in the UK and have a UK address – this can be student accommodation

However, you will not be eligible for a refund if you work or intend to work in the UK while you study. This is because if you start paid work your EHIC may become invalid, and you will not be able to use it to access healthcare.

You can also apply for a refund for any of your dependants if:

• they are in the UK on a visa that started on or after 1 January 2021
• they have a valid EHIC
• they do not work or intend to work in the UK

You can find full details of the criteria and how to claim on the gov.uk website

If you have any questions regarding the refund, please contact our International Advice team at visas@brighton.ac.uk for further help.

*there are slightly different rules for Denmark, which you can find here

Best wishes

Student Advice Service