The government’s announcement last week that it would award public sector workers wage increases in line with the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies came with a sting in its tail. It was the minimum that teachers, police officers and doctors – who have seen their real pay decline over the past decade – should have been able to expect. But not only have ministers failed to rule out that these pay rises will be paid for with public service cuts elsewhere; they have said they will be partly funded through huge increases in the fees levied on migrant workers.
The immigrant NHS surcharge will now increase by more than £400 to just over £1,000 per person per year. Immigration and nationality fees are also being put up by 15% to 20%. A family of four moving to the UK will now be liable for fees of at least £33,000 over five years in order to permanently settle here; this is significantly higher than the equivalent fees and charges in many other European countries and the United States. These inflated charges will almost certainly apply to people who have already moved here and who won’t have budgeted for them, and will particularly hit those workers who are accompanied by family members.
