Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Thursday that the taxes and health surcharges paid by visa applicants from around the world, including Indians, to the UK’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS) are due to climb significantly to meet the country’s public sector wage hike.
The British Indian leader, who was pressured to accept the proposal of an independent pay review for teachers, police officers, junior doctors, and other public sector workers, confirmed a salary increase of 5 to 7% across the board.
He emphasized, however, that this would not be addressed with increased government borrowing for fear of further fuelling rising inflation, and that the expenses would have to be found elsewhere.
“All of those fees are going up, and that will raise over GBP 1 billion, so visa application fees are going to go up significantly across the board, and similarly for the IHS”, he continued.
Mr. Sunak stressed that this was entirely correct, as these fees had not been raised in a long time, and the government believes it is appropriate given that prices had risen since the last increase.
The second step in meeting the country’s greater wage bill is to request that government departments reprioritize.
He maintained that this would not imply employment or service cuts, but rather a shift in priorities.
The IHS, which applies to long-term migrants to the UK and includes a student discount, ranges from roughly GBP 470 for a year to hundreds of pounds for multiple-year visa applications.
The UK Home Office is scheduled to lay out the full specifics of which visa categories will face hikes and when the new higher prices will go into effect in the coming months.
The Sunak-led Conservative Party government has been under severe pressure due to salary disputes in the public sector, which have resulted in a series of strikes affecting schools and hospitals over the last year.
Indeed, junior physicians in England went on strike for a fifth day on Thursday after their demands for a 35% wage increase were refused.
Mr. Sunak warned in his wage announcement that his offer was final and that further industrial action would not change his mind.
“There will be no more salary negotiations. We will not renegotiate this year’s settlements, and no number of strikes will change our minds. Instead, the agreement struck today provides a fair path to terminate the strikes. A fair deal for workers and the British taxpayer”, he stated.
He praised teachers’ unions’ support, saying the government’s offer will allow teachers and school administrators to end their protest and restart normal relations.
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