NHS old charges impact visit entry in uk immigration border

[spreekhan]

I have a question for a friend: His mother came to visit him in UK from Canada on visit visa in Pakistani passport 4 years ago and got hospitalised in NHS. NHS send her a bill of c£11K to his mother which she did not pay due to affordability. She is now planning to come to UK again but this time on Canadian passport as she now got Canadian nationality. My question is will she be questioned and/or denied entry to UK at the airport as i am told NHS does send this information to immigration? What are the options she have now as she still cannot pay such huge amount and is 75 years old. Many thanks in advance for serious comments.

[meself2]

See for example this freemovement article: https://freemovement.org.uk/general-gro ... to_the_NHS

[JB007]

I have a question for a friend: His mother came to visit him in UK from Canada on visit visa in Pakistani passport 4 years ago and got hospitalised in NHS. NHS send her a bill of c£11K to his mother which she did not pay due to affordability. She is now planning to come to UK again but this time on Canadian passport as she now got Canadian nationality. My question is will she be questioned and/or denied entry to UK at the airport as i am told NHS does send this information to immigration? What are the options she have now as she still cannot pay such huge amount and is 75 years old. Many thanks in advance for serious comments.

The NHS have to tell UKVI of NHS debt of £500 and over. Why didn't she use her travel insurance to pay?

If it was NHS England, they are not allowed to waive the debt.

Did you friend set up a repayment plan with the NHS to pay his mother's debt? And has he kept to it?

[secret.simon]

Canadian passport holders can use the E-gates and not even interact with Border Force officials, unless her Canadian passport is placed on a blocked list or the passport RFID chip is not working.

She should try avoid accessing NHS resources on her visits, as otherwise her Canadian passport details will be sent over to the Home Office and that passport may get flagged up.

Her UK based child should look at arranging private health insurance for her while in the UK.

[JB007]

Canadian passport holders can use the E-gates and not even interact with Border Force officials, unless her Canadian passport is placed on a blocked list or the passport RFID chip is not working.

I read in one of the NHS guidances, that the Home Office is advised of the NHS debt and they use the advance passenger flight details to be there to meet them when they arrive back in the UK.

It's quite sad that her UK resident son has allowed his mother to become a debtor. It reads like he didn't bother buying travel insurance for his mother?

[JB007]

There is some more here that might be relevant-

Suitability: Debt to the NHS

Page 9

You must only consider refusing an application for entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay on the basis of NHS debt if the NHS debt information has been supplied or confirmed by an NHS body. For an NHS debt to appear on an applicant’s immigration record, the NHS body must have reported the debt to the Home Office through the monthly return.

Page 10

Where there is an NHS debt, the individual’s biographical details, amount owed, and the NHS body or bodies to whom the debt is owed will be shown on the Home Office System.

Page 11

When an NHS body has notified the Home Office that an individual is the subject of an NHS Debt, this will be recorded on Atlas by Interventions, Sanctions and Compliance by creating an NHS Debtor case card. The NHS Debtor case card is visible on the Atlas Person Summary View and will contain information relating to the NHS debt, including the amount owed and the NHS body where the debt was incurred.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... he_NHS.pdf

[spreekhan]

Thanks for your feedback but can I ask, if my friend organise monthly instalment now and start paying that will they allow her to enter Uk on that basis? Or as it’s already in arrears they will demand full debt cleared before she can enter in uk?

[AmazonianX]

Thanks for your feedback but can I ask, if my friend organise monthly instalment now and start paying that will they allow her to enter Uk on that basis? Or as it’s already in arrears they will demand full debt cleared before she can enter in uk?

MO, if a repayment plan is in place and being adhered to, it looks better than leaving things to chance

[Frontier Mole]

I very much doubt that entry would be granted with any amount outstanding given the previous circumstances. I feel the only possible way to gain entry would to have paid the entire balance.

[JB007]

The repayment plan should have been set up 4 years ago and kept to. If that had been done within the 2 months of her stay in hospital, his mother's debt would not have been reported to the Home Office and the debt would have been cleared by now.

Setting up a repayment plan now and then wanting to enter the UK, could likely be seen as trying to use the NHS again when she visits and not paying her bill again (adding to the debt she already owes).

[JB007]

I have a question for a friend: His mother came to visit him in UK from Canada on visit visa in Pakistani passport 4 years ago and got hospitalised in NHS. NHS send her a bill of c£11K to his mother which she did not pay due to affordability.

4 years ago you were asking about how your mother could visit the UK and if she could get free treatment for her kidney failure while she was in the UK.
general-uk-immigration-forum/mother-vis ... l#p1768502

Is this present question about your mother again? And not the mother of your "friend"?