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Overseas visitors who fail to pay off their debts
for NHS treatment will soon be denied permission to
enter or stay in the UK, Immigration Minister Damian
Green has announced.
Changes to the Immigration Rules were laid in
Parliament today, meaning that those subject to
immigration control who fail to settle an
outstanding bill of £1,000 or more will not be
allowed to enter or remain in the UK until the debt
is paid off.
Damian Green said:
'The NHS is designed
to meet the healthcare needs of the UK and we won't
tolerate abuse of this service.
'We welcome overseas
visitors, but those who use NHS facilities need to
pay for them, or they will be barred from coming
here.
'It's very simple -
pay up or you won't be welcome in the UK.'
The NHS will provide
information that will enable the UK Border Agency to
identify the debtors and - when they apply to return
to or remain in the UK - to refuse their
applications. The information sharing arrangements
are being phased in over the coming months.
It is hoped that the
£1,000 threshold will capture 94 per cent of
outstanding charges owed to the NHS.
*Extract from:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2011/october/19health-tourists-nhs
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