Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has unveiled a headline-grabbing package that would bar EU nationals—including those with settled status—from claiming universal credit and almost triple the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) to £2,718 a year. The proposals, set out on 17 November ahead of next week’s Budget, are framed as a £25 billion cost-saving measure to avoid domestic tax rises.
Under the plan, all non-citizens would lose access to most welfare benefits three months after enactment. Overseas aid would be slashed by 90 percent and every foreign national convicted of a crime deported on release—a policy Reform claims would save £580 million. Economists have already questioned the arithmetic, noting potential retaliation under the Brexit trade treaty and higher administrative costs for mass deportations.
![Reform UK pitches hard-line immigration plan: benefit ban for EU nationals and NHS surcharge tripled]()
From a mobility perspective, the eye-catcher is the IHS hike. At £2,718 per adult and £2,036 per child (assuming dependants keep the current discount), a family of four on a five-year Skilled Worker visa would face upfront health-charge costs of more than £46,000—excluding visa fees. That would push total sponsorship costs well beyond most mid-salary packages and could force employers to rethink UK assignments or shoulder the charge themselves.
Although Reform presently holds no seats in Parliament, polls show the party siphoning support from both Labour and Conservatives. Its agenda is shaping the wider debate: ministers have already increased visa fees by 7 percent this year, and further rises now appear politically easier to sell. Mobility teams should scenario-plan for additional cost-sharing discussions with assignees and monitor whether mainstream parties adopt similar funding mechanisms for the NHS.
Under the plan, all non-citizens would lose access to most welfare benefits three months after enactment. Overseas aid would be slashed by 90 percent and every foreign national convicted of a crime deported on release—a policy Reform claims would save £580 million. Economists have already questioned the arithmetic, noting potential retaliation under the Brexit trade treaty and higher administrative costs for mass deportations.
From a mobility perspective, the eye-catcher is the IHS hike. At £2,718 per adult and £2,036 per child (assuming dependants keep the current discount), a family of four on a five-year Skilled Worker visa would face upfront health-charge costs of more than £46,000—excluding visa fees. That would push total sponsorship costs well beyond most mid-salary packages and could force employers to rethink UK assignments or shoulder the charge themselves.
Although Reform presently holds no seats in Parliament, polls show the party siphoning support from both Labour and Conservatives. Its agenda is shaping the wider debate: ministers have already increased visa fees by 7 percent this year, and further rises now appear politically easier to sell. Mobility teams should scenario-plan for additional cost-sharing discussions with assignees and monitor whether mainstream parties adopt similar funding mechanisms for the NHS.
