Numerous women were left stranded in the United Kingdom and gave birth during the Covid pandemic, resulting in costly bills for maternity care due to delays from the Home Office in processing their visas.
Individuals who were visiting the UK, including those with temporary visas like fiancee visas, were unable to depart from the country due to the impact of the pandemic in March 2020.
A few individuals were already expecting and had intended to go back to their native country to deliver their baby, but were unable to do so because of travel limitations. Others became pregnant while prolonging their stay in the UK.
The women claim that a statement given by former immigration minister Kevin Foster on 23 March 2020 suggested that they would not face punishment. However, the Home Office clarifies that the statement was not meant to apply to all possible situations.
Foster stated that the government acknowledged the impact on travel plans and is implementing a practical strategy to prevent individuals from being unfairly penalized due to circumstances related to the Covid-19 pandemic that are beyond their control.
The women have reported that the Home Office took too long to process their visas for staying in the UK, resulting in them having to pay fees from NHS trusts after giving birth. This occurred despite already paying the immigration health surcharge fee to cover any potential NHS treatment when they initially applied for their visas.
Maternity Action’s director, Ros Bragg, reported that the organization had handled 37 instances of women being burdened with maternity care expenses totaling tens of thousands of pounds.
According to Bragg, this policy has caused significant hardship for women who were stuck in the UK during the pandemic. It has resulted in many of them accumulating debts that they will have difficulty paying off. It is known that some women have even avoided seeking maternity care due to concerns about the high costs, putting both their own lives and their babies’ lives in danger.
“This is a poorly thought-through policy which has served only to exacerbate the difficulties faced by pregnant women in the pandemic. We need the government to focus on protecting the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies, rather than on short-term cost savings.”
In December 2019, Fang Li, a 29-year-old woman from Taiwan, traveled to the UK to visit her British boyfriend, Jamie Shields. However, she had to return to Taiwan as she had been selected for a youth mobility visa through a ballot and needed to submit her application there.
Due to the pandemic, she was unable to return home and during this time, she found out she was pregnant. Seeking legal advice, she was recommended to apply for permission to remain in the UK, which she did on 17 April 2020. This involved paying an application fee and the immigration health surcharge.
The woman received prenatal care from the NHS and delivered her daughter, Jessie Li Shields, on January 1, 2021. She was surprised when the NHS trust billed her £7,919.41, and has been disputing the charge for the past three years without success.
While the normal timescale for processing the kind of visa Li applied for is eight weeks – with an option to apply for a more expensive fast-track decision within 24 hours – it took the Home Office almost a year and a half to decide to accept her application. She argued that it was only because of the lengthy Home Office delay in processing the visa that she incurred any NHS charges at all.
Nath Gbikpi, the solicitor from Leigh Day, wrote a letter to the Home Office expressing his complaint. He argued that Ms Li would not be in debt if the Home Office had fulfilled their promises made during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Home Office responded, stating that the delays were a result of the pandemic and were not within their control.
“We do not believe that the extraordinary measures were meant to cover all unforeseen situations that customers may have encountered at that time,” stated the officials.
Li expressed her exhaustion after three years of fighting and feeling like the situation is out of her control. She was surprised by the high cost of maternity care despite already paying the health surcharge, and believes that this policy unfairly targets average individuals.
A spokesperson for the government stated that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were major limitations on public health which resulted in delays in processing leave to remain applications. As a result, some individuals were unable to access NHS services while their applications were being reviewed.
These situations were resolved as quickly as possible and individuals have the option to request a review of their case if they desire.
Source: theguardian.com
