On 4 February, Huck Magazine published an article about the extortionate visa fees and interviewed several Migrant Voice members who work in the NHS about the impact of the fees on their daily lives.
MV member Folsade shares how she works all the hours she can, including night shifts, yet she is still in debt from the fees and can’t afford to help her son to go to university. “I don’t know why the Government finds it difficult to care for the people that care for other people.”
MV member Shantel also has to work long hours to pay her visa fees. She estimates to have already paid over £15,000 with more to come. The fees go up all the time. Shantel was shocked when the NHS surcharge came in as she said that many “migrants are stuck in low-paid work as it is”.
Migrant Voice Director Nazek Ramadan told Huck Magazine that it seems migrants are “being penalised for working and contributing to the nation.”