# IHS Payment Needed



## ksawicz (Oct 1, 2015)

Hello Expats,

My wife and I applied for the Spouse Visa last week, Friday the 9th of October. Today (Oct 16) I received an email stating:

"Unfortunately, the processing of your application has not been straightforward and we will be unable to decide your application within our customer service targets. We are continuing to work on your application and aim to make a decision as soon as possible."

This email was followed by another stating that I needed to pay my Immigration Health Surcharge before the 27th or my application will be refused. It then provided an email address to contact with my name, GWF number, and the amount paid.

We paid the surcharge on the 6th and received two emails, one stating the IHS reference number and another stating that my payment was confirmed. In our application, we included the email confirming the payment, which I then believed to be the correct document. On closer inspection after this incident, the reference number email explicitly stated it was to be included in the application.

Today I just checked the IHS website where I made the payment. Upon logging in, my application had no reference number and I had the option to 'resume' it. I followed the link, and the page said there was an error and the website was experiencing technical problems.

None of the emails I received today recognized in any way that I had already paid the IHS fee or that I included the IHS receipt in my application.

My questions:

1. How should we proceed? How can we best word the email?

My current plan is to email the Visa Authorities PDFs of the reference number email (6th) as well as another copy of the receipt email (6th) and a screenshot of my bank statement showing the payment was processed.

2. How will this affect the speed of our application process? We paid for priority settlement service.

3. These new emails (16th) make no mention of us having paid the IHS. Does this mean I will have to pay it again? There was no way of stating 'this email was sent in error' or anything to that effect.


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## nic2uk2015 (Oct 4, 2015)

I think it's not so complicated. Tell them you paid your IHS fee. Give them the IHS reference number and any other information they asked for. I believe they only need the IHS number and they will know it's paid. You should not pay it again.


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## ksawicz (Oct 1, 2015)

Thanks for your response.

We reviewed what we sent to them initially, and the IHS reference number was included in our documents. Is it possible they are looking for more information or something other than that?


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## nic2uk2015 (Oct 4, 2015)

My only advice is to send them exactly what they asked for. Joppa or Nyclon will be able to answer definitively. They'll be along soon enough.


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## ksawicz (Oct 1, 2015)

That is exactly the trouble though. They didn't ask us for anything but a payment we have already made, and the reference number was on a document we already submitted.


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## ksawicz (Oct 1, 2015)

Does anyone have experience of this or can offer advice? 
I'm very concerned that our IHS number was blank when I checked their website.


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## blueskies2day (Jun 12, 2015)

ksawicz said:


> Does anyone have experience of this or can offer advice?
> I'm very concerned that our IHS number was blank when I checked their website.


Please can somebody help? 

This is my husband's thread and I am just as worried.

When we log into the IHS portal, our 'reference number' field is blank and there is a button to 'resume' our application. If we click that, we receive an 'error' message which says there is a problem with their website. 

We paid for the IHS online the very day we submitted the visa online application, before my husband's biometrics appointment. The money left our bank account. On the same day, we received an IHS reference number and payment receipt via email. 

Last Friday, the 'pay the IHS now' email stated that if we do not do this before 27th Oct, our application will be rejected. *But we have paid.*

We forwarded our IHS reference number email and payment receipt via email to Sheffield yesterday. No reply or acknowledgement. 

Can we do anything else? Have we done everything we need to do? Can we be rejected over this?

Please, please can someone help/advise or reassure. This is making me sick with worry.


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## nic2uk2015 (Oct 4, 2015)

From what I know, if you paid your IHS with the visa application, you do not go about using the IHS payment site in the usual way. Therefore, if you go to the IHS site to make a payment it will not read correctly. This is as far as I'm aware.

You paid the fee and have an IHS number, receipt, and you've now sent it to the immigration ECO, and you have proven you have paid. Thats all they wanted. There is nothing more you can do. Don't panic, be patient, and wait to hear back. The application process is nerve wracking for us all. I'm sure you sent them what they wanted. Now relax.


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## blueskies2day (Jun 12, 2015)

Thank you, nic2uk2015. 

I'm just panicking because Sheffield haven't responded to our email submission of the payment proof. (Sent on Sunday). I'm worried they haven't got it or it's slipped through the cracks in their system, or that they wouldn't get back in touch if they needed something extra and they'd just reject us outright at their deadline. 

Or... well.... anything I could possibly worry about really. If I can worry about it right now, I will. 

Thanks for your reassurance.


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## nic2uk2015 (Oct 4, 2015)

Remember that it's a government organization. Things take 3x the amount of time they should.  Try not to worry.


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## ksawicz (Oct 1, 2015)

*Update*

Hi Expats, 

Just as an update and in case anyone has a similar issue in the future: my visa application was rejected. Although the entirety of my application was fine and in order, the ECO commented that:
_
"As part of your visa application you are required to pay a Health Surcharge payment of GBP600. You were advised by email on 16/10/2015 that this payment must be made by 27/10/2015. That date has now passed and you have not made the required payment. Your application is therefore refused under Paragraph 6(1) c(i) of the Immigration (Health Charge) Order 2015. 

I have therefore refused your application because I am not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that you meet all of the requirements of the relevant Paragraph of the United Kingdom Immigration Rules."_

When I got the email requesting that I made the IHS payment, I forwarded both my IHS confirmation email and my Worldpay payment confirmation email to the IHS email provided by Sheffield. A couple of days later, I contacted HGS and my case was escalated. When I received no response from either HGS or Sheffield, I forwarded our confirmation emails once more. 

I have no idea what else I could have done to satisfy the ECO that I paid the surcharge. I think there must have been a technical issue with the IHS payment website or something, which means that they don't have a record of my payment.

I will start a new thread asking for suggestions on how to proceed. Hopefully someone can advise.


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## nic2uk2015 (Oct 4, 2015)

Oh no! What else could you have done? I would be contacting them for some reevaluation or aomething. Terrible for you that this haopened! I'm sorry to hear it.


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## blueskies2day (Jun 12, 2015)

Quick update and some good news:

The refusal of entry clearance decision has been overturned and my husband has been asked to return his passport to Sheffield for them to affix the vignette. 

UKVI admitted they made two mistakes in the processing of our application: not recognising our original IHS payment, and then misspelling the email address to which they requested we send our proof of payment (so they didn't receive our emails).


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## Whatshouldwedo (Sep 29, 2013)

blueskies2day said:


> Quick update and some good news: The refusal of entry clearance decision has been overturned and my husband has been asked to return his passport to Sheffield for them to affix the vignette. UKVI admitted they made two mistakes in the processing of our application: not recognising our original IHS payment, and then misspelling the email address to which they requested we send our proof of payment (so they didn't receive our emails).


Excellent news!


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