Do I qualify for NHS on a working holiday visa?

Hello everyone,

I was recently granted a WHM visa and plan on making my way across the pond late September.

I have to-date received so much conflicting information about whether or not I qualify for the NHS upon my arrival. Do you recommend that I buy travel health insurance (travel cuts seems to have a good rate) or is that just redundant in the event that I do qualify for NHS.

Any advice/ideas where to look on the NHS website is most appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

You will be paying tax in the UK on your WHM visa, so yes, you qualify for the NHS health care. You simply need to register with your local doctor once you arrive. Google "find a doctor in the UK" or "find a doctor NSH" and you'll get the right website. The NHS website is where you can find your local doctor, by just typing in your postal code. Call them first to make an initial appt.

If you don't register with a doctor, then you will have to go to the hospital if you get sick. So register before you actually need the doctor.

Also, if you plan to travel outside of the UK, then you should get health insurance to cover those countries. I paid 50 pounds for year round coverage, world wide with Atlas. They were fine. Don't bother getting your health insurance while you are still in Canada as they charge WAY too much. BUT if you do die while you are in the UK, and you have UK health insurance for traveling around Europe, then your body won't be shipped back to Canada, but to the UK. That's the downside.

I hope this helps! Are you a teacher by any chance?

Thanks for the reply CC. Finally have an answer to my question! Your response completely helped. I will wait to get travel insurance for the year too.

No, not a teacher I'm an information professional (working mainly in the fundraising/executive search sectors the past several years). I am ageing out of the WHM program and thought it's now or never. I quit my job a few weeks ago, gave up my apt. and bought a plane ticket. It's all very very exciting. I can't wait to get to London (which is where I plan to land) and set up a 'new life' for a couple of years.

Thanks again for your response. Very much appreciated.

Yes you do, although if your employer is Canadian you can choose not to pay NI, so I'm not sure in that situation if you still qualify for it. I'd be surprised if you didn't though.

Unlike Canada the healthcare system is not nationalised in the UK, so you can choose to use private hospitals and GPs. Employers often have a scheme you can pay into so that you can. (e.g. BUPA)

Thanks Steve for the additional info. I'm not being sponsored/work transfered so it's really great to know that I am at minimum covered for healthcare in case I need to see a doctor.

Thanks again!

BUT if you do die while you are in the UK, and you have UK health insurance for traveling around Europe, then your body won't be shipped back to Canada, but to the UK. That's the downside.

hahaha! i didn't think to consider that when i purchased travel insurance in the uk. oh well. my family will have to pay to ship my dead body back to canada. suckers.

This is great, few days ago I purchased travel insurance from travel cuts. I thought I wasn’t covered by NHS. I applied my WHM visa through SWAP. I can’t believe they didn’t tell me that I was already covered.

When i was first traveling over here on WHM visa, i was going to get travel cuts insurance as well, untill the salesman informed me that it does not apply if you are not covered by manitoba health (don't know if it's the same with other proviences). When i contacted manitoba health they informed me that they would only cover me for the first 3 months that i was out of canada as i was planning on being gone for about 2 years. So if you are from manitoba, or if your provincial medical is the same watch out buying extra health insurance. Plus as stated earlier if you are working you have to pay NI and therefore do have access to basic medical (NHS) I am quite happy to find this out as now I am pregnant and very much in need of the health system.