Question

Question about UK visa application and previous HIV care

3 October 2023. Related: Access to treatment, All topics, Travel.

Hello, I was in the UK for 3 months I tourist status, but I had an issue with my HIV pills and request from my home country to UK was almost impossible.

I went to a London HIV clinic and ask for options and they told me for free they can provide me the pills and attention. So I decide choose that. Once I finish my travel let the clinic know I will go back to my country.

Now I will move to UK for study, and in the visa application there’s a question if I had received any medical treatment in the UK. Do I need to say yes because I received HIV care?

I am afraid that could be a factor for my visa get refused as they never charged anything or ask me for pay during my process there so I’m not sure what happens.

Will the fact that I received HIV pills be a factor that can be used for denied my visa or is it something that doesn’t affect my visa. Thanks

Answer

Answer: Simon Collins

Hi there

HIV testing, treatment and monitoring is free to anyone in the UK, even if they are not a permanent resident.

This is why the clinic could help you when you were visiting and had a problem.

HIV care is also provided confidentially. So, unless the clinic included your passport details, there should not be any link to your records. If the clinic did include your passport details – which they do NOT need to do -this might be a reason to declare the NHS care that you had here.

HIV status is not part of any visa application and no-one needs to take an HIV tests to travel to the UK, or for any application to stay here.

This means that that your pervious HIV care here should not matter either way.

As a caution, this is informal advice as i-Base provides treatment information rather than information about immigration and visa’s.

Please contact an orgnisation like THT or NAT for questions about UK visa’s.

Please also check your email as I sent additional information in an email reply.