Visa fees for visitors, students to go up starting October 4

The government has confirmed that an upcoming increase in visa fees will come into effect on October 4.

Under the new pricing structure, visit visas for stays under six months will incur an additional cost of GBP 15, while student visas will see an increase of GBP 127 for applicants worldwide, including those from India.

Following legislation tabled in Parliament on Friday (15), the Home Office said the changes mean that the cost for a visit visa for less than six months will rise to GBP 115 and the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK will rise to GBP 490 – to equal the amount charged for in-country applications.

It comes after prime minister Rishi Sunak had announced in July that the fees and health surcharge paid towards the UK's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) by visa applicants are set to rise “significantly” to meet the country's public sector wage increase.

“We are going to increase the charges that we have for migrants who are coming to this country when they apply for visas and indeed something called the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which is the levy that they pay to access the NHS,” he said at the time.

“All of those fees are going to go up and that will raise over GBP 1 billion, so across the board visa application fees are going to go up significantly and similarly for the IHS,” he said.

The Home Office indicated a 15 per cent increase in the cost of most work and visit visas, and an increase of at least 20 per cent in the cost of priority visas, study visas and certificates of sponsorship.

“Income from fees charged plays a vital role in the Home Office's ability to run a sustainable immigration and nationality system. Careful consideration is given when setting fees to help reduce the funding contribution from British taxpayers, whilst continuing to provide a service that remains attractive to those wishing to work in the UK and support broader prosperity for all,” the Home Office said this week.

The hike in fees applies across most visa categories, including health and care visa; applications to register and naturalise as a British citizen; fees for up to six months, two, five and 10-year visit visas.

The hike also applies for the majority of fees for entry clearance and certain applications for leave to remain in the UK, including those for work and study; fees for indefinite leave to enter and indefinite leave to remain; and fees in relation to certificates of sponsorship and confirmation of acceptance for studies.

The changes are subject to parliamentary approval and are expected to be in force from October 4, the Home Office said.

(PTI)