February 2014
increased immigration fees from 6th April 2014. Some major categories see increases of more than 38%.
On 3rd February 2014 The Minister for Immigration, Mark Harper announced proposals to change the fees for immigration and nationality applications made to United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and for services provided by the department. The new fees will be brought into force from 6 April 2014 with some fees for premium services overseas coming into effect on 31 March 2014.
In developing these proposals, the Home Office has sought to limit most increases to 4%. Fee changes are implemented in April each year and the Home Office states that funding is necessary to operate effective immigration controls and invest in improving service levels to customers.
There are further targeted increases to bring dependant fees in line with main application fees, to register as a British Citizen and some premium services. For certain application categories, the Home Office will continue to set fees higher than the administrative cost to reflect their value to successful applicants. One of the most startling increases affects dependants of Points Based System migrant workers in the UK who wish to extend their stay or apply for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain). A 38.4% minimum fee increase is proposed in these categories.
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