We recently posted about the Home Office’s plans to increase application fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge. The legislation needed to bring into effect the change in the Immigration Health Surcharge has now been laid before Parliament. This confirms that the increased charge will not come into force any earlier than 16th January 2024.
The increase in costs to applicants will be significant. The current rate for children (under the age of 18), students and youth mobility scheme visa holders is £470 per year. This is going to rise to £776 per year. All other applicants currently pay £624 per year. This will increase to £1,035 per year.
This means that, for example, an adult applying for a 30 month visa to join their settled partner in the UK who would currently pay £1,872 for the Immigration Health Surcharge will pay £3,105.
With Home Office application fees having also recently increased, this will no doubt hit applicants hard. We anticipate that many people will not be able to afford these price hikes and may require to make an application to the Home Office for a fee waiver.
If you would like any advice or assistance regarding an immigration application including fee waivers, then please do not hesitate to contact one of the experienced solicitors in our immigration team.
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