Uk Visa Fees - Increase From 6Th April 2013

[ThaiVisaExpress]

UK visa fees are going up on 6th April 2013

UK: New immigration fees proposed

25 February 2013

LONDON: -- Today, Immigration Minister Mark Harper laid a written ministerial statement proposing fee increases for visa applications made overseas, and applications made in the UK.

The proposals laid in Parliament today and on 14 March, subject to Parliamentary approval, will take effect from 6 April 2013.

Immigration Minister, Mark Harper said:

'These increases are mostly in line with inflation and will ensure that the UK continues to welcome the brightest and the best. It is only right that those who use and benefit from the immigration system should contribute more than the UK taxpayer.'

The proposed fee increases takes place against a difficult financial context for the UK Border Agency and the government as a whole. We believe our proposals to increase fees strike the right balance between ensuring the UK Border Agency continues to provide a world class service and maintaining a fees structure that does not inhibit the UK's ability to continue to attract those businesses, migrants and visitors who most benefit the UK.

These adjustments will also allow us to improve our levels of customer service and deliver a high quality immigration service at a challenging time for public finances across the UK.

A full table of the proposed fees is included in the written ministerial statement (see attachment in PDF).

Source: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2013/february/29-new-fees

[wooloomooloo]

Not as bad as I'd thought it would be. They remain prohibitive to many nonetheless.

[Eddy B]

It's a joke. You try to bring a wife or child into the UK to see your family, your blocked. You want to get into the UK as an immigrant to take money from the people, accepted!!!

[davejones]

It's a joke. You try to bring a wife or child into the UK to see your family, your blocked. You want to get into the UK as an immigrant to take money from the people, accepted!!!

And commit crimes while you're there, and you're allowed to stay. UK border control is a complete joke.

[beano2274]

2 quid for a 6 month visitors visa.

[bobrussell]

Dependent fees for ILR have gone through the roof! £496 to £788. FLR similar increase. Clearly dependents are copping it this year!

Sneaking in an appointment fee of £100 that 'may be retained should the applicant fail to attend'! I assume that this is included in the £375 application in person fee bit still a clever way of holding onto £100 if your car breaks down!

We are off to the registry office on Wednesday for my wife and daughter to swear allegiance to the Queen and this nonsense is over for them, once and for all!

Edited February 25, 2013 by bobrussell

[george]

New fees plus ministerial regulations (in PDF format for download):

UK-visa-fees-2013.pdf

Written Ministerial Statement Announcing Proposed Fees for 2013-14.pdf

[Waterloo]

I would challenge the statement

"ensuring the uk border agency continues to provide a world class service"

Not my experience?

[bobrussell]

I would challenge the statement

"ensuring the uk border agency continues to provide a world class service"

Not my experience?

I think it is safe to say the UKBA are still pretty close to 'not fit for purpose' from many angles. Perhaps better than a couple of years ago but a million miles from world class service.

Sadly this type of stupid comment will go largely unchallenged because very few people deal with them other than having an immigration officer check a passport or two. Even more sad is that very few people care!

Edited February 25, 2013 by bobrussell

[Jay Sata]

The fees seem reasonable to me. A journalist is only charged around £500 which is quite low compared to many countries.

[rawhod]

"These adjustments will also allow us to improve our levels of customer service and deliver a high quality immigration service at a challenging time for public finances across the UK."

Oh good (said sarcasticly), they are even going to improve this "world class service"

[rawhod]

No problem...when they adjust the fees for payment in Thai Baht, it should come down to 3500 Baht...(@45B/£)

So we are paying less!!!

[Robby nz]

Cant get the PDF to open, what is the fee for a tourist visa?

[rawhod]

Cant get the PDF to open, what is the fee for a tourist visa?

Visit visa - short £80 Edited February 26, 2013 by rawhod

[wooloomooloo]

80 pounds wef 6 April 2013 (from 78 pounds ).

[tomyumchai]

i gave up taking anything back to the UK in 2006 after 18 months of jumping through hoops and collecting evidential paperwork by the skip load to prove we knew each other long time etc.

-well, that and the fact that she left her email open on my computer and was emailing some italian guy to tell him she missed him........oh hum....lesson learned.

[Robbie Dye]

They will then add another 20 quid to the APD from April I expect and it will be cheaper to remove the UK from ones travel plans!

[wooloomooloo]

...as well as LHR wanting the passenger to pay for upgrades:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21420761

[Westaurel]

Very expensive country with a bad weather !

[DonaldBattles]

The English government (no longer the UK as it is a small independent island) is like the USA they want to continue to raise the prices for VISA price to discourage people from coming. More people means the low class government people having to get off there dead asses to stamp your passport. Who wants to wait in line at the airport for people from 15 Commonwealth nations in front of you to clear immigration when most of them can't read, write or speak English.

England has about 2 months of warm weather per year unless you like the awful pain that cold weather gives you you might want to think about going some place else that is cheaper and not frozen over.

[Arkady]

Dependent fees for ILR have gone through the roof! £496 to £788. FLR similar increase. Clearly dependents are copping it this year!

Sneaking in an appointment fee of £100 that 'may be retained should the applicant fail to attend'! I assume that this is included in the £375 application in person fee bit still a clever way of holding onto £100 if your car breaks down!

We are off to the registry office on Wednesday for my wife and daughter to swear allegiance to the Queen and this nonsense is over for them, once and for all!

What I don't understand is how they can claim a 10 year visit visa needs

to cost over GBP 700. The UKBA's work in issuing it is less than

issuing most 6 month or shorter visas because the applicants nearly always have an

existing track record of visiting the UK without causing trouble.

They have no rights to any healthcare or other benefits during their

visits to the UK at all.

I would argue that the ILR fees are far too cheap because you get massive economic benefits, such as the right to work freely in the UK, national health etc. In fact you have more rights than UK citizens living abroad who come back to visit, except the vote but who cares about that? Permanent residence in Thailand is close to impossible to obtain provides no right to work or other benefits and costs about GBP 4,000. Perhaps it should be done on a reciprocal basis. Then Thais in the UK would start to whinge to their government.

[goatfarmer]

I would challenge the statement

"ensuring the uk border agency continues to provide a world class service"

Not my experience?

I think it is safe to say the UKBA are still pretty close to 'not fit for purpose' from many angles. Perhaps better than a couple of years ago but a million miles from world class service.

Sadly this type of stupid comment will go largely unchallenged because very few people deal with them other than having an immigration officer check a passport or two. Even more sad is that very few people care!

I agree. I'm amazed how few posts there are on Thai Visa complaining about the service at VFS-UK in Bangkok. I went there with wife last week and was appalled at the chaos and pandemonium. After three hours inside my wife emerged, close to tears, saying that she had waited for an hour and a half to get her biometrics taken. There was no discernible queue. People who had come well before her were being served while she and others waited. Others were complaining but there was no one in authority. Finally, the receptionist outside overheard me calling the VFS call center and took my wife inside. Within minutes she was done. This is just one of many complaints.

I have prepared a four page dossier on the dysfunction of VFS which I propose to send to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. I have also put in a freedom of information request to the UKBA to supply me with a copy of the contract between VFS and the UKBA (actually, I have read, it is with the Foreign Office, not the UKBA). I would be surprised if both parties are not in breach.

Needless to say, if my wife gets her visa this will be her first and last visit to England. It is so much easier, and less expensive, as the wife of a British citizen, to apply for a Schengen visa and go to Europe.

[DonaldBattles]

I totally agree that a welfare state like the small island of England (not UK) can afford to keep increasing taxes to pay for the Common Wealth people who can come there without working but can eat and sleep on the governments ticket.

Are people crazy enough to not believe that the small island welfare states gravy train will not come to the line. A small island country like England only has so many tax payers that can continue to pay for the welfare state. If you think otherwise look at what happens to any country where many things are free without paying for them. AMAZING WELFARE STATE!

Welfare state madness.

[Chupup]

Once aqgain the british government are kicking in the balls of the xpat & wife, the short visa at 80 quid is well overpriced as it was at 78 what do they do except give you grief even if you have been to the Uk several times to them we are just a milk cow, what about the price of a renewal for a passport, almost double than in the uk + fees, the economy is a disgrace, but OK if you are NON British and jusat free loading on Brit taxpayers

[attento]

I would challenge the statement

"ensuring the uk border agency continues to provide a world class service"

Not my experience?

I think it is safe to say the UKBA are still pretty close to 'not fit for purpose' from many angles. Perhaps better than a couple of years ago but a million miles from world class service.

Sadly this type of stupid comment will go largely unchallenged because very few people deal with them other than having an immigration officer check a passport or two. Even more sad is that very few people care!

Many UK citizens might question your final statement. There is a general level of disatisfaction in the UK with the activities of the Border Agency. It is a sad situation as you state, but for a different reason that there is little that the average citizen can do about it, since the Government moved the responsibilty to a separate Agency. The electorate can dismiss a politician or a Political party from office, but there is no way of removing an incompetant Agency.

[ajarnpot]

I guess it all helps bring in revenue, some one has to pay those beurocrats, may as well be from non brits as opposed to tax payers, I mean the taxes need to be spent on stupid surveys and unnecessary statistical research

[jacko45k]

I guess it all helps bring in revenue, some one has to pay those beurocrats, may as well be from non brits as opposed to tax payers, I mean the taxes need to be spent on stupid surveys and unnecessary statistical research

Well actually I always pay for the visa for my lady. So some Brits will get hit.

[Locationthailand]

It's a joke. You try to bring a wife or child into the UK to see your family, your blocked. You want to get into the UK as an immigrant to take money from the people, accepted!!!

They learned from Thailand perhaps?

[meatboy]

It's a joke. You try to bring a wife or child into the UK to see your family, your blocked. You want to get into the UK as an immigrant to take money from the people, accepted!!!

imm.minister said we only want the brightest and best,well we all know who they are,they dont.