Doesn't look like we'll be hearing any more from Mr Harper on immigration any time soon:

Immigration minister Mark Harper quits over cleaner's visa:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26101442

Doesn't look like we'll be hearing any more from Mr Harper on immigration any time soon:

Immigration minister Mark Harper quits over cleaner's visa:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26101442

He also faces a possible £10'000 fine!

Quote: 'the increases will allow us to improve our customer service.' Well, they could hardly worsen it.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeer, or bolster their pensions..........

Doesn't look like we'll be hearing any more from Mr Harper on immigration any time soon:

Immigration minister Mark Harper quits over cleaner's visa:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26101442

Now posted in the news forum: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703236-uk-immigration-minister-mark-harper-quits-over-cleaners-visa/#entry7415379

Resources for the immigration service, surely it is in the public interest to have a good immigration, service and therefor it should be funded from the public purse and only the actual cost of the visa should be born by the applicant. I'd be interested to know how much "profit" they make from visas, but I reckon it is a drop in the ocean easily re-cooped but a few pence on a pack of fags for example.

You say the cost of immigration could be recovered by a few pence on a packet of cigarettes but much as I hate smoking I question why a non travelling worker who smokes should fund lower visa fees?

You cut your coat according to your cloth and if you can afford to travel,meet a foreign partner outside of Europe and marry them, then you pick up the bill.

The majority will travel in the EU and face no visa costs to bring their spouse home to the UK.

The bulk of the UK voters are pro immigration restrictions not anti so the argument of reducing visa fees is like trying to refloat the Titanic.

The major cost of immigration is not the cost of the visa, but patrolling the borders and rooting out the illegals, I am a smoker!!! You could do alcohol, I like a beer or 2, or petrol, I use a gallon a day, put another 1p on that, if every one in this country want illegals out even another 1p on income tax, then you'd a border service as watertight as it could be and selling it to the public would be no problem. I work for a large online retailer and went to our smoking area last night and was the only English person there, the rest were eastern European, couldn't understand a word they were saying!! Felt like a foreigner in my own country!! And they're all legal. So maybe we should leave the EU relax our immigration laws a bit and cut immigration dramatically in the process. The point is the UKBA publish figures that show the actual cost of certain types of visa as being far lower than the price they charge. No one wants people here that don't have a right to be here and therefor that cost should be born by everyone, those of us that have fallen in love with a Thai lady and want to settle her here should pay no more than the real cost of her visa.