With a kickoff date scheduled for October 4th, the United Kingdom (UK) Home Office has announced an extraordinary increase in visit visas to the UK for less than six months for £115 (about N111,878.28) as opposed to £15 (14,592.70).
The new fees, which are subject to parliamentary approval, translate to about a 667 percent increment.
According to The PUNCH, the student visa fee has also been increased from £127 (N123,537.58) to £490 (N476,677.59), representing a 286 percent increment.
The UK government noted that the increase in visa fee would enable it to pay for ‘vital services and allow more funding to be prioritised for public sector pay rises,’’ adding that the review would take effect on October 4.
The UK government made this known in a statement, ‘New visa fees set to come into effect next month,’ published on its website, gov.uk, on Friday, following legislation being laid in parliament on Friday.
“The changes mean that the cost for a visit visa for less than six months is rising by £15 (N14,592.70) to £115 (N111,878.28 ), while the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK will rise by £127 (N123,537.58) to £490 (N476,677.59), to equal the amount charged for in-country applications,” the statement partly read.
The statement added, “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.”
Recall that in July, the government announced a 15 percent increase in the cost of most work and visit visas and an increase of at least 20 percent in the cost of priority visas, study visas, and certificates of sponsorship.
The new changes include fees for up to six months, two-, five- and 10-year visit visas.
The majority of fees for entry clearance and certain applications for leave to remain in the UK, including those for work and study, were also increased.
Also increased were the fees for indefinite leave to enter and indefinite leave to remain; convention travel document and stateless person’s travel document; health and care visa; fees in relation to certificates of sponsorship and confirmation of acceptance for studies; the in and out of country fee for the super-priority service and the out of country fee for the priority service.
It noted that the settlement priority service would be reduced to align with the cost of using the priority service. Applications to register and naturalize as a British citizen and the fee for the User Pays Visa Application service were also increased.
