We received an email today from the Home Office in connection with fee rise to come into force from 29 March 2019 

The legislation was laid in Parliament yesterday (07 March) which sets out several changes to border and immigration fees. Most of these changes will come into effect from 29 March 2019; with changes to the EU Settlement Scheme from 30 March 2019; the fee exception for Afghan Locally Employed Staff from 06 April 2019 and Border Force above-basic services and Fast Track from 01 July 2019.

The UK Government welcomes genuine visitors to the UK, whether they are coming as tourists, on business or to see family and friends. The Home Office continues to process significant numbers of visa, immigration and nationality applications each year. Current forecasts for 2019-20 expect approximately 4.2 million visa applications, from those planning to come to visit, work and study in the UK, contributing significantly to the UK economy and supporting economic growth.  The Home Office continues to provide excellent customer service with 98% of all non-settlement visa applications being decided within the standard 15 day processing time.

Careful consideration is given when setting fees in line with the powers set out in the 2014 Immigration Act, to ensure that we are reducing the contribution from UK taxpayers to funding the Border, Immigration and Citizenship systems, whilst continuing to provide and invest in a service that remains attractive to our customers and competitive with other countries.  

Nearly all applications for individuals seeking to visit, work or study in the UK are now made online and the application is simple and straightforward to complete. 

The key changes are:

• Increased fee for the 6 Month Short Term Visit Visa from £93 to £95. 
   
• Increased fee on 2,5 and 10 Year Long Term Visit Visas. 
  • from £350 to £361 for the 2-year visa;
  • from £636 to £655 for the 5-year visa; and
  • from £798 to £822 for the 10-year visa
• Increased fee for Academic Visitor and Private Medical Treatment visas from £186 to £190
• Increased fee for overseas optional Priority Visa – Non-Settlement service to £220.
• Increase fees for Priority Services:
  • The in-country Super Priority fee from £610 to £800;
  • The in-country Priority service from £477 to £500;
  • The out-of-country Priority Visa (General) service fee from £212 to £220

Please note - Fees for entry clearance to enter the bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man, as a visitor, and for the priority visa service, will rise in-line with the same fees charged for applicants coming to the UK.

• Increased fee for Electronic Visa Waiver fee from £15 to £30
• Increased fee for Border Force Fast Track service at Heathrow Terminals 2,3 and 4 from £3.90 to £5.20
• The Border Force Hourly Rate for “above-basic services” will continue to be charged at the current fee of £53.08 until the end of June, after which two new fees will take effect to provide a distinction between services offered. A fee of £57.33 has been set to reflect administrative functions provided, including services to other government departments; whilst another fee of £77.40 has been set to reflect the increased premium nature of commercial based services.
• New fees for the “Innovator” and “Start-Up” routes replacing Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur), and transitional arrangements for these legacy routes. The new fees are at the same level as for the Tier 1 routes they replace.
• The new fee of £244 for entry clearance to enter the Bailiwick of Jersey under their new Temporary Seasonal Work Permit arrangements. The fee is the same as that which will be charged under Tier 5 in the UK, for the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Pilot.

We are not making any changes to fees under the sponsorship system, which have been held since the last change in April 2015. All other fees are being held at the current rate.

If you are looking for UK Immigration Advice call 02034111261 and speak to Visa and Migration Ltd