Advisory: Fee Increases

Rob Whiteman sent an email to stakeholders this afternoon advising that the next round of increases will be visible on the UKBA site momentarily.  I saw a provisional copy and the increases do not look that bad.

In the same email, he proposes to limit fee increases to 2% across-the-board.

He also confirms that the Graduate Entrepreneur visa is openning.

Don't have a link, but it should be visible by the close of business...

Thanks for the update!

Thanks for the heads up!

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2012/february/21-new-immigration-fees-proposed

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/news/wms-fees-feb-2012.pdf

I see ILR will be going from £972 to £991, which is actually better than I expected (was planning for something over a thousand).

Anyone notice this little tidbit?

In future the UK Border Agency will look to charge the same fee in the UK for dependants and main applicants, as currently already happens for visa applications made overseas. 

Fees for most increase by 2%, but for Tier 1 it's a 50% increase (£1000 to £1500).  Good to know us highly educated, reasonably well-paid immigrants are so appreciated. I guess I should just be grateful I haven't been kicked out of the country yet; that's next, I guess.

Sickening to see the HO's gross margin on ILR is 75%.   As I've said before, a private company with such a monopoly would have long ago been investigated by the EU for abuses.

What about the 80% profit on single naturalization? If anything should be "sold" at a loss it should be that one. Surely they want residents to become citizens and participate in democracy? Perhaps not.

Andy

Having said that, a 0% rise in October and 2% rise in April is a pretty good outcome compared to most other years.   It must be a long time since visa fees have fallen in real terms (given inflation is currently 4.5%).

What about the 80% profit on single naturalization? If anything should be "sold" at a loss it should be that one. Surely they want residents to become citizens and participate in democracy? Perhaps not.

Well, for Americans the main benefit is not having to worry about the UKBA any more, but the vast majority of people getting naturalized are from the Indian subcontinent and Africa. For them, a British passport may be worth more than that (and not just in terms of not needing visit visas for other countries).

The reasoning behind overcharging for Tier 1/2 makes sense, since those applicants are ideally making more money in the UK, but obviously there are many other factors that spouses consider.

At least they reveal their figures.. wonder how much "profit" the US or Australia (which had ridiculously high fees even before their currency strengthened) makes. And how on earth does it cost the UKBA £163 to transfer a vignette?

Well, for Americans the main benefit is not having to worry about the UKBA any more, but the vast majority of people getting naturalized are from the Indian subcontinent and Africa. For them, a British passport may be worth more than that (and not just in terms of not needing visit visas for other countries).

There are lots of benefits of becoming a UK citizen. The point I was making is that the Government should encourage it as a matter of principle because the UK likes to promote democracy around the world.

I'm actually quite shocked at how much they didn't go up. I was expecting a lot worse. I also noticed that they're doing T4 visas at cost... I thought they'd made a profit on those, too.

And speaking of sleaze...  Did anybody notice David Blunkett's latest filing in the MP's Register of Interests?  This guy never stops!