The UK Home Office has announced that starting from October 4, the cost of a visit visa to the United Kingdom for less than six months will rise to £115, which is approximately N111,878.28. This represents a significant increase of about 667 percent, as confirmed by Waffi TV.
Furthermore, the fee for a student visa has also been raised from £127 (N123,537.58) to £490 (N476,677.59), marking a substantial increase of 286 percent. The government states that these fee adjustments are intended to support vital services and allocate more funding for public sector pay raises.
These changes will come into effect on October 4, as detailed in the UK government’s statement titled ‘New visa fees set to come into effect next month,’ published on gov.uk’s website following the parliamentary legislation 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.
Back in July, the government unveiled a price hike of 15 percent for most work and visit visas, along with a minimum increase of 20 percent for priority visas, study visas, and certificates of sponsorship.
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.”
Waffi TV’s investigation revealed that the alterations encompassed fees for visit visas spanning periods of up to six months, two years, five years, and ten years. Moreover, a majority of fees for entry clearance and various applications related to staying in the UK, such as work and study visas, were raised.
The increases also affected fees for indefinite leave to enter and indefinite leave to remain, convention travel documents, stateless person’s travel documents, health and care visas, as well as fees associated with certificates of sponsorship and confirmation of acceptance for studies. Additionally, the in-country and out-of-country fees for the super-priority and priority services were adjusted.
The statement further highlighted that the settlement priority service’s cost would decrease to align with the pricing of the priority service. Furthermore, fees for applications to register and naturalize as a British citizen, as well as the User Pays Visa Application service, were raised. However, it was noted that the immigration and nationality fees would be subject to parliamentary approval and come into effect on October 4.
“Today’s changes do not include the planned increase to the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is scheduled to be introduced later in the Autumn,” it added.
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