Visa fees for international visitors and students entering the UK are set to rise steeply from 4 October 2023.
Vital funding
Following warnings in July that charges would be going up, the official government website states: “a visit visa for less than six months is rising by £15 (€18) to £115 (€133), while the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK will rise by around 30% to £490 (€569).
Defending the changes back in July, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak noted the increases “will raise over £1 billion.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced the UK government’s aim to generate £1 billion through an increase in visa application fees pic.twitter.com/Lt8ZkUTpWA
— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) July 14, 2023
The fee increases, trailed this summer and now confirmed by the UK Home Office as they put the legislation through parliament, are designed “to pay for vital services and allow more funding to be prioritised for public sector pay rises”. In addition, the rise in the student visa charge is intended to bring international applications in line with “the amount charged for in-country applications.”
A service that remains attractive
The Home Office line is that it is rebalancing the contribution made by the British taxpayer while “continuing to provide a service that remains attractive to those wishing to work in the UK and support broader prosperity for all.”
Remaining attractive as a study and visit destination will be seen as a key test, with previous changes to passport rules widely seen as a disincentive to travel, especially school visits.
Who will be affected?
Affecting 6-month, 2, 5 and 10-year visit visas, as well as applications to register and naturalise as a British citizen, many other applicants will find the process has changed too.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), a national advisory body for international students and those who work with them, summarised the changes as follows:
- Student and Child Student route applications made overseas will increase to £490 per applicant.
- Fees for the priority service will increase to £500.
- Fees for the super priority service, both overseas and in-country, will increase to £1,000.
- Visitor visa (six month, standard) applications will increase to £115.
- Graduate route applications will increase to £822 per applicant.
In addition, rules around Health and Care visas are changing, as are many other immigration application rubrics such as the so-called Global Talent, Innovator Founder, and Skilled Worker routes.
Meanwhile, the Health Immigration Surcharge – a payment towards the UK’s state-funded National Health Service – is also expected to go up. But, according to the Home Office, that will not be brought in until later in the year.
