It’s Official: UK Announces Massive Visa Fee Hike

This blog discusses the latest UK visa fee hike as announced by the government and talks about the following:

• Chief Secretary John Glen’s Remarks On Visa Fee Changes
• Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)
• Visa Fee Adjustments To Support Professionals
• Equalizing Costs To Offset Migration Expenses
• Financial Plans For Your UK Visa Applications

The UK government recently announced to increase visa fees for various categories, including study and work visas. As a result, charges for UK work visas will be raised by 20%, going up to £1,482 if a visa exceeds three years. On the other hand, the fees for study visas will be increased by 15%, changing the charges from £363 to £417.

Chief Secretary’s Remarks On Visa Fee Changes

The chief secretary to the UK Treasury, John Glen, talked about the upcoming UK visa fee hike in a video statement. He stated that other visa categories, like post-study work visas, indefinite leave to remain (ILR), certificate of sponsorship (CoS), settlement status, etc., will also be affected by the visa fee hike. In addition, charges for priority visa applications are also set to incur a notable increment.

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

Another significant change you must know about is the boost in the immigration health surcharge (IHS) to pay for the complete healthcare costs for payers. Consequently, the primary rate will be increased to £1,035 per year.  In contrast, students and underage teens will enjoy a discounted price of £776.

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Visa Fee Adjustments Will Support Professionals

These fee increments are aimed at supporting pay rises for different professionals, such as teachers, doctors, junior doctors, and police officers. The extra revenue raised by the visa fees will help the home secretary to allocate more monetary resources to police and law-abiding forces.

Equalize Costs To Offset Migration Expenses

In addition to the changes we have discussed so far, the UK government wants to equalize costs for students and other applicants availing priority services. It is aimed at maintaining consistency without taking the application’s location into consideration. Most importantly, this step is expected to offset border system and migration expenses in an effective manner.

It should be noted that these fee amendments come after Rishi Sunak’s recent announcement in which the UK Prime Minister talked about the government’s plan to generate more than £1 billion to support police officers, junior doctors, teachers, and other public sector workers.

Make Foolproof Financial Plans For Your UK Visa Applications

Following the updated fee structure, applicants will have to consider the increased costs while applying for a UK work or study visa. You are advised to go over your financial plans thoroughly if you are hoping to migrate to the UK.

We hope you found this information helpful. Follow our blogs for the latest updates and informative content on UK immigration.