- BY Sonia Lenegan
More increases to application fees, including passports and Appendix FM
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There was a notable omissions from last year’s immigration application fee increase, namely limited leave to remain applications (i.e. under Appendix FM). The Immigration, Nationality and Passport (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 will bring in increases to those applications from 24 July 2024 and several others, including some that were increased last year (see 5.1 of the explanatory memorandum). The changes will take place on the following dates:
4 April 2024
The amendments relating to Appendix Immigration Salary List that come into force on this date are only to replace mentions of the shortage occupation list. Regulation 13 specifies that this does not apply to applications made from 4 April 2024 to 3 July 2024, where the certificate of sponsorship was issued before 4 April 2024.
10 April 2024
Hong Kong British National (Overseas)
A new fee waiver process is being introduced for applications for a 30 month extension of leave under Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas). These applications currently cost £180 plus the immigration health surcharge. The fee can be waived where the applicant’s current grant of leave was made under Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas), they have had the no recourse to public funds restriction lifted from their leave under paragraph HK 65.1 and they are in receipt of public funds. In addition to this there is a requirement that the applicant satisfies the Home Office that they are unable to afford the fee.
Contact point meetings
A new fee coming into effect on this date is in relation to contact point meetings, defined as “in relation to an applicant under Appendix Innovator Founder to the immigration rules, a meeting between the applicant and an endorsing body to assess progress against the applicant’s business plan”. The new fee for carrying out a contact point meeting required by Appendix Innovator Founder of the immigration rules is £500 but there are exceptions provided for. Those include where the applicant has limited leave to remain granted under Appendix Innovator, Appendix Innovator Founder or Appendix Start up.
Other
| Schedule 1, Table 1 of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 | Old | New |
| 1.1.2 Application for a visit visa for a period of two years where the fee at 1.1.8 (Chinese visit scheme) does not apply | £400 | £432 |
| Schedule 2, Table 6 of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 | ||
| 6.2.6B Application for limited leave to remain in the United Kingdom— (a) under Appendix Skilled Worker to the immigration rules, other than as the dependant partner or dependant child of a Skilled Worker, or (b) under Appendix Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker to those rules, other than as a dependent partner or dependent child of a Senior or Specialist Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for a period of more than three years and fee 6.2.6D does not apply. | £1,500 | £1,636 |
| Schedule 8, Table 20 of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 | ||
| 20.1.1 Application for the amendment of a certificate of registration or naturalisation other than where the amendment is required to rectify an error made by the Secretary of State. | £250 | £400 |
| 20.1.2 Application for a certificate of entitlement where the application is made in respect of a person who is in the United Kingdom at the time that the application is made. | £372 | £550 |
| 20.1.3 Application for a certificate of entitlement where the application is made in respect of a person who is outside the United Kingdom at the time that the application is made. | £388 | £550 |
| 20.1.4 Application for a letter or other document confirming a person’s nationality status or that a person is not a British citizen, where the fee is not specified elsewhere in these Regulations. | £250 | £429 |
| 20.2.1 Application for the review of an application for a certificate of registration or naturalisation, or for a certificate of entitlement, which has been refused by the Secretary of State | £372 | £450 |
| 20.3.1 Registration of a declaration of renunciation of British citizenship under section 12 of the 1981 Act | £372 | £450 |
| 20.3.2 Registration of a declaration of renunciation of British overseas territories citizenship under sections 12 and 24 of the 1981 Act | £372 | £450 |
| 20.3.3 Registration of a declaration of renunciation of British National (Overseas) status under section 12 of the 1981 Act and article 7 of the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 | £372 | £450 |
| 20.3.4 Registration of a declaration of renunciation of British overseas citizenship under sections 12 and 29 of the 1981 Act | £372 | £450 |
| 20.3.5 Registration of a declaration of renunciation of the status of British subject under sections 12 and 34 of the 1981 Act. | £372 | £450 |
| 20.3.6 Registration of a declaration of renunciation of the status of British protected person under article 11 of the 1982 Order | £372 | £450 |
| 20.3.7 The supply of a certified copy of a notice, certificate, order, declaration or entry given, granted or made under the 1981 Act, any of the former nationality Acts (within the meaning of section 50(1) of the 1981 Act), or the 2007 Act. | £250 | £400 |
| 20.4.1 The arrangement of a citizenship ceremony (including the administration of a citizenship oath and pledge at the ceremony). | £80 | £130 |
| Schedule 9, Table 21 of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 | ||
| 21.1.2 Application for a visit visa for a period of two years | £400 | £432 |
| Schedule 10, Table 26 of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 | ||
| 26.2.2 Application for entry clearance for a period of two years. | £400 | £432 |
11 April 2024
Passport fees are increasing on this date, including from £82.50 to £88.50 for an adult online application.
1 July 2024
Fees for using the Border Force fast track service are being increased to £10 and applied equally to all the fast track services (instead of costing slightly more at Heathrow as is currently the case).
Other
| Schedule 6, Table 17 of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 | Old | New |
| 17.7.2 The provision, to a person other than a government department, of an immigration officer to provide any premium service relating to entry into or transit through the United Kingdom. | £77.40 per hour per officer | £150 per hour per officer |
| 17.7.3 The provision, to a government department, of an immigration officer to provide any premium service relating to entry into or transit through the United Kingdom | £57.33 per hour per officer | £72.27 per hour per officer |
| Schedule 7, Table 18 of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 | ||
| 18.4.1 The provision of an immigration officer to provide any premium service relating to entry into or transit through the United Kingdom. | £77.40 per hour per officer | £150 per hour per officer |
24 July 2024
Application for limited leave to remain in the United Kingdom where the fee is not specified elsewhere in the regulations (this includes in country applications made under Appendix FM as a parent or partner) are being increased by 20%, from £1,048 to £1,258. Transitional provisions mean that where a fee waiver application has been made before the fee increase and the decision was made after the fee increase, where the decision is a refusal and the person needs to pay in order to submit their application, the applicable fee will be the old, lower, fee. According to the explanatory memorandum, the need to implement this system is the reason the increase did not happen last year.
10 September 2024
New fees will be introduced for the approval of sponsors under the new Sponsor a Worker scheme, with amounts varying depending on which route the applicant will be using. The explanatory memorandum says at 5.11 that this is a new digital process to be trialled from Autumn 2024 before being rolled out more widely over the next two to four years. This will run concurrently with the existing system of allocation and assignment of a Certificate of Sponsorship before ultimately replacing it.
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