UK hikes Students and Visitors visa fees to N476,667

The UK Home Office has announced that, as of October 4, the fee for a short-term visitor visa to the United Kingdom will increase from £15 (roughly N14,592.70) to £115 (about N111,878.28).

According to Saturday PUNCH, this represents an increase of roughly 667%.

The cost of a student visa has increased by 286%, from £127 (N123,537.58) to £490 (N476,677.59).

The government announced that the review, which will take effect on October 4, will allow it to pay for ‘vital services and allow more funding to be prioritised for public sector pay rises.

After legislation was laid in parliament yesterday, the British government announced it in a statement titled “New visa fees set to come into effect next month,” which was published on the gov.uk website on Friday.

The statement explains that “the changes mean that the cost of a visit visa for less than six months is increasing by £15 (N14,592.70) to £115 (N111,878.28), and that the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK will increase by £127 (N123,537.58) to £490 (N476,677.59), to equal the amount charged for in-country applications.”

In July, the government announced that the fees associated with obtaining most types of work and visitor visas would be increasing by 15 percent, and the fees associated with obtaining priority visas, study visas, and certificates of sponsorship would be increasing by at least 20 percent.

Moreover, “Income from fees charged plays a vital role in the Home Office’s ability to run a sustainable immigration and nationality system,” the statement said. Setting fees with care helps reduce the funding contribution from British taxpayers while keeping the service appealing to those who want to work in the UK and bolstering economic growth for everyone.

According to our research, the fees for tourist visas of up to six months, two years, five years, and ten years have all changed.

Entry clearance fees were raised along with some applications for leave to remain in the UK, such as those for work and study.

The costs of obtaining permanent residency, citizenship, a work permit, a student visa, a health care visa, a certificate of sponsorship, a confirmation of acceptance to study, an out-of-country super-priority service fee, and an out-of-country priority service fee were all raised as well.

It was stated that the priority settlement service would be lowered to meet the cost of the priority service. The cost of the User Pays Visa Application service and the cost of registering and becoming a naturalised British citizen have both gone up.

The statement did reveal, however, that immigration and nationality fees would be going up as of October 4 if approved by parliament.

However, “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 continued.