Proposed New Fees from 1 April 2007

gunslinger · Post by **gunslinger** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:19 pm

Welcome to rip-off Britain!

Announcement on www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk - 7 March 2007

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6 ... es2007.pdf

[ EDIT : by Admin - fixed hyphen at the end of the Home Office URL so that you can click through the link ]

John · Post by **John** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:26 pm

I am totally appalled by today's announcement! No more I can say at the moment except ... as Gunslinger says ... rip-off Britain.

gunslinger · Post by **gunslinger** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:33 pm

For the Government, its a simple matter of charging legal migrants so that they can further subsidise and enhance the benefits regime!

Smit · Post by **Smit** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:33 pm

The proposed new fees for some types of applications have far exceeded my expectations...for a service that used to be free under the Tories...This Government is definitely on its way out!!

Markie · Post by **Markie** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:39 pm

Beleve that majority of fee increases are way too much. Shouldn't they have harmonised the charging fees say an increase of x% across the board and just not target key specific visas?

Christophe · Post by **Christophe** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:40 pm

Smit wrote:The proposed new fees for some types of applications have far exceeded my expectations...for a service that used to be free under the Tories...This Government is definitely on its way out!!

I don't know that the Government will be on its way on this account.

On the other hand, many non-citizens can vote in general elections - all Commonwealth citizens who are living in the UK should be on the electoral roll - and they ought to exercise their right to vote, in my view. I don't know what proportion of the people living in the UK who are subject to immigration control are Commonwealth citizens, but it can't be an insignificant proportion.

British · Post by **British** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:43 pm

Well, the key areas where the prices have increased to 3 times the current price is areas of settlement and naturalisation.

I guess teh message that this govt. is sending out is: If you are coming here for short term, please do, if you are planning for a long haul here, its a NO NO NO NO! or pay the price!

Anyway, having said all that, i am just wondering if the HO is planning to improve their quality of serivce in line with the 3 times price increase in those key areas???? Like not shouting at applicants when they turn up for their ILR appointments (just like it happened for a person in another post), faster turnaround, clear and non-vague application forms, etc.

John · Post by **John** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:50 pm

It did not just be a question of UK fees being free under the Tories. My wife applied for her ILR in 2002, nearly five years after Labour gained power .... and the fee for getting ILR in person at a PEO was ...... NIL!

I am totally appalled by the new ILR fee level of £750 ... in particular. And the overseas fee for settlement moving from £260 to £500 ... no doubt payable in local currency ... is just unbelievable.

Docterror · Post by **Docterror** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:53 pm

...while European applicants can get their ILR/PR for free.

gunslinger · Post by **gunslinger** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:56 pm

As John has rightly pointed out, the fees for the ILR and the settlement visas are at best extortionate!

I am one of the many affected by the retrospective 4-5 year rule and not only do I have to wait an extra year, but will have to shell our more than double for the ILR!

I shudder to think what the In person fee at the PEO will be.

jbinuk · Post by **jbinuk** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:56 pm

These new fees are definitely rip-off!! money-making-scheme!!profiteering!! I totally agree that they they've raised the fee for ILR way too high because they are expecting volumes of applications this year..

First, they extended ILR years from 4 to 5 years, so that all immigrant who were about to apply for 4 years ILR and whose FLR were expiring will have to extend their FLR fr another year (500 pounds - will mean millions of revenue)..and then they've introduced 'Life in the UK test' (34 pounds - millions of revenue again) and now doubling the new fees!!! (millions of revenue again) at our (immigrants) expense and not to mention we have been paying taxes as a british citizen and not eligible for benefits for 5 years!!

Since last year, my wife and I have been contemplating of leaving UK for US and I am now very well convinced that it is not worth living here. We've spent enough fortune in paying for visas!

It very frustrating really...

jes2jes · Post by **jes2jes** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:58 pm

If all these charges are just for postal applications, then your guess is as good as mine for In=Person applicants at the PEO. It is going to be astronomical. I propose the new fees for ILR at the PEO would be £920

Oh men! So people earning minimum wage now would have to send their whole monthly salary for an immigration application.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:04 pm

jes2jes wrote:If all these charges are just for postal applications, then your guess is as good as mine for In=Person applicants at the PEO. It is going to be astronomical. I propose the new fees for ILR at the PEO would be £920

Oh men! So people earning minimum wage now would have to send their whole monthly salary for an immigration application.

Says 'proposed' fees tho! Any point in hoping? Thought not!

John · Post by **John** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:07 pm

jes2jes wrote:I propose the new fees for ILR at the PEO would be £920

I suspect that will get rounded up to £1000!

sakura · Post by **sakura** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:07 pm

No offence but....

we have been paying taxes as a british citizen and not eligible for benefits for 5 years!!

Why do people mention this so often (I just wonder)? You use the NHS (and if you have kids here, they go to school), no? That is what a lot of your tax goes towards, not just benefits. Plus, one isn't here to get benefits, right?

BUT!!! I cannot believe this rip-off! That is totally unjustified and uncalled for...the naturalisation fees are disgusting, totally. That's at least half a month's or one whole month's wage for most people!!!

AND!!! If the refuse your application, what amount will be refunded? I'm thinking a tenner...so at least you have something to put back in your wallet...

sakura · Post by **sakura** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:08 pm

I mean the ILR fees are astronomical...but the naturalisation fees are v.v.v. high too.

jbinuk · Post by **jbinuk** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:25 pm

[quote]
we have been paying taxes as a british citizen and not eligible for benefits for 5 years!!
[/quote]

Well..first of all, I came here not thinking about benefits..in fact, I had no idea about the benefits before I came here in UK. NHS??? right..as if you can get a quality service. Let me tell you what we are going through at the moment, my wife have been experiencing headaches for more than a year now and we are now very much worried about her condition and NHS is the least worried. She have been to different GPs already and they keep on saying it's just minor migrane!! or it is not something to worry about.. My wife is a nurse and I believe her that she knows what she is feeling and trying to get a referral for an MRI. The last visit to the GP, he gave her some medicine to relieve the pain..my wife was expecting the GP to at least check her blood first to know if his medication will not affect her because the medicine that he gave are not the usuall medicine that the GPs prescribe. And yet again, she wasn't referred for an MRI..and if in case she gets a referral, you have to wait for several months!!!

So now we decided that my wife to just go home to our country to seek an immediate proper diagnosis before it will be too late.

So what NHS benefits are you talking about??

jbinuk · Post by **jbinuk** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:29 pm

And by the way, she did not use the prescribed medicine as she does not trust the GP.

Christophe · Post by **Christophe** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:52 pm

jbinuk wrote:So what NHS benefits are you talking about??

Well, yes, but these sorts of problems have nothing to do with one's immigration status or nationality.

olisun · Post by **olisun** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:53 pm

jbinuk wrote:
we have been paying taxes as a british citizen and not eligible for benefits for 5 years!!
Well..first of all, I came here not thinking about benefits..in fact, I had no idea about the benefits before I came here in UK.

Well in that case there is no point in making the above statement about eligibility for benefits right???

jbinuk · Post by **jbinuk** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:00 pm

[quote="olisun"][quote="jbinuk"][quote]
we have been paying taxes as a british citizen and not eligible for benefits for 5 years!!
[/quote]

Well..first of all, I came here not thinking about benefits..in fact, I had no idea about the benefits before I came here in UK. [/quote]

Well in that case there is no point in making the above statement about eligibility for benefits right???[/quote]

Well, I made that point because of the previous post from someone who is somehow implying that some people are here because of the benefits that they can get.

sakura · Post by **sakura** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:44 pm

So what NHS benefits are you talking about??

I am talking about the fact that most people in the UK are entitled to use the NHS without having to show some form of medical insurance, as in some countries such as the US. I never wrote that it was perfect or brilliant (tho it's always been good to me...), but the fact that we pay taxes for such a service (however rubbish some people may think it is), rather than have a system a la USA where it's all private and if you cannot pay (even if you are a citizen), tough. I never wrote that it was a "benefit" (which implies something given freely) but something which we all contribute towards with taxes.

Well, I made that point because of the previous post from someone who is somehow implying that some people are here because of the benefits that they can get.

Is this referring to my post?

1963British · Post by **1963British** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:09 pm

A hearty thank you to senior member JAJ!!

I am a British Citizen returning to the UK with my family and had been on the fence for timing because of the sale of our home.

Because of the encouragement by JAJ in a post of mine, we took the plunge to get ILE for my spouse and children last month.

That encouragement has ultimately saved my family thousands of pounds.

The original thought was to apply now to save inconvenience because of rule changes. I never imagined the money that would be saved. JAJ has helped pay for our family plane tickets.

Thank you,

John · Post by **John** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:19 pm

I have now spotted the fees for in-person applications at a PEO, as from 01.04.07 :-

ILR £950
FLR Work Permit £550
FLR (student) £500
FLR (other) £595

And by the way HSMP increases from £315 to £400, and HSMP Leave to Remain (postal) goes from £335 to £350.

tvt · Post by **tvt** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:45 pm

This is not the end of the story, when you apply for naturalisation you'll have to as Gordon Brown has already announced:

1. Do forced voluntary community work
2. Pay for the new set of citizenship exams and tuition courses
3. Pay for a provisional citizenship application
4. Pay for the final citizenship application

Immigrationboards.com: Immigration, work visa and work permit discussion board

Proposed New Fees from 1 April 2007

Proposed New Fees from 1 April 2007

Thank You JAJ (senior member)