UK - Home Office Immigration Directorate introduces charges

If you make an application to the Home Office then in most cases from 1 August 2003 you will have to pay a Government fee. The UK Government has decided that they wish to recover some of the expense of dealing with applications at the Home Office. The following is our guide to the new charging system:

1. The new Government fee is GBP250 for premium applications to be dealt with by personal attendance on the same day and GBP155 for postal applications that the Home Office aims to deal with within 13 weeks.
2. The following types of application will be charged for (please also see further down):
   1. Applications for an extension of stay in the UK.
   2. Applications for settlement (indefinite leave to remain).
   3. Transferring of stamps from an expired passport to a new passport.
3. If you wish to avoid paying the new charge you will have to submit your application to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate before midnight on 31 July 2003.
4. You will have to use new forms from 1 August 2003, which includes a section to pay by credit card and details of other methods of payment.
5. The Home Office Immigration Directorate new target after 1 August 2003 is to process postal applications within 13 weeks. It will normally still be possible for most applications to be processed on the same day by personal attendance at the Home Office.
6. It is currently the case that you will not have to pay the charge if you are applying in the following situations:
   1. If you are a work permit holder. There is currently a charge of GBP95 that only the employer pays for a work permit extension. However, later this year there will be a new Home Office application form and a new charge that the employee will also have to pay.
   2. If you are applying under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme.
   3. If you are applying under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme.
7. You will also not have to pay a charge in the following circumstances
   1. If you are a family member of an European Economic Area nationals.
   2. If you are applying for leave to remain under the European Community Association Agreement
   3. If you are an European Union citizen. If you are a national of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia you will not have to pay the charge after 1 May 2004 once these Countries have joined the European Union.
   4. If you are applying for indefinite leave to remain on the grounds of domestic violence and can provide evidence that you are destitute.
   5. If you are applying for asylum, Discretionary Leave or Humanitarian Protection.

We would delighted to help you with an application at the Home Office Immigration Directorate. Please call the London office on +44 (0)20 7842 0800 for further details.

Copyright workpermit.com 2003