UK visa fees increase from today: How it will affect Indian workers, students

Planning to travel to Britain? Be prepared to shell out more for a visa, starting today. The move comes after British prime minister Rishi Sunak had said in July that fees and health surcharges paid by visa applicants to support the UK’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS) would increase significantly to accommodate public sector wage increases. Justifying the hike in visa application fees, a Home Office spokesperson said: “It is right and fair to increase visa application fees so we can fund vital public services and allow wider funding to contribute to public sector pay.” As the hike comes into play, let’s take a closer look at the changes in the fee structure and how this will affect Indians, who wish to work, study, or even travel to the country. Change in fees From 4 October, all foreigners, including Indians, will have to pay more to acquire a visa to Britain. The cost of UK visas has been increased for students, skilled workers and immigrants. As per the Home Office website, the cost of family, settlement, and citizenship visas will increase by 20 per cent. The cost of work and visit visas has increased by 15 per cent. And those who wish to study will fork out even more, as the student visa fees have been increased by 35 per cent. Moreover, the immigration health surcharge has been raised by 66 per cent, from £624 (Rs 62,716) a year to £1,035 (Rs 1.04 lakh) (and from £470 (Rs 47,243) to £776 (Rs 78,000) for students and under-18s). [caption id=“attachment_13201822” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A visa to the UK will cost more from today (4 October). This is applicable to tourist as well as work visas. File image/PTI[/caption] As per the revised fee structure, for students, a visa will now cost £490 (Rs 49,234). At the same time, a visit visa under six months has increased to £115 (Rs 11,545) from the prior cost of £100 (Rs 10,039). However, a visa for up to two years has gone from £376 (Rs 37,738) to £400 (Rs 40,150). Similarly a visit visa for a duration of five years has been hiked from £670 (Rs 67,255) to £771 (Rs 77,390) and for a visa for up to 10 years it has gone from £837 (Rs 84,015) to £963 (Rs 96,664).

A visit visa under six months has increased to £115 (Rs 11,545)

For skilled workers, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less, the cost of a visa has gone from £625 (Rs 62,746) to £719 (Rs 72,175) – an increase of 15 per cent. Similarly, if the certificate of sponsorship is for more than three years, the cost is up by 15 per cent – from £1,235 (Rs 1.24 lakh) to £1,420 (Rs 1.42 lakh).

A visa for skilled workers with a a certificate of sponsorship for three years or less has jumped from £625 (Rs 62,746) to £719 (Rs 72,175)

There’s also a hike in visa fees for skilled workers in the shortage occupation category. For the unaware, this means roles which are in short supply in the UK, meaning employers face a shortage of suitable employees within the resident labour market. The list includes care workers, architects, veterinarians, engineers, programmers and software developers and scientists – to name a few. **Also read: UK to ban foreign students from bringing family over: How Indians will be affected** For such workers, the visa fee if a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less has increased from £479 (Rs 48,000) to £551 (Rs 55,300) and for a certificate of sponsorship for more than three years, it is now £1,084 (Rs 1.08 lakh) from the prior amount of £943 (Rs 94,618). Visas on medical grounds have also seen an increase in the processing fee. [caption id=“attachment_13201872” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] UK Border control is seen in Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport in London. The visa fee hike will significantly hurt Indians – especially in the student and worker category. Image used for representational purposes/Reuters[/caption] Impact on Indians The changes in the fee structure for UK visas will affect Indians significantly. One main reason for this is because Indians top the skilled worker tally and student visas issued by the UK. As per data provided by the Home Office, skilled worker visas granted to Indians rose 63 per cent, from 13,390 in 2021-22 to 21,837 in 2022-23. Similarly, in the healthcare visa category, Indians registered an even higher 105 per cent hike from 14,485 to 29,726. Moreover, of the 770,000 Indian students who went to study abroad in 2022, 140,000 went to the UK. In fact, in February this year, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis had said that Indian nationals received the highest number of student visas, overtaking China as the largest nationality being issued sponsored study visas in the country. The decision to hike UK’s visa fees has come under criticism from some corners. Some have dubbed this as UK’s war against migrants. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants told The Guardian: “The UK already effectively taxes migrants twice for healthcare and has some of the most extortionate visa fees in Europe – a migrant family of four often has to pay about £50,000 over 10 years for the right to stay. This massive increase is simply unaffordable – it will price workers out of affording a visa and force thousands further into poverty during the cost of living crisis, or out of the country.” UK’s reasoning to hike visa fees But as Indians and other foreigners contend with the price hike, many are still wondering the reason for the UK to increase its fees. In July, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had said that visa application fees were set to rise significantly to help the government raise funds for other areas of public spending. “All of the fees are going to go up and that will raise over £1 billion, so across the board visa application fees are going to go up significantly and similarly for the HIS,” Sunak had then said. The action had come after employees of several public sector undertaking had gone on strikes, demanding better wages. Doctors from the NHS and teachers had gone on strikes late last year and early this year, demanding better salaries. Junior doctors had staged a five-day walkout in what is thought to be the longest single period of industrial action in the history of the health service. Sunak has justified his visa fee hike as “entirely right” and added that these fees haven’t increased in recent times. However, it’s important to note here that according to a 2021 research released by the Royal Society, UK immigration expenses are significantly greater than those in numerous other nations, including Canada, Germany, France, and the USA. With inputs from agencies