[DigitalGhost]

Just saw this in an email from Workpermit.com, apologies if it has been posted already but I know there has been a lot of debate on here regarding a possible fee hike.

The UK Border Agency has announced proposed fee increases for UK visa and nationality applications. Immigration Minister Damien Green said the new fees will come into effect from 6 April 2012. In most cases fees will increase by only 2 percent, but there will be much larger increases on visa fees for certain immigration routes. It will also be more expensive for organisations in the UK that wish to employ immigrants to become sponsors. Apply soon to avoid these changes! Also, the UK Tier 1 Post Study Work Visa route will close on 6 April 2012. Under this visa, students are able to work in the UK for 2 years following graduation. There will be a new Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa. However, hardly anyone will qualify for this. If you wish to apply under Tier 1 PSW you should apply sooner rather than later.

If the spousal/common-law visa fees are amongst those which have only been increased by 2% then that could have been much worse I suppose.

[roaringmouse]

Most of the increases are not that bad at all this year, and that includes for settlement (i.e. partner visa).

Settlement - £810 increasing to £826 (whatever that works out as in local currency)
ILR - £972/£1,350 increasing to £991/£1,377 (postal/in-person)
Naturalisation - £836 increasing to £851

Above from pdf document indicating proposed increases from April.

[formula]

Originally Posted by roaringmouse Most of the increases are not that bad at all this year,

That's just the April rise. Fees are raised twice a year, but the April rises seem to be the highest.

[roaringmouse]

Originally Posted by formula That's just the April rise. Fees are raised twice a year, but the April rises seem to be the highest.

The last change in fees was April 2011.

[formula]

Originally Posted by roaringmouse The last change in fees was April 2011.

They usually raise them in November and April. I read that the reason they didn't last November was because of all the new immigration laws they brought in and are still going to bring in. i.e missing from the list of recent fee raises is the PSW visa, which I assume means that they will end this visa in April.

The Tier 1 (General) visa that they closed recently, has a 50% increase rise for extensions and an even bigger raise for their dependants, with warnings that they will be raising this again and make their dependant fees the same as the applicant.