Molly Malone

Mods, forgive me and redirect me if there is a better place to put this thread (Returning to the UK?).

I don't know how many people this will affect, but if your non-Uk citizen spouse/family does not have permanent leave to remain in the UK, and thinks they may want to someday, check this out.

I just received this email today from UK-Yankee forum - distressing is too soft a word for it- this is devastating. I don't know how we can ever afford to go back to the UK now.


New announcement: IND Fee Increases Proposed 1st of April, 2007

These proposed fee increases will be going before Parliament in just over a week, and in all likelyhood could be passed and come into effect from the 1st of April, 2007. Note the increases for those who wish to settle permanently in the UK have had a drastic increase.

Leave to remain (student): £250 --> £295

Leave to remain (non-student): £335 --> £395

HSMP fee: £315 --> £400

Leave to remain (HSMP): £335 --> £350

Work permit fee: £153 --> £190

Leave to remain (work permit): £335 --> £350

Not so bad, but sit down for these:

Indefinite leave to remain: £335 --> £750

Naturalisation: £200 --> £575

Fiancee visa: current? --> £500

For more detail please see http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/635...5/fees2007.pdf

ian-mstm

With all due respect, devastating is having your house burn down; and devastating is having a spouse die. A pay hike is irritating and inconvenient... perhaps even distressing - but it isn't devastating... and plane fares to blighty are usually pretty reasonable.

Ian

Molly Malone

Maybe I misread it. They sure seem to be taking it pretty seriously over at UK-Yankee.

From what I understand this news has nothing to do with plane fares. What it says is that the price for an ILR visa for a US citizen to live in the UK has just gone from $500 per US person to a staggering $1500 per person. With all the other fees and costs associated with immigrating to the UK, this is going to hurt a lot of people. And all the visa fees have gone up by the same percentage.

A house fire or spouse death is devastating. Being unable to return to your home country, or being stopped halfway through the visa process because of prohibitive fees is more than distressing I think. It can destroy a lot of major life plans - and what kind of notice is 24 days?

Like the sample letters indicate - this may be small change to the wealthy but to working families, it is devastating.

JAJ

Quite. And although a fee of GBP575 for naturalisation as a British citizen doesn't count as cheap, I find it astonishing that anyone eligible could consider that the benefits of naturalisation aren't worth many times the cost.

TrishP

Given the cost of living in the UK and all the other costs associated with moving there, an extra $1000 ain't gonna break the bank. It cost $1500 per person to move to Canada from the UK ($500 application fee plus $975 ROLF), so perhaps the UK is just moving in line with what the rest of the world is charging for visas???

fatbrit

Monkey see, monkey do?

antjen

its kinda inevitable the price fluctuations as these prices are relative to the exchange rate movements, just like the passport prices are too.

though with tha numerous costs involved with moving country - a few extra pounds is hardly devastating??, a little bit annoying perhaps.

Ant

Deer Hunter

If you can't afford the price of a visa how do you expect to afford the move? The visa is a minor cost in the grand scheme of things!