It hasn’t been long since the visa fees increased in many categories, and the IHS is also set to rise in January, but on the 4^th of December 2023, the government announced a further raft of changes to the Immigration Laws. This is due to them not meeting their targets for bringing migration down and net migration reaching a record high of 745,000 last year.

Following our earlier articles on the application fee and IHS rises, and the new application fees that came into effect in October 2023, the government have recently announced that the IHS fees will rise no earlier than the 16^th of January 2024.

When are Visa Application Fees increasing?

Following our previous article, which noted the upcoming Visa Application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge increases, we can now report that the government has broken with the tradition of annual increases and has announced a mid-financial year increase, with the new UK visa application fees coming into effect on the 4th of October, 2023.

What is an Electronic Travel Authorisation?

The government announced in March 2023 that they would be bringing in a new entry permit system for visitors travelling to the UK. This will mean that certain people, who in the past wouldn’t have applied for a visa to come to the UK, will now need to apply for permission before they arrive in the form of an Electronic Travel Authorisation, which will then be linked to that person’s passport.

Background

In line with the government’s aims to reduce immigration and to balance its books, the government has once again resorted to charging immigrants an increasing amount. In a speech on the 13^th of July 2023, the Prime Minister announced that the government is looking to increase both the Immigration application fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Visa Fee Increases

Work and visa fees will increase by 15%, whereas other visa fees, e.g., family visas, will increase by 20%. For example, a partner or spouse currently applying for a Spouse Visa to join a British national would currently pay £1,538. Under the new rules, this will increase by £308 to £1,845. This is only the application fee, and the applicant will also need to pay for the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is also increasing.