This relates to Home Office Fees 2020/21 for Immigration and Nationality Charges effective from April 6, 2020. Indeed, there are no changes in the Home Office Fees for applications made inside the UK. Therefore, indefinite leave to remain (ILR), British Citizenship and Naturalisation application fees will remain the same during 2020. And, the ILR same day fees 2020 for indefinite leave to remain applications will also remain at £3,189/-.
Home Office Fees 2020/21
The Home Office revises Nationality and Immigration charges once every year during February-April. In fact, the charges are payable under section 68 and 69 of the Immigration Act 2014. And UKVI also offers some user-pay premium services for which applicants needs to pay additional charges. Although, there are no hidden charges, but there is a huge difference between the Home Office Fees and administrative cost of application process. For instance, the Home Office charges an indefinite leave to remain fee of £2,389, but the administrative cost of processing an ILR application is only £243. Therefore, Home Office is facing severe criticism and court cases to rationalize the end-user fee structure. And accordingly to escape public censure, the Home Office in 2019 and 2020 decided not to make any increase in the application fees.
Home Office makes £500m from immigration fees
The Times
ILR Fees 2020
Indeed, there will be no increase in ILR visa application fees from Feb 20, 2020. Accordingly, the indefinite leave to remain (ILR) fees will remain at £2,389. In fact, the ILR fees are applicable for all types of indefinite leave to remain applications. For instance, the indefinite leave to remain (ILR) Fees 2020 for PBS Tier 1 investor, Tier 1 Entrepreneur and Spouse visa application under Appendix FM are £2,389/-.
Same Day Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) Fees 2020
Apparently, the Home Office Fees 2020/21 for the same day (24 hours) processing of Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or no time limit (NTL) applications are £3,189/- i.e. application fees £2,389/- plus the cost of super-priority visa service £800.
Naturalisation Fees 2020
Indeed, there will be no increase in the British naturalisation fees 2020. Accordingly, the British naturalisation fees will remain at £1,330, inclusive of the citizenship ceremony fee of £80. However, the naturalisation fees for British overseas territory citizens will be £1,000. Moreover, if applications are unsuccessful or withdrawn, then Naturalisation Fees are refunded. In fact, after deducting administration charges of £25 from the Naturalisation Fees.
The Secretary of State has said that only £372 of that fee is attributed to the administrative cost of processing the application
Bailii.org
British Citizenship Fees 2020
In fact, there will be no increase in the British citizenship fees from Feb 20, 2020. Accordingly, the British Citizenship Fees 2020 for adults will remain at £1,206, inclusive of british citizenship ceremony fees of £80. Please note that the Home Office administrative cost of processing British Citizenship Application in 2020 is only £372. However, if an application is unsuccessful or withdrawn then the British Citizenship fees are refunded after deducting £25.
Child Registration for British Citizenship Fees
Indeed, despite all the criticism and legal hearing, the British Citizenship Fees 2020 for Child Registration will remain at £1,012. Moreover, if a minor turns 18 during the application process then needs to pay £80 fees for british citizenship ceremony at the point of decision.
Unfair citizenship charges for children are damaging Britain’s reputation
The Guardian
Home Office Fees for British overseas citizens
Indeed, the Home Office Fees for nationality registration of adult British overseas citizens will remain at £901. However, the nationality registration charges for children will continue to remain at £810.
The Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens (PRCBC) argues the “exorbitant” £1,012 registration fee, for an application which costs the Home Office just £372 to process, is unlawfully high. The charity says many children who are entitled to citizenship, having been born in the UK and lived here for their first 10 years, are prevented from applying because of the cost.
The Guardian
Leave to Remain Fees 2020
As a matter of fact, there will be no change in the leave to remain fees from Feb 20, 2020. Accordingly, the leave to remain application fees will remain at £1,033. Moreover, the leave to remain fees with priority (5-day) and same day super-priority service are £1,533 and £1,833/-, respectively. In fact, the leave to remain fees are not applicable for all types of switching and extension applications. For instance, the leave to remain fees for PBS Tier 1 Investor and Entrepreneur are £1,623 and £1,277, respectively. However, the leave to remain fees for UK spouse visa application under Appendix FM are £1,033.
Home Office Fees under Appendix W
In fact, the innovator, startup and global talent visas have replaced the Tier 1 Entrepreneur, Graduate Entrepreneur and Exceptional Talent, respectively. Moreover, a CESC discount of £55 is applicable for the main applicant.
| Appendix W Application Type | Home Office Fees 2020/21 |
|---|---|
| Start-up Visa | £493 |
| Innovator Visa | £1,277 |
| Global Talent initial application | £152 |
| Approval letter in respect of an initial application for Global Talent | £456 |
| Global Talent – subsequent application | £608 |
| Global Talent – dependants | £608 |
PBS Applications
Indeed, there will be no changes in the Home Office Fees 2020 for PBS applicants. Moreover, certain PBS main applicants will continue to avail the £55 CESC discount.
Home Office Fees for Tier 1 Applicants
| PBS Tier 1 Application Type | Home Office Fees 2020/21 |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 Investor | £1,623 |
| Tier 1 Entrepreneur | £1,277 |
| Graduate Entrepreneur | £493 |
| Tier 1 Exceptional Talent – dependants only | £608 |
| Tier 1 General – dependant | £1,878 |
Home Office Fees for Tier 2 Applicants
| PBS Tier 2 Application Type | Home Office Fees 2020/21 |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 General where a (CoS) Certificate of Sponsorship is for a period of 3 years or less | £704 |
| Tier 2 General if the CoS is for a period of 3 years or more | £1,408 |
| Shortage Occupation if CoS for Tier 2 General is for 3 years or less | £464 |
| Shortage Occupation if CoS for Tier 2 General is for 3 years or more | £928 |
| Tier 2 Intra-company Transfer (ICT) if CoS is for 3 years or less | £704 |
| Tier 2 Intra-company Transfer (ICT) if CoS is for 3 years or more | £1,408 |
| Graduate Trainee (Tier 2 ICT) | £482 |
| Tier 2 Minister of Religion | £704 |
| Tier-2 Sportsperson | £704 |
UK Student Visa Fees 2020
Indeed, the Home Office Fees for UK Tier 4 student leave to remain and extension visa will remain at £475. Moreover, the leave to remain or extension visa fees for Tier 4 students with 5-day priority service will be £975. And application charges with same-day service will also remain at £1,275.
Home Office Fees for Tier 5
Apparently, the Tier 5 leave to remain and extension application charges will also remain at £244 for Charity Workers, Creative and Sporting, Government Authorised Exchange, Religious Worker, Youth Mobility Scheme and International Agreement.
Other Fees and Charges
In fact, there will be no increase in the Home Office Fees 2020 for other types of applications and services.
| Applications and Services | Home Office Fees 2020/21 |
|---|---|
| Leave to Enter Fees for persons liable to immigration detention | £1,033 |
| Certificate of Travel – Adults | £280 |
| Certificate of Travel – Children | £141 |
| Convention Travel Documents – Adults | £75 |
| Convention Travel Documents – Children | £49 |
| Transfer of Conditions (TOC) or Application for a document confirming identity and immigration or nationality status – indefinite leave to remain (ILR) Fees | £229 |
| TOC or Application for a document confirming identity and immigration or nationality status – leave to remain | £161 |
| Renunciation of Nationality | £372 |
| Certificate of Entitlement (Right of Abode) | £372 |
| Nationality Review application | £372 |
| Status Letter | £250 |
| Non-acquisition Letter | £250 |
| Nationality Correction to a Certificate | £250 |
| Nationality – supply of a certified copy of a notice, certificate, order or declaration | £250 |
| Life in the UK test | £50 |
| Administrative Review | £80 |
| Invalid applications – processing an application which subsequently rejected as invalid | £25 |
| Biometric residence permit (BRP) / replacement BRP | £56 |
| Biometric enrolment | £19.20 |
| The arrangement of a citizenship ceremony (including the administration of a citizenship oath and pledge at the ceremony) | £80 |
| The administration of a citizenship oath, or oath and pledge. Where the oath, or oath and pledge, are not administered at a citizenship ceremony or by a justice of the peace | £5 |
| Representatives of an overseas business | £704 |
| Retired persons of independent means | £1,949 |
| Visitor Extension main applicant & all dependants | £993 |
| European residence document | £65 |
| Leave to remain Appendix EU | £0 |
PBS Sponsorship
Indeed, there will be no increase in the Home Office Fees 2020 for Premium Sponsor Scheme.
| Premium Sponsor Scheme | Home Office Fees 2020/21 |
|---|---|
| Large Sponsor Tier-2 & 5 | £25,000 |
| Small Sponsor Tier-2 & 5 | £8,000 |
| Large Sponsor Tier-2 & 5 for a period of 3 months | £6,250 |
| Small Sponsor Tier-2 & 5 for a period of 3 months | £2,000 |
| Tier 4 | £8,000 |
| Premium Change of Circumstances | £200 |
Sponsor Licence
In fact, from Feb 20, 2020, there will be no increase in the Home Office Fees for Sponsor Licence.
| Type of PBS Sponsor Licence | Home Office Fees 2020/21 |
|---|---|
| Large Sponsor Licence Tier-2 (may also include Tier 4 and/or Tier 5) | £1,476 |
| Small Sponsor Licence Tier-2 (may also include Tier 4 and/or Tier 5 ) | £536 |
| Tier-4 sponsor licence | £536 |
| Tier 5 sponsor licence £536 | £536 |
| Add Tier 2 to an existing Tier 4 &/or Tier 5 licence (Large Sponsor) | £940 |
| Basic compliance assessment (previously ‘Tier 4 Sponsor status’) | £536 |
| Sponsor action plan | £1,476 |
Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
Finally, the Home Office Fees 2020 for Tier-2 and Tier-5 Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) are £199 and £21, respectively. Moreover, the Immigration and Nationality charges for Tier 4 Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS) are £21.
Home Offices Fees 2020: FAQS
In fact, the Home Office Fees depends on the type of application and service. Therefore, the Home Office fees can be as low as £475 or £493 for Tier 4 student visa extension or startup visa, respectively. However, the Home Office fees can be as high as £1,408 or £2,389 for Tier 2 leave to remain or ILR application, respectively. Moreover, depending on the type of the application, an applicant can opt for 5-day priority service or 24 hour super-priority service for fast tracking application by paying additional charges of £500 or £800, respectively. However, these priority and premium services are only recommended for a straightforward application.
Indeed, there is a huge disparity between the Home Office Fees and actual cost of processing ILR, Naturalisation and British Citizenship Registration applications. In fact, depending on the type of the application, the end user charges are 217.74% to 983.13% higher than the actual cost bear by the Home Office to process an application. Nevertheless, those applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) applications bear the brunt. Quite clearly, the Home Office ILR Standard Application Fees (£2,389) are nearly 10 times (983.13%) higher than the actual cost of processing (£243). Therefore, on each and every ILR application, the Home Office makes a hefty margin of £2,146, which is preposterous!
ILR, Naturalisation and British Citizenship Fees Vs. Actual Cost
| Type of Application | End User Charges (UX) | Actual Cost of Processing (CP) | Difference (UX-CP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) Standard Fees for main applicant and per dependant | £2,389.00 | £243.00 | £2,146.00 |
| Naturalisation Fees (British Citizenship) | £1,250.00 | £372.00 | £878.00 |
| Naturalisation as a British Overseas Territories Citizen single application | 1,000.00 | 372.00 | £628.00 |
| Nationality (British Citizenship) Registration Fees and Cost – Adult | 1,126.00 | 372.00 | £754.00 |
| Nationality (British Citizenship) Registration Fees and Cost – Child | 1,012.00 | 372.00 | £640.00 |
| Nationality (British Overseas Territories Citizen / British Overseas Citizen / British Subject / British Protected Person) Registration Adult | 901.00 | 372.00 | £529.00 |
| Nationality (British Overseas Territories Citizen / British Overseas Citizen / British Subject / British Protected Person) Registration Child | 810.00 | 372.00 | £438.00 |
Cost Per Migration Decision (in-country and overseas)
The table below provides the details of administrative cost per migration decision from 2010 to 2019 for all types of in-country and overseas decisions. In fact, the average cost per migration decision has decreased from £217 (2010) to £155 in 2019. However, during the period the Home Office fees have increased considerably. For instance, the indefinite leave to remain (ILR), British Citizenship (Nationality Registration Adult) and Naturalisation application fees during increased from £900 (ILR Postal), £580 (plus £80 for ceremony fee) and £780 (plus £80 for ceremony fee) in 2010 to £2,389, £1,126 and £1,250 in 2020, respectively.
| FY | Total Cost | Total Decisions | Cost Per Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010/11 | £801,607,000 | 3,686,000 | £217 |
| 2011/12 | £750,790,000 | 3,364,000 | £223 |
| 2012/13 | £603,894,201 | 3,326,302 | £182 |
| 2013/14 | £657,623,000 | 3,806,178 | £173 |
| 2014/15 | £592,152,000 | 3,580,614 | £166 |
| 2015/16 | £651,000,000 | 3,759,993 | £173 |
| 2016/17 | £643,480,000 | 3,967,102 | £162 |
| 2017/18 | £612,768,818 | 3,973,681 | £154 |
| 2018/19 | £645,064,875 | 4,160,566 | £155 |
In principle it is the right time to ask migrants to make a greater contribution
Damian Green
(Former) Minister for Immigration
