UK visa fee hike for visitors, students effective from today

London: A proposed visa fee hike announced by the British government will become effective from Wednesday, when a visit visa for under six months will cost GBP 15 more and student visas will be GBP a127 more expensive for travellers from around the world, including Indians. Following the legislation tabled in Parliament last month, the UK Home Office said the changes mean that the cost for a visit visa for less than six months will rise to GBP 115 and the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK will rise to GBP 490 to equal the amount charged for in-country applications.

“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,” a Home Office spokesperson said. It comes after British PM Rishi Sunak had announced in July that the fees and health surcharge paid towards the UK’s state-funded NHS by visa applicants are set to rise “significantly” to meet the country’s public sector wage increase.

The Home Office indicated a 15 per cent increase in the cost of most work and visit visas, and an increase of at least 20 per cent in the cost of priority visas, study visas and certificates of sponsorship.