On 9 April 2025, the Home Office increased the fees for many visa and immigration applications. These increases were brought in by The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2025.
Various visa applications have been increased, including: applications for limited leave to remain; indefinite leave to remain, skilled worker visas; student visa applications, and naturalisation.
To see the full list of the fee increases, see the Home Office information here.
These increases will affect many migrants in the UK, who are already struggling with the cost of living.
For example, for people on the 10 year route to settlement, the fee for a limited leave to remain application went up from £1,258 to £1,321, an increase of £63. The fee for an indefinite leave to remain application (an application for which there is no fee waiver available) went up from £2,885 to £3,029, an increase of £144. Even before these increases, it has been well established that the 10 year route is a punishing process, which causes extreme hardship, because of its high costs.
Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit’s 10 year route Action Group released a statement in response to these fee increases.
They said:
The fees already have us at breaking point. We know that people go into severe debt to pay their fees, and go without food and other basic necessities – and that sometimes, it’s not enough to avoid falling out of status altogether.
There is no fee waiver to apply for indefinite leave to remain, the only way for us to get off the ten year route and out of the endless cycle of punishingly expensive applications every 30 months.
Discussion: