The government’s recent decision to implement steep increases in visa fees is a regressive and punitive move that disproportionately impacts migrant communities and undermines the principles of equality and fairness. This move, accompanied by the announcement of further increases to the Immigration Health Surcharge1 , is a clear indication of the government’s callous disregard for the welfare of migrant populations and their families.
On the 4th of October, the government introduced significant increases to visa fees, effectively erecting financial barriers that prevent individuals and families from accessing essential services, pursuing employment opportunities, and reuniting with loved ones. The impact of these exorbitant fees is particularly harsh on those with limited financial means, disproportionately affecting low-income individuals and families who are already vulnerable and marginalised.
The recent announcement of additional hikes to the Immigration Health Surcharge, set to take effect in January2, further compounds the financial burden faced by migrants. This regressive measure not only exacerbates the financial strain on migrant households but also jeopardises their access to essential healthcare services, placing their health and well-being at risk.
For example, a spouse joining their British partner in the UK on the standard 10-year route is already having to pay £11,788 in visa fees and the immigration health surcharge just to get settled status3. This is on top of any tax and national insurance contributions they make. From the 16th January, this figure will rise to £16,3794, a 40% increase.
Further, the cost of processing this application comes to only £1,8435, giving the Home Office a massive profit of 888% from some of the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.
These relentless fee increases are nothing short of a targeted assault on migrant communities, perpetuating systemic inequalities and undermining social cohesion. By erecting insurmountable financial barriers.
The government is punishing families who are already here and have no choice but to stay, as well effectively shutting the door to students, workers and other family members who wish to come to the UK. This punitive approach runs counter to the fundamental values of inclusivity, compassion, and equality that should underpin any just society.
It is essential to recognise that migrants make invaluable contributions to our society, enriching our cultural tapestry, driving economic growth, and filling vital roles across various sectors. Rather than treating them as cash cows to be exploited for financial gain, we should be extending support and solidarity to these individuals and families who have often fled untenable circumstances in search of safety and opportunity.
The government must be held to account for its heartless and short-sighted approach, and there must be concerted efforts to challenge and overturn these unjust fee increases. It is incumbent upon all of us to stand in solidarity with migrant communities, amplify their voices, and work towards dismantling the barriers that hinder their rightful access to opportunities, services, and a dignified life.
Together, we can build a society that embraces diversity, fosters inclusion, and upholds the inherent worth and rights of every individual, irrespective of their immigration status.
The Green Party Asylum and Migration Policy Working Group condemns the Government’s plans to increase visa fees to pay for public sector pay rises.
It is not only flawed social and economic policy, but it also exploits a group of people – whose fault the state of the economy is not – who for the most part do not have a voice; the right to vote.
The UK already charges an extortionate amount of money for visas, far more than administrative costs or other competing countries. As of April 2021, the Home Office made a profit of £769.17 million from application fees alone, and visas have tripled in price (on average) since 2010. If this were being done to citizens, there would be an appropriate uproar.
Paying Twice
This includes the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which is the fee migrants are required to pay to access the NHS, despite many already paying tax and National Insurance contributions. The IHS fee was introduced in 2015 and has already tripled in that time; now the prime minister says it will double again.
Not only are migrants already double-taxed for the NHS, but they are also less likely to use the NHS than British citizens, as they tend to be younger and healthier1.
Worse still, if an immigrant switches visa categories while in the UK – say, for example, they switch from a work visa to a family visa – not only do they not receive a refund for the IHS already paid, but they are required to pay it again. For those who leave the UK before their visas expire, they have no right to a refund for the IHS they paid for time not spent living here.
Where Does the Money Go?
Further, where is the evidence this fee even goes to the NHS? The Scottish government has said in the past that it does not wish for migrants living in Scotland to be forced to pay this fee, as health is a devolved matter, but Westminster has refused to relent on this issue. As the government is justifying these fee increases by claiming the money will go to help necessary salary increases for public sector workers, it is worrying how little evidence there is that the current fees do any such thing.
The austerity policies of successive Conservative governments for the last 13 years have left this country’s public services underfunded and in a permanent state of crisis, with workers overworked and underpaid. This policy does nothing to address the core funding problems of the public sector.
How Does the UK Compare
As already mentioned, across the board the UK charges substantially more for visas than any other competing country. Below we compare the three main visa categories, as of the current fees: Student, Worker, and Family.
Effect on Students
One of the UK’s strongest sources of soft power and friendly international relations is the university system, with many world-class universities that people around the world wish to study at. However, with the slow loss of public funding in the last several decades, universities have been forced to rely on international student fees to ensure their survivability.
While students can receive a world-class education, they are paying extortionate fees to be treated worse than their British or settled classmates. They are often monitored and their activities reported to the government, as universities are threatened if they do not follow the hostile environment’s protocols. This has, for example, resulted in many international students going to class when ill for fear of being reported absent and risking their visa.
Finally, at the end of their studies, international students face an uphill battle entering the British labour market, as businesses are incentivised to hire British or settled workers over international students whose skills were learned in this country. Further, their time spent on a Student or Graduate visa does not count towards permanent residency.
Study-related visas, as of December 2022: UKStudent visa: £833 for a one year master’s programme, the cheapest Student visa optionGraduate visa: £1,963, with no access to permanent residency at the end
Study-related visas, as of December 2022: Compared to competing countriesCanadaStudent visa: £92Post-study visa: £156, with access to permanent residency at the endGermany:Student visa: £66Post-study visa: £70France:Student visa: £44Post-study visa: £198Australia:Student visa: £354Post-study visa: £971, which is longer than the UK’s visaNew Zealand:Student visa: £280Post-study visa: £260USA:Student visa: £423
Effect on Workers
Work visas and the sponsor licences businesses are required to have if they wish to hire migrant workers are also so expensive that, according to findings published in 2020 by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration, nearly 50% of British businesses wish to hold a sponsor licence but cannot afford the fee, and a whopping 80% of businesses which do hold a sponsor licence said that visa fees for their much-needed migrant workers had negatively impacted on their business.
A Skilled Worker visa, the most common work visa route, costs a small business £2,019 in government fees for five years (this excludes the required sponsor licence fee and any related fees) and a large business £5,199.
As is shown in the below table,the cost is even higher for those already living in the UK on another visa, such as international students, which is bad social policy as we should be welcoming those living here as fellow community members. If workers have immediate family members, the spouse will cost another £4,355 and each child will cost £3,773 (including children born in the UK), and no other family members are allowed to join the worker in the UK.
Unlike Students, Skilled Workers have access to permanent residency after five years on this route. However, by charging them extortionate fees, current policy threatens to cause intergenerational poverty which harms everyone in society.
Skilled Worker visa, as of September 2023 UKOutside the UK: £4,355Inside the UK: £4,543
Work visas, as of September 2023: Compared to competing countriesSingapore: £20Japan: £33Germany: £64South Africa: £64South Korea: £72Canada £91Italy: £100France: £103United Arab Emirates: £142Mexico: £146China: £151Sweden: £159Brazil: £181USA: £846New Zealand:£,2309Australia: £2,376
Top talent visas, meant to attract the exceptionally talented, as of September 2023:Countries compete for the ‘best and brightest’; the UK’s talent visa has three routes. In simple terms, these are IT, academia, and the arts. Holders of this visa route may also have accelerated access to permanent residence.UK A five year Global Talent visa: £3,743
Top talent visas, meant to attract the exceptionally talented, as of May 2020:Competing countries, as of May 2020, for academic routesUK, so that you can see how much it has already jumped in just three years:Global Talent visa: £2,608Japan:Researcher Visa: £0Spain:Residence Permit for Researchers: £64South Korea:E3 Research Visa: £99The Netherlands:Researcher: £145Italy:Research Permit: £207USA:J1 Research Scholar: £258France:Talent Passport – Researcher: £313India:Research Visa: £608
Effect on families
Perhaps the most unethical example of all is the cost of family visas. The UK already has one of the most restrictive family reunification policies in the world (according to MIPEX2., a group of academics who study immigrant integration across the 56 richest countries in the world, the UK ranks 55th worst for family reunification rights – only Denmark is worse), and one of the many shocking reasons for this abysmal and shameful ranking are the cost of family visa, which are highly preventative for allowing family reunification to take place.
You have already seen how expensive student and work-related visas are. Family visas are even more – a lot more. A spouse visa for a migrant to join their British partner is a whopping £5,706, and any children joining will each cost another £4,936.
Spouse visa, as of September 2023 UKA five year spouse visa: £5,706Spouses are not allowed to apply for a five year visa; instead, they can only apply for a 2.5 year visa and then must renew it.
Spouse visas, as of September 2023: Compared to other countriesGermany:£0Japan:£33France£85Canada:£332USA:£797New Zealand: £1,299, with the possibility of automatic permanent residenceBrazil:£1,594Australia£4,020
Please note that the above UK fee examples are just current visa and IHS costs. Indefinite Leave to Remain (permanent residency) costs a further £2,404, with citizenship another £1,330 – including for children born in the UK. Also missing from the above are required English or TB tests, the Life in the UK test, and any biometrics appointment necessary. None of the above listed fees are the actual cost of immigrating to this country.
Impact on Undocumented Migrants
The current policy already leads to ever-increasing numbers of undocumented people who are thrust into the cruelty of the hostile environment, along with families and communities who become poorer because their savings are going into visa costs. People simply cannot afford these fees. It is terrible social and economic policy to treat immigrants like cash machines, and could lead to generational disparities and wider economic differences between groups of people living in the UK for decades to come. This benefits absolutely nobody except for the politicians looking to distract from their own failures.
In Summary
The extortionate fees required of migrants is already a policy aimed at those who have little to no political power. To announce a substantial increase in the fees is downright disgraceful. We should be encouraging integration and good social relations, along with a strong economy, yet this government constantly and consistently treats migrants as unwanted commodities to be abused at will.
The pay raises for public sector workers are very welcome and are long overdue, but they should not come off the backs of immigrants. The public sector should be funded seriously, effectively, and for the long term. If the government wants to find a way raise some quick funds, they should consider tackling tax avoidance and increasing taxes for the wealthy.
Instead of further raising these fees, the government should be lowering costs to be more aligned with administrative costs and the fees of other countries. Profiteering from immigrants is immoral, shameful, and unacceptable. Please be an ally to those whose political voices are stifled and urge the government against this policy.
As figures from the Office for National Statistics show net migration to the UK reached 606,000 last year [1], the Green Party has reiterated its call for a new approach which is both compassionate and rational.
Co-leader Carla Denyer said:
“The talk today will be on the total number of migrants entering the UK but we must never forget that every person coming to the UK is a human being with the same ambitions, dreams and hopes that we all have.
“The figures are also misleading since more than a third of non-EU immigration is made up of international students who have been actively encouraged to come to the country and will eventually return home. There are also many thousands from Ukraine and Hong Kong, who have been received with compassion by the British people.
“As a rational step, Greens support separating the statistics out into those seeking asylum, students and those seeking work. We also welcome those seeking to work in the UK, who often bring vital skills and help boost the economy. We would scrap minimum income rules for visas and want the UK to negotiate to rejoin the EU free movement zone.
“Discussions on migration have become dominated by divisive rhetoric, stoked by the Conservatives and the right-wing media. Unlike Labour, we aren’t afraid to challenge this narrative. We welcome the diversity that people from other countries and societies bring to our educational establishments, our workplaces and our communities.”
“Detaining desperate people on boats, barges and disused military bases is the latest outrage in a calculated attempt by government to dehumanise asylum seekers as part of its election strategy.
“Together with the Illegal Immigration Bill that will cast adrift thousands of people seeking protection in this country, these proposals will cause real harm to already vulnerable people.
“The humane alternative is an asylum system that works. That is one with clear, open, safe and legal routes for applicants, quick and efficient determinations and support for resettlement into local communities with properly funded local services.”
The Green Party has welcomed a new report – ‘Immigration after Brexit: Where are we going?’ – from UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE), together with the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, which highlights ‘sustained shift towards more positive attitudes towards migration’.
Co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: “More and more people are coming to understand the value of immigration to our cultural and economic life. As this report shows, Brexit and the pandemic highlighted just how vital immigration is to our country.
“Brexit closed down free movement of people and has created labour shortages in important sectors, while immigrants make up a significant proportion of the key workers – from supermarket shelf-packers, to care workers and health staff – who we all clapped for during the pandemic. The public increasingly recognises this.
“The Green Party is the only party that would renegotiate Freedom of Movement with the EU.”
The Party has also condemned the Tory government’s new small boats bill, announced last Tuesday.
Ramsay continued: “This is the latest attempt by the Tories to stop desperate people finding sanctuary. Last year three-quarters of all asylum claims were granted. Despite this, the government seems determined to clamp down on those fleeing conflict, persecution or extreme poverty in a host of countries by failing to offer legal routes to the UK. This will force people to continue taking their chances arriving in small boats.
“The UK government appears to be on a mission to push the boundaries of international law and breach the European Convention on Human Rights. This will further damage the UK’s already shattered global reputation.
“The Green Party is the only party taking a strong stand against this cruel legislation and saying proudly that refugees are welcome. We want to see safe legal routes for anyone wanting to claim asylum. That’s the way to stop small boats making perilous journeys across the channel and break the criminal gangs involved in people smuggling.”
A green amendment successfully passed through an extraordinary council session, as Greens reiterate that the city must unite to call on the Home Office to end the use of hotels for vulnerable asylum-seekers
In an extraordinary council session this evening, Greens successfully passed an amended motion that identifies the Home Office’s responsibility for the hostile environment for refugees and migrants across the country. Councillors across the chamber united in condemning the nation-wide failures that led to children going missing from these hotels in Brighton & Hove.
The motion calls on the Home Office to close the hotels where they are placing unaccompanied children seeking asylum, to desist from moving any more unaccompanied children into the City outside of the normal scheme, and to immediately place children accommodated at the hotel into local authority care placements across the country. This follows a report published by Brighton & Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership this week, which reiterated that the council acted correctly, and that responsibility lies with the Home Office.
Cllr Zoe John, who spoke for the motion, said:
“I want to send solidarity to all those who find themselves in circumstances that mean they have to leave their home countries. It is unthinkable for many of us, but whether due to war, economic circumstances, family or health, displacement can impact anyone. As the climate crisis worsens, more and more people will be forced to take this option.
“We join with colleagues in finding avenues for justice in this horrifying situation. We have consistently pointed out that the Home Office is responsible, and highlight that fact publicly in order to unite and focus this council in the correct direction. Nothing less will resolve this.”
Chair of Children, Young People and Skills Committee Cllr Hannah Allbrooke said:
“Greens have done everything we can to stop these hotels. Not everything we do can or should be public, as doing so would risk harming those vulnerable people who we act to protect. But we have consistently explored all options available to us, continually sought legal advice and always spoken out publicly against Home Office neglect and cruelty – over the course of years.
“We are focused on supporting these children, and the council will do whatever it can. Part of that is being honest about what we cannot do; it is the Home Office that is responsible for the hostile environment created for refugees and migrants. Only unified, direct opposition to Home Office policy can change that.”
