Extending your visa or re-applying to stay in the UK with your family? Watch out for the fee increase on 24 July 2024

Although there was a highly publicised increase in fees for immigration applications in October 2023 and to the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fees in February 2024, there have been other increases brought in gradually since that time in April and July 2024. Amongst these changes, it is largely underreported that there is scheduled to be an increase to the fee for applications to stay in the UK on 24 July 2024.

This applies to a raft of applications, including those for partners, parents and children of someone who is settled in the UK and also for those applying to remain in the UK on the basis of their long residence. The current Home Office application fee for these applications is £1,048 and they are listed as ‘Leave to remain– Other’ on the government web page.

This fee is set to go up 20% from £1,048 to £1,258 on 24 July 2024 at 9am.

Therefore, if you have the right evidence and funds ready now for your extension application, if you submit the online portion now then you could save yourself £210.

If you are applying for a fee waiver on the basis that you cannot afford the fees, if you do so before the fee increase, you can avoid the liability for paying the new, higher fee if your fee waiver application is eventually refused.

Having explained the fee increase, there is one important caveat to add. Clearly, the new Labour government have only recently come onto the scene and changes are being made, such as the scrapping of the Conservative’s scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has not announced any alterations to the immigration fee structure. However, immigration is a hot topic, and further changes could be made, so make sure you keep up to date with any changes related to your application. We will make updates on any future changes as they are announced on this site.

So far, the main Labour policies which have been announced centre around upskilling British workers, reforming the points-based immigration system and cutting exploitation of migrant workers. In her career as shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper previously spoke about the UK’s rich history of immigration and a progressive approach, so we cautiously hope for change for the better. If you want to know more about what the new Labour government could mean for UK immigration policy, read our past article exploring this topic more in-depth.