Hike in UK student visa fees effective October 4

UK Government's new move to hike the price of the visa fees effective 4th October 2023. As per the latest UK visa news, those planning to stay for less than six months will have to pay an additional charge of GBP 15. Furthermore, the UK government has also increased the student visa fees, making it GBP 127 more expensive than earlier for various countries, including India.

This will also affect the cost of applying for a UK student visa from outside the country, which will rise to GBP 490. This news came out after the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced in July to support the UK’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS).One of the ways to support this is by increasing the wages of the public sector, where the fees and health surcharges paid by the visa applicants will be increased.

During the announcement, the Prime Minister addressed the committee, stating, "We are going to increase the charges that we have for migrants who are coming to this country when they apply for visas and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which is the levy that they pay to access the NHS."

Furthermore, to add to this, the Home Office declared that the cost of work and visit visas has seen a rise of 15%, whereas the priority visas, study visas, and certificates of sponsorship have seen an increase of 20%. Additionally, the Home Office stated, "Income from fees charged plays a vital role in the Home Office's ability to run a sustainable immigration and nationality system. Careful consideration is given when setting fees to help reduce the funding contribution from British taxpayers, whilst continuing to provide a service that remains attractive to those wishing to work in the UK and support broader prosperity for all." After parliamentary approval, the hike in UK visa fees will be implemented effectively on 4th October.