Add or Edit News - StudyAbroadAdmin

Update News

View All News

Title

Meta Title

Meta Keywords

Meta Description

Image

Status

Is News

Is Scholarship

Country

Description

<p>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 10px; ">
<h1 class="entry-title" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 2.2em; line-height: 1.364em; ">UK visa fees set to rise in April</h1>
<div>
<div class="headline_area" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 2.2em; margin-left: 0px; ">
<p class="headline_meta" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-style: italic; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.8em; color: rgb(136, 136, 136); ">by&nbsp;<span class="author vcard fn" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-style: normal; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px; ">RAY CLANCY</span>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<abbr class="published" title="2011-03-02" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1em; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; cursor: help; font-style: normal; ">MARCH 2, 2011</abbr></p>
<div><abbr class="published" title="2011-03-02" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1em; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; cursor: help; font-style: normal; "><br />
</abbr></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; ">
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">Fees for visa applications for the UK are set to rise from April as part of a huge money saving drive, it has emerged.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">Immigration Minister Damian Green has issued a written ministerial statement that proposes to increase immigration and nationality application fees for all those applying to study, visit, work or stay in the UK.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">It will be debated and if approved by parliament the new prices will take effect on the 06 April 2011.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">&lsquo;Given the need to reduce public spending, we have had to carefully consider our fee levels, to ensure we can maintain good service levels to our customers and secure the border for the general public. In principle it is the right time to ask migrants to make a greater contribution to funding the UK Border Agency than was previously the case,&rsquo; said Green.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">&lsquo;Therefore we should continue to seek a shift in the funding provided by migrants to deliver the border and immigration system with a consequent reduction in the burden on UK taxpayers. It is right that those who benefit directly from the immigration system should pay to meet the costs of securing the UK&rsquo;s borders,&rsquo; he explained in the statement.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">&lsquo;In developing these proposals, we have sought to limit increases so as to avoid any broader economic impact, particularly on the most economically sensitive route of all, short term visit visas,&rsquo; he added.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">Some of the proposed fee changes are small and others are large, depending on what visa is being applied for. For example, a short stay visa currently &pound;70 will rise to &pound;76 and settlement visa for a dependant relative currently &pound;1,680 will increase to &pound;1,814.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">Fees for other services such as forwarding documents and nationality documents will also increase.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">Green said that under the current spending review, the Home Office is implementing a real terms reduction in budgets of up to a 20%. The UK Border Agency is already seeking to offset this income gap with efficiency savings of approximately &pound;500 million by reducing support costs, increasing efficiencies, boosting productivity and improving value for money from commercial suppliers.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">&lsquo;But these measures will not go far enough, and to address the funding shortfall the UK Border Agency will need to increase fees for financial year 2011/12,&rsquo; he explained.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">&lsquo;The UK Border Agency believe the proposals to increase fees continue to strike the right balance between maintaining secure and effective border controls and ensuring that the fees structure does not inhibit the UK&rsquo;s ability to attract those migrants and visitors that make a valued contribution. This will help to support the immigration system, maintain public confidence and ensure that migration is managed for the benefit of the UK,&rsquo; he added.</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; ">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; ">&nbsp;</p>
</p>
</span></div>
</div>
<div class="format_text entry-content" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.571em; ">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</span></p>