REVEALED – Why UK Increased Visa Fees, Health Charges For Nigerians, Other Immigrants
The United Kingdom (UK) has announced its plans to “significantly” increase visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made this announcement during a press conference, stating that the increased fees would help fund public-sector pay increases.
Sunak explained that if the government wants to prioritize higher pay for public sector workers, the money has to come from other sources because increasing taxes or borrowing more would not be responsible or beneficial to address inflation.
Therefore, the government plans to raise charges for migrants applying for visas and increase the immigration health surcharge, which is the levy paid by migrants to access the National Health Service (NHS).
The prime minister projected that the fee adjustments would generate over one billion pounds in revenue.
The proposed changes would involve a significant increase in visa application fees across various categories, as well as an increase in the immigration health surcharge for legal migrants entering the country.
This announcement follows a statement made by the prime minister a few weeks earlier at the US embassy, where he mentioned plans to raise fees for processing non-immigrant visa applications.
The new fees for different visa categories are expected to take effect on Monday, June 17, 2023, according to the US embassy’s website
