OTHER COSTS

Home Office fees are payable for many immigration cases and we will always talk to you about whether you are unable to pay the fees and whether you may be able to apply for a ‘fee waiver’.   

Fees depend on the type of application you are making and your personal circumstances. For example, in 2021, it costs £65 for a single visit visa for a family member to visit you for up to 6 months. The cost for an application as the partner of a British citizen is £1,033 (applying in the UK) or £1,523 (applying from outside the UK) plus a yearly £624 Immigration Health Surcharge (£1,560 for 30 months). You may need to pay for a housing report (£60-100), a tuberculosis test (£65-110), an English language test (£150) and translation of original documents (which can be anything up to £300 or more depending on how much translation is needed and the fee charged by the translator). You may also choose to pay for a quicker priority service (£500-800). The fee for an application for indefinite leave to remain is £2,389 and most people will need to pass a Life in the UK test (£50) and a second English language test (£150-£180). There may be other types of cost in some cases, such as a medical report or a DNA test, but these vary and if they apply in your individual case, we will discuss them with you.

An appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) after being refused asylum or humanitarian protection costs an additional £80 without a hearing and £140 with a hearing.

There is no value added tax (VAT) to pay on top of these prices.

For details of all Home Office fees, please click here Home Office immigration and nationality fees: 1 July 2021.

Timescales

The time it takes to complete your case depends on how much information you need to provide, on the complexity of your case and on Home Office workloads. After your application is submitted and if you are applying in the UK, the Home Office aims to complete the process within 8 weeks for many types of application, and within 6 months if you are applying for settlement. It can take 6 months or longer to get an asylum decision after the interview, depending on the complexity of the case. In some cases, it can take very much longer than this.