Cross-Party Parliamentarians Criticise High Visa Fees

Responding to revelations in the media, a cross-party group of politicians has denounced the Home Office for charging excessively high visa fees and called on the Home Office to urgently review its fees structure.

The Resettlement, Asylum and Migration Policy (RAMP) Project works with a diverse network of politicians (including Kate Green MP, Steve Double MP, Tim Farron MP and the Bishop of Durham), as well as other leaders such as the Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees, to re-imagine a world class migration system for a successful and integrated Britain. The project today released a statement which says:

"The Home Office urgently needs to look at options to reduce high visa fees.

"All departments are under financial pressure but the answer can't be to jack up fees over and over again for people coming to the country to build their lives here.

"Visa fees should reflect the administrative costs of processing applicants and the Home Office should not use these fees to subsidise other services.

"People should be welcomed to Britain, and feel welcome and ready to contribute their skills and hard work. These revelations suggest they are too often just seen as a source of cash."