What will it cost to come to work in the UK when the government’s new immigration policies apply? It’ll mean paying some of the world’s highest visa fees
UK’s expensive visa fees ‘could deter NHS staff and scientists’
At £1,220 per person, or £900 for those on the shortage occupation list, the fees are among the highest in the world – and this is before charges for using the NHS and costs for sponsoring employers are taken into account.
Comparisons with fee structures in other countries, published by the Institute for Government (IfG) thinktank, show that a family of five with a five-year work visa for one individual would have to pay £21,299 before they could enter in the country.
The fee comparisons are equally stark for individuals. A single person who wants to come to the country will be charged up to £3,220 for five years. If they want to move to the UK with a spouse, the cost would rise to £6,500 for a five-year work stint.
This compares with Canada, which charges £220 for an individual visa for three years; Germany, which charges £147; and France, which charges £2,075, according to the data supplied to the IfG. Luxembourg charges €50 (£42) for a visa and €80 for a residents permit.
From January this will include a skills-charge fee of £1,000 per person, an employer visa fee of £610 for a visa up to three years, as well as £1,220 for a visa of more than three years, along with a £199 certificate of sponsorship. Guardian 20 Feb
Musicians fees: “Not everyone is Bruce Springsteen”
In just 10 months’ time, anyone from the EU seeking to perform in the UK will need to:
* Apply for a visa to enter the UK, at a cost of £244 for each group member;
* Provide proof, 90 days before applying, that they have almost £1,000 in savings and so can support themselves, unless they are “A-rated”;
* Provide a certificate of sponsorship from an event organiser – who must take responsibility for them – or a letter of invitation in some circumstances.
On the need for proof of £1,000 in savings, Incorporated Society of Musicians chief executive, Deborah Annetts, said: “That’s fine if you’re Bruce Springsteen but not if you’re a small rock band from Scandinavia trying to make it by playing in a few north London pubs.”
Pointing to a likely tit-for-tat crackdown by the EU, she warned: “The government can’t think about this in isolation, they need to think about UK musicians who will want to tour Europe.
“This could be harming them in a very short time, which makes the policy so short-sighted. The Home Office just doesn’t get it.” The Independent 21 Feb
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– digest by George Hamilton
