Immigration options

Immigration application fees

Anyone who is applying for leave to remain in the UK or British citizenship will need to pay a fee to the Home Office.

Some types of immigration applications are fee exempt, so will be free. If no exemption applies then the applicant will need to pay a specified fee, unless they can apply for a fee waiver. Fee waivers are only available to people making applications on the basis of their family or private life in the UK and to children who are applying to register as a British citizen.

Immigration fees are revised (and usually increased) in April each year and can be changed at other times. A person must check what fee they will need to pay well in advance of making their application. They would also need to find out if they are required to pay the NHS surcharge (Immigration Health Charge) in addition to the application fee.

For more information, see the current immigration and nationality fees. 

Fee exemptions for immigration applications

A person will not be required to pay a fee if they are making one of the following applications: 

• Asylum or Article 3 
• Leave to remain under the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession 
• Leave to remain as a victim of domestic violence under paragraph 289A, Appendix FM or Appendix Armed Forces, where the person is destitute
• Most applications made by children who are looked after by a local authority (this exemption does not include children accommodated under section 17 of the Children Act 1989)
• Initial period of limited leave to remain as a stateless person, or as the family member of a stateless person, under Part 14 
• EC Association Agreement with Turkey
• Discretionary leave when the person has a positive grounds decision as a victim of trafficking or modern day slavery
• Leave as a domestic worker who is the victim of slavery or human trafficking

Fee waiver for family & private life applications 

An application made by an adult under the family or private life rules, or outside of the rules raising Article 8 family and private life grounds, will cost £3,845.50 (£1,258 application fee + £2,587.50 Immigration Heath Charge). A separate fee must be paid for each family member included in the application.

If the person cannot afford the fee they should ask their legal representative if they can apply for a fee waiver. A fee waiver is applied for as part of the online application process and the person will need to submit evidence that they meet the requirements of the Home Office fee waiver policy for the fee to be waived.

A person can apply for a fee waiver if they are applying for leave to remain on one of the following grounds:

• 5-year partner route - only where a person is not required to meet the minimum income threshold because their sponsor is in receipt of a particular benefit and so instead must demonstrate that their sponsor can provide adequate maintenance 
• 5-year parent route 
• 5-year private life route
• 10-year partner, parent or private life route - where a person claims that refusal of that application for leave to remain would breach their rights under Article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
• Where other rights under the ECHR are asserted and this forms the substantive basis of an application
• Extension of discretionary leave that was granted following refusal of asylum or humanitarian protection claim - where a person claims that refusal to grant further leave to remain would breach their ECHR rights. 
• Extension of discretionary leave for a victim of trafficking or slavery who has already accrued 30 months’ discretionary leave and is applying to extend it for reasons relating to trafficking or slavery

A fee waiver must be granted if the person can demonstrate that one of the following applies to them: 

• They can credibly demonstrate that they cannot afford the fee
• They are destitute 
• They are at risk of imminent destitution
• Their income is not sufficient to meet a child’s particular and essential additional needs  

A person or family receiving accommodation and financial support from Adult Social Care or Children's Social Care may qualify for a fee waiver. The local authority will need to provide evidence of any support being provided and may be approached by the Home Office for further information about their involvement. 

For more information, see the Home Office guidance, Fee waiver: Human Rights-based and other specified applications.

A Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa holder will qualify for a fee waiver if they are applying for further leave to remain on that route, has already had the NRPF condition lifted, is in receipt of public funds, and can demonstrate that they cannot afford the fee and/or Immigration Health Surcharge. For more information, see the Home Office guidance, Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route.  

Child citizenship applications

An application to register a child under 18 as a British citizen costs £1,214.

Fee exemption

Children who are looked after by a local authority are exempt from paying the fee. However, if in the first instance the application is refused, looked after children will be required to pay £372 for an internal review. The fee will be reimbursed if the review is successful. 

Fee waiver

A child under 18 can apply for a fee waiver if they and their parent(s) do not have sufficient funds at their disposal to pay the required fee after meeting their essential living needs.

A fee waiver must be granted if the applicant and parent(s) are assessed and found:

• To credibly demonstrate they cannot afford the fee
• Their income is not sufficient to meet their child’s needs

A family receiving accommodation and financial support from social services may qualify for a fee waiver. The local authority will need to provide evidence of any support being provided and may be approached by the Home Office for further information about their involvement.

For more information, see the Home Office policy guidance: Affordability fee waiver: Citizenship registration for individuals under the age of 18 and the Child citizenship fee waiver request form.