United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has raised the immigrant visa application fee after the public sector wage hike announcement.
Sunak confirmed that a portion of the wage increase funding will be sourced from foreign migrants who reside and work in the UK. He said the surcharge for state-funded NHS paid by visa applicants will “increase significantly”.
The Prime Minister had mentioned earlier that he would increase fees for processing NIV applications. The US embassy stated on its website that new visa fees will take effect on June 17, 2023, as per Sunak’s explanation that they are justified due to the lack of recent increases.
He said that if we want to pay public sector workers more, the money has to come from another source because raising taxes or borrowing more would worsen inflation. To find the money, two steps have been taken. First, charges for migrants applying for visas and the immigration health surcharge (IHS) will be increased. Fees for visas and the IHS will increase significantly, raising over £1 billion.
Sunak claims this will not impact inflation as there will be no new borrowing or spending. He believes it’s justified due to increased costs since the last hike. Sunak tweeted: Announced a fair strike-ending solution; all teaching unions support it. A fair deal for workers.” A fair deal for British taxpayers and a major breakthrough for families.
