April is a crucial month for most of us – the end and start of the financial year, new ISA limits, CPD fulfillment and most importantly, the Home Office policy changes!
In typical fashion, the Home Office has announced the plethora of changes to its rules in a rather laborious manner. Therefore we have highlighted the main changes which would normally affect the budget and forward planning of clients:
– New fees
The Home Office fees are reviewed annually and the fees in most categories are increased from 6 April 2015 onwards. Nearly every migrant who is submitting a visa application from April 2015 onwards would be affected. Naturally March and April are few of the busiest months at our firm as clients hope to submit their visa applications right before the prices increase.
Here is the link to the indicative charges for 2015/2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/401236/indicative-visa-charges-for-2015-to-2016.pdf
– NHS surcharge
This has been a controversial topic in the media. Essentially, there will be a £200 annual health levy for temporary migrants who stay in the UK for over six months. Among the lucky few who are exempt from paying this fee are Australian nationals, New Zealand nationals, European Economic Area (EEA) nationals, Tier 2 (Intra-company transfer) migrants and tourist visa holders.
– New forms
Naturally most application forms have also been updated to incorporate the new fees and policy changes. Therefore, please ensure that the form you are using is the latest version in order to avoid your application being returned as invalid. Nevertheless, old forms in some categories may still be valid up for to 21 days after the publishing of new forms.
How may we help you?
QC Immigration has extensive experience of completing urgent and complicated applications on behalf of our clients. Being looked after by us means you gain peace of mind that your case will be managed in a professional and cost-effective manner. We also collaborate with qualified accountants, tax advisors and certified translators to ensure the success of your application.
