By Holly Mogford – PhD student at Swansea University and Patients not Passports (PNP) campaigner.
In recent years, and amidst the hostile environment, immigration and nationality fees have broadened in scope and increased in amount. In doing so, the lives of many migrants have become extremely challenging. As documented by Migrant Voice (n.d.), the financial burden, for many, is combined with “mental and physical health problems, with some sacrificing food, heating, and electricity to save up for their visas”.
At the time of writing, there are a total of 168 immigration and nationality fee categories listed by the Home Office (UKVI, 2023). Among these categories is indefinite leave to remain (ILR) – main applicants and dependents, which is currently set at £2,885. In setting the fee at this rate, a significant profit is made. In October 2021, for example, when ILR was set at £2,389, the unit cost was £243, this resulted in profits of 883% (see Migrant Voice, 2022, p. 18).
In the summer of 2023, the government announced plans to increase visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge to fund part of the public sector pay offer. The Immigration Health Surcharge is a requisite component of visa and immigration applications. It was introduced in 2015 and was initially set at £200 (Burnett & Chebe, 2020). It has since increased to £624 and is again set to increase at the start of 2024 to £1035 (McKinney et al., 2023). This proposal has encountered significant resistance from public sectors workers, migrants, and campaigners, among many others invested in migrant justice.
Resistance against extortionate visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge existed prior to this recent juncture. Migrant Action respond directly to these fees. Hence, it was within this existing pursuit of migrant justice that Migrant Action joined the National Day of Action called by Migrant Voice, pursuing efforts of structural change.
On the 31st of October, Migrant Action joined in solidarity with individuals and organisations across the United Kingdom to resist the announced increases to visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge. The date of the event, Halloween, was aptly symbolic of the devasting impact of visa and immigration fees.
In hoping to spread awareness of this impact, Migrant Action organised a sign-making session at Leeds University followed by a series of presentations which focused on related research. The first speaker was Holly Mogford, a PhD student at Swansea University and a Patient’s not Passports campaigner. The presentation documented the socio-legal framework of NHS (sur)charging which has eroded the principle of universality in the NHS (Potter, 2018). This was followed by a presentation delivered by Dr Jon Burnett, a lecturer at the University of Hull. The presentation reflected upon a report by Migrant Voice (2022), in which Jon contributed by situating immigration fees in 21st century Britain, highlighting the profit made from certain immigration fees and visas. These presentations initiated discussion around the distinct, but inevitably related implications of NHS (sur)charges, immigration and visa fees. This was followed by an informative stall and demonstration in Leeds led by students.
The National Day of Action showcased the unity and support in resisting increasing visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge. This action powerfully cut across a vast array of organisations and individuals working towards migrant justice. It was a significant moment in time, yet, crucially, efforts to prevent the suffering imposed by extortionate visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge continue each day, whether this be by spreading awareness, lobbying to MP’s or providing direct support and advocacy to those impacted by these fees.
References
Burnett, J., & Chebe, F. (2020). Towards a political economy of charging regimes: Fines, fees and force in UK immigration control. The British Journal of Criminology, 60(3), 579-599. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz070
McKinney, CJ, Meade, L., Sturge, G., & Barton, C. (2023). UK Immigration Fees. UK Parliament. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9859/#:~:text=Application%20fees%20recently%20went%20up,and%20student%20visas%20by%2035%25.
Migrant Voice. (n.d.). Our campaign against the extortionate cost of visas. https://www.migrantvoice.org/visa-costs-campaign
Migrant Voice. (2022). Destroying Hopes, Dreams and Lives: How the UK visa costs and process impact migrants lives. https://www.migrantvoice.org/img/upload/Visa_fees_report_-_digital_final_to_upload.pdf
Potter, J. (2018). Patients Not Passports-No borders in the NHS! Justice, Power and Resistance, 2(2), 417‐429. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327252907_Patients_Not_Passports-No_borders_in_the_NHS/citations
UKVI. (2023). Home Office immigration and nationality fees: 25 October 2023. Home Office. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table/home-office-immigration-and-nationality-fees-25-october-2023
