Fee Waiver Application To The Home Office UKVI 2024
You can apply for a fee waiver application if you cannot pay the UK visa application fee to the Home Office. This guide will explain everything you need to know for a fee waiver.
Not everyone can afford to pay the Home Office fee of £1048, and immigration health surcharge of £2,587.5 for 30 months of leave to remain. Our immigration lawyers are experienced and dealt with many fee waiver applications. Our highly skilled immigration lawyers can help you make a fee waiver application to waive your visa application fee and immigration health surcharge.
Fee waiver application to the home office UKVI
If you’re submitting a specified human rights application and are unable to pay the required Home Office UKVI fees, you can apply for a fee waiver online. It’s important to note that decision makers are required to consider the entirety of the amount that needs to be paid when processing fee waiver requests. This means that they’ll take into account both the immigration application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) combined.
If you’re unable to pay for part of the fees, the waiver will only be applied to that specific amount. For example, if you can pay for the immigration fee but not the IHS, the immigration fee will still be required, and only the IHS fee will be waived.
However, if you’re completely unable to pay for either fee, both the immigration fee and the IHS will be waived. So, don’t let the fees stand in the way of submitting your application – apply for a fee waiver today.
Contents
Eligibility for a fee waiver application
You may be eligible for a fee waiver if:
- you’re a partner, parent or dependant child of someone who has a family visa or has permission to stay in the UK on the basis of their private life
- you’ve got ‘Discretionary Leave’ or ‘Leave outside the Immigration Rules’ on human rights grounds where you were refused refugee status or humanitarian protection – check your Biometric Residence Permit to see what you’ve got
- you have permission to stay in the UK because you’re a victim of modern slavery or human trafficking
You can apply for a fee waiver if you cannot afford to pay the fee because you:
- do not have a place to live in the UK and you cannot afford one
- have a place to live but cannot afford essential living costs like food or heating
- have a very low income and paying the fee would harm your child’s wellbeing
Information required to apply for a fee waiver application
You’ll be asked to prove your identity by uploading a copy of your identity document online, for example, your:
- passport
- national identity card
- biometric residence permit (BRP)
You’ll also need to provide information about your financial situation, for example:
- bank statements
- letters from local authorities or family members showing you get financial support
- evidence to show you get public funds
- evidence of your household earnings, for example, payslips
- evidence of your household expenses, for example, how much rent you pay
You may also be asked to provide additional evidence about your partner or dependants financial situation.
You must satisfy the Home Office that you are unable to pay the UK visa application fee, the immigration health surcharge, or both.
Family units and ‘partial’ fee waivers
One or more family members who are dependants on an application can be granted a fee waiver. An applicant can complete a fee waiver request form for the relevant individual dependent family members, or by the main applicant stating that they can pay the fee for their application (and possibly for some dependants) but are unable to pay the fee for all of their dependants. In these circumstances, the main applicant will be asked to specify which dependants are applying for a fee waiver and which are not. However, it is not possible for part of the immigration fee to be waived and part of the fee to be paid for individual applicants.
How does the Home Office consider applications for fee waivers?
When considering a fee waiver application, the Home Office will consider the following factors:
- Affordability and destitution
- A child’s particular… needs
- Assessing “surplus income”
The applicant is at risk of imminent destitution
An applicant could be at risk of imminent destitution if, whilst they currently have
adequate accommodation and can meet their other essential living needs, it is clear
from the evidence submitted that either:
- they will be destitute soon
- their living conditions, whilst not amounting to destitution, are not sustainable
- payment of the fee would leave the applicant with insufficient funds to pay for accommodation and essential living needs in the near future
The applicant’s income is not sufficient to meet a child’s particular and essential additional needs
Although the needs of children may implicitly have been considered in earlier stages of the request for a fee waiver, this part addresses them directly. The duty in section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 to have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of a child in the UK means that consideration of the child’s best interests, which can also be expressed as the child’s well-being, must be a primary consideration, but not the only consideration, in carrying out immigration functions that affect them.
Grounds for rejection of a fee waiver request
If the applicant has not supplied accurate information on the availability of housing, the provision of necessities of life, income level and outgoings, and overall financial circumstances, the fee waiver request may be denied. If it is fair to assume that the applicant purposefully disposed of monies, such as by freely lending or sending money to a third party, the application may be refused.
If there is evidence that the applicant is not taking reasonable and proportionate steps to ensure that they have enough money on hand to pay a foreseeable fee, their application may also be denied if they have been spending money on things that are within their means but outside of what is considered to be essential living needs.
What happens after the fee waiver application is submitted?
If the fee waiver application is granted – If the fee waiver application is successful, you will be given 10 working days to submit your application. “The Home Office guidance suggests that this is ten working days from the date of the fee waiver decision, but paragraph 34 of the Immigration Rules makes clear that it is ten days from the “receipt” of the decision”.
If the application is rejected or refused – The applicants who had valid visa at the time of application will be informed that they do not qualify for a fee waiver and given ten working days to provide further documentation proving their eligibility. The applicant will be given an additional ten working days to submit their request for permission to stay if the fresh proof they provided convinces the caseworker that they qualify for a fee waiver.
Why choose us for your fee waiver application?
Choosing the right and best immigration lawyer for your immigration needs can be stressful. While it could seem like a difficult choice, let us simplify things for you. Here are a few good reasons why you should choose Deluxe Law Chambers to assist you with your UK visas and immigration matters.
Our commitment to affordability means that you can receive expert advice without straining your finances. Our success hinges on transparency. We believe in keeping you informed about every step of the process, ensuring that you understand your options and the potential outcomes.
- REGULATED – We are regulated and approved immigration lawyers by The Office Of The Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).
- EXPERIENCE – Our firm rests on specialist immigration lawyers and solicitors with years of experience. Our well-earned experience distinguishes us from others.
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- TRUST – Our commitment to uphold your trust is unwavering. Our transparency and ethical conduct are treatments for the trust placed in us by our clients.
- DIRECT ACCESS – At Deluxe Law Chambers as your immigration lawyers, you will have direct access to your qualified lawyer 24/7.
- REMOTE SERVICES – We are able to provide a fully digital service, and you may never have to visit our offices for 9/10 immigration cases.
- AFFORDABLE – We are a law firm with an affordable and fixed fee plan. We offer two installments to ensure you can pay easily.
A combination of our rich experience, deep-rooted expertise, trust authority, and unwavering commitment to our clients makes us your best choice.
So, why wait? Take your first step towards a successful immigration application with us.
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