Campaign and petition email responses

Immigration cost increases

The Home Office has been ramping up fees in an extraordinary manner over the past 10 to 15 years and as you say, the UK has some of the most expensive visa and immigration fees in the world.

The cost of naturalisation as a British citizen is currently £1,330 for an adult, including ceremony fees, and £1,012 for a child to register as a citizen.

Yet the UK government’s own data from April 2023 on fees and unit costs in the border, immigration and citizenship system show that the citizenship application costs only £416 to deliver.

In many cases this can see people priced out of exercising their legal right to citizenship for example.

It is disgraceful that the Home Office uses people in this manner as a source of profit and in some cases this can see people priced out of exercising their legal right to citizenship for example.

My SNP colleagues Stuart McDonald MP and Alison Thewliss MP have been particularly vocal in calling out this practice from the Home Office.

The Scottish Government has also recently published its own citizenship proposals for an independent Scotland which suggest that any fees charged should only cover the cost of delivering the service, a step which could lead to charges being up to £800 lower than the current UK model.

My SNP colleagues and I will continue to press the UK Government on this, urging them to charge a fair fee and to avoid profiteering from people in this manner.