Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has recently declared an upward adjustment in the visa application fees imposed on immigrants.
This announcement followed a speech focusing on the rise in wages within the public sector.
According to the British media, Sunak confirmed that a portion of the funding for the increased wages would be obtained from foreign migrants who choose to live and work in the UK.
Furthermore, he stated that the surcharge paid by visa applicants for the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) would experience a substantial increase.
A few weeks ago, Prime Minister Sunak had already mentioned during a visit to the United States embassy that fees for processing non-immigrant visa (NIV) applications would be raised.
The US embassy, as indicated on its website, has announced that the revised fees for various visa categories will take effect from June 17, 2023.
Sunak justified this decision, emphasizing that the fees had not been adjusted recently and that the increase was necessary.
He asserted, “In order to prioritize higher wages for public sector workers, we need to allocate funds from other sources. Raising taxes or borrowing more would be irresponsible and detrimental to inflation.”
“To address this, we will be implementing two measures to generate the necessary funds. First, we will raise the charges for visa applications across the board. Second, we will increase the immigration health surcharge (IHS), which is the levy paid by migrants to access the NHS.”
“These adjustments will raise over £1 billion. Therefore, both visa application fees and the immigration health surcharge will experience significant increases.”
Sunak reassured that this action would not contribute to inflation since there would be no new borrowing or excessive spending involved. The government believes it is a justified measure, considering the rise in costs since the previous adjustment.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Sunak expressed, “I have just introduced a fair resolution to end the strikes, and all teaching unions are already in support. It is a fair deal for workers and the British taxpayer. This breakthrough will greatly benefit parents and families throughout the country.”