February 14, 2012 - As a measure to relieve taxpayer burden, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) is recommending an increase to visa application fees.  Once approved by Parliament, the following fees are expected to come into effect on April 6, 2012:

• Tier 1 General Extension application fees will increase by 50% to £1,500;

• Tier 2 visa fees will increase by 20% to £480;  

• Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer fees (for less than 12 months) will increase from £350 to £400;

• Tier 4 visa fee will increase to £289 and Tier 5 fees to £194; and

• Large sponsor license fee will increase to £1,500.

Along with these changes, the UKBA has indicated that it is pursuing an increase for dependent fees in the future.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in the United Kingdom.  For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@balglobal.com.