As expected, most individuals will check the official table of UKVI fees and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) costs on the government website to know what they will be charged when applying to enter or remain in the UK.
It is worth noting, that this is not guidance and is understood to reflect the actual cost of the fees.
Whilst these fees are accurate for in-country applicants, there is zero transparency on these government pages that entry clearance applicants will be subject to increased fees. This is because all entry clearance applications are paid in local currency, irrespective of where the application is being submitted from. So, if you have a UK-based immigration advisor submitting the application on your behalf from the UK, you will still be charged in local currency and subject to this increased fee.
There is separate Home Office guidance which was last updated in 2017 explaining this, but it is fair to say that individuals who do not have legal advisors will not know to look for this.
This guidance provides that:
All Home Office exchange rates are set at 4% above the Oanda live bid rates. This is designed to ensure that exchange rates charged reflect commercial exchange rates, while also ensuring that the risk to the Home Office, and UK taxpayer, of fluctuating exchange rates is kept to a minimum.
There is additional guidance on the Immigration Health Surcharge (updated in September 2024), which states that:
Banks and financial institutions may add transaction charges for currency conversion. Therefore, the transaction value stated within the IHS payer’s bank statement could exceed the IHS liability shown within the IHS portal. Where an applicant is eligible for a full or partial refund of the IHS, refunds cannot exceed the total IHS liability shown within the IHS portal. The Home Office is not responsible for currency conversion charges implemented by banks or financial institutions and cannot refund those charges.
There are likely to be many people who are having to save up/put money aside for these applications only to be met with a higher cost than they had banked for (literally). Home Office costs are not inexpensive and any increase can make or break an individual’s decision to apply.
As a total for the application and IHS, it can be an additional £200 – £300. For those applying with their partner and children as dependents, this could easily be an additional £1,200 for a family of four.
This link: Visa fees – GOV.UK is a tool to work out the cost of your UK immigration application in local currency. There is unfortunately not a tool to work out the cost for the Immigration Health Surcharge in local currency. Applicants will be told the fee at the time of payment, but all applicants should be aware of additional surcharges.