Ugandans to pay more for UK visa

The United Kingdom (UK) government is set to increase fees for all persons seeking to enter its territories, including the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.

Last week, the British High Commission in Kampala issued a statement confirming an upward review of visa fees by the Home office.

“Specifically, this means increasing the cost of most work and visit visas by 15 percent, and increasing the cost of study visas, certificates of sponsorship, settlement, citizenship, wider entry clearance and leave to remain visas, and priority visas by at least 20 percent,” the statement reads in part.

The Uganda section of the Home office’s official website indicates that Ugandans have until now been paying $134 (about Shs484,000) for a short-term (six months) multiple or single entry visas and $502 (about Shs1.8m) for longer-term (up to two years) visas.

Applicants for the longer-term visa with durations of up to five years have been paying $895 (about Shs3.2m). Elsewhere, those having a shot at the longer-term visa of up to 10 years have been paying $1,118 (about Shs4m).

Other classifications

Visiting academics, who have been seeking to stay in the UK for between six and 12 months, have been paying $267 (about Shs965,000). Applicants for marriage visas have been paying $134 (about Shs484,000), while those eyeing permitted paid engagement visas have also been parting with $134.

Those who have been travelling to the UK for private medical treatment and staying there for periods ranging between six and 11 months have been paying $267 (about Shs965,000) for their visas. Meanwhile, students whose course durations range between six and 11 months have been paying $267.

The cost of a UK Standard Visitor Visa, however, varies depending on one’s nationality and the processing time. Ugandans who wish to have their visas processed in a shorter time have to pay more.

A standard applicant pays $279 (about Shs1m), the rush applicants $280 (about Shs1.01m), while the super rush applicants pay $284 (approximately Shs1.03m).

The Home office’s statement did not reveal when the new visa fees and visa processing charges will come into effect, or which particular categories of applicants will be affected by the changes.

“Further details on which routes will be affected will be announced in due course,” the statement divulged.

Justification

According to the statement, the move is aimed at shifting the responsibility of carrying the heavy cost of migration controls away from the British taxpayers.

“Fees are increasing in order to reduce reliance on taxpayer funding of the migration and borders system,” the statement reads.

During a recent debate in the House of Commons, Mr John Glen—the Chief Secretary to the Treasury—said the move would free up and make more funds available to the Home Secretary to facilitate the police’s activities.

“We are also equalising costs for students and those using a priority service, so that people pay the same whether they apply from within the UK or from outside the UK. That will help to cover more of the cost of the migration and border system, allowing the Home Secretary to divert more funding to police forces to help fund the pay rise for the police,” he said.

The statements came in the same month in which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced, on July 13, a 6.5 percent salary increment for some sections of the public sector workers in the UK. Mr Sunak, however, hastened to add that the salary increments would not be funded by raising taxes or borrowing.

“…we are going to increase the charges we have for migrants who are coming to this country when they apply for visas and indeed something we call the immigration health surcharge, which is the levy that they pay to access the NHS [National Health Service],” he said.

Increment of visa fees and the immigration health surcharge will help the UK raise a billion pounds a year, he said.

The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) will increase by 66 percent, from £624 (about Shs2.9m) to £1,035 (about Shs4.8m) per person per year for most main applicants. He also announced a 15 percent increment in visa application fees.

The Immigration Health Surcharge is paid by all those who apply for UK visas when they submit their online application forms.

The ISH payment allows migrants access services offered by the NHS.

The UK’s move comes after the United States Department of State increased worldwide visa fees, citing rising costs of processing travel documents. The increments range from seven to 53 percent.

Categories that were affected by the increments, which came into force in June, include business and tourist visas, students’ visas, exchange visitor visas and visas for temporary workers.

Also affected were the visa application fees for treaty traders, investors and applications in speciality occupation.

Effects on Trade

There were initial fears that the increment in visa fees might affect trade between Uganda and the United Kingdom. Mr Thadeus Musoke Nagenda (pictured), the chairperson of the Kampala City Traders Association (Kacita), was quick to downplay those fears.

“We do not do a lot of business with the United Kingdom. We are mostly into China and the Middle East. Maybe exporters of commodities like coffee,” he said.

It was not possible to engage officials from the ministry about the possible effect that the UK’s move might have on trade, but the Observatory of Economic Complexity reports that in 2021, the UK exported goods worth $62.5m (about Shs226b), while Uganda exported goods worth $18.5m (about Shs67b), with bananas, coffee and cassava as the main exports.