UKVI refused to refund visa application fee + IHS fee (more than €3,000 paid)

[ninelives]

Hi all,

Hope what I'm sharing (and of you all's contribution/input) here will help future applicants.

In January this year, I applied for the only visa which I qualify for, to join my EU spouse who was not in the UK yet @ that time. Turned out that is 'settlement visa', to which I paid a huge amount for.

Gotten a reply in May from UKVI decision makers that my application is not suited for the visa I applied for - they suggested for me to apply for some other type of visa + advised that I'd lose all my visa application fee paid + IHS fee paid will be refunded 'in due course'. Emailed them to ask on when IHS will be refunded as it's vague from their end on a specific time period for refund to happen - no reply from them at all.

I have now highlighted the case to European Commission (they could not help) + Solvit (they're handling my case right now @ a rate of 1 reply from them every 2+ weeks, so far I have only gotten 2 emails from them where both asking for more info from me) + Home Secretary of Home Office (they closed my case promptly after stating that I have since chose to apply for some 'other type of visa').*

Upon my own research, I then found the suitable visa that I should apply and shortly after that's what I did and got approved (i.e. gotten my permit promptly).

Any of you all have undergo such situation and to which board(s) you all choose to highlight your case for further action? It's too much of monies for me to just let this go, as you all can imagine.

[ALKB]

Hi all,

Hope what I'm sharing (and of you all's contribution/input) here will help future applicants.

In January this year, I applied for the only visa which I qualify for, to join my EU spouse who was not in the UK yet @ that time. Turned out that is 'settlement visa', to which I paid a huge amount for.

Who told you to apply for a UK settlement visa?

[Zerubbabel]

Hello

I am sorry that you lost this money.

In the UK, some immigration applications carry huge fees (in excess of £1000) and, in most cases, if the application is unsuccessful for whatever reason, no refund is given.

Technically, you can apply for anything and pay the associated fee but it's up to you to make sure you are applying for the right thing. Applying for a UK settlement visa from aboard while your partner is not even in the country has zero chances of success but still you lose the fees

There was a campaign last year to slash these obscene fees but, for now, they just keep increasing:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... ampaigners

The NHS fees are payed back to the card used to pay them. It takes a few weeks to get them back and that refund is automatic.