SPOUSE VISA FEE TO RISE TO £500 AS OF APRIL

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:33 pm

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6 ... es2007.pdf

What an absolute joke

clairey · Post by **clairey** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:07 pm

Thank goodness my husband can apply before the fees come into effect - they are an horrific rise. Add on the Life in the UK fees for ILR and that's quite a whack of money. And then the Government blame all society's ills on immigrants. Nice.

ilm · Post by **ilm** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:53 pm

Spouse visa £500
Life in UK £34 + £9.99 book
ILR £750
Naturalisation £500

It could actually cost more if you have to get COA or do it via a fiancee visa.

£1,793.99 tax to marry a person who is not from the EU. We are expected to accept that this is because they will be benefit from Britain.

Our option if we don't want to/can't for my wifes imminent ILR application? Go and live in her country? The annoying part is if we were to do that, if we did ever want to move back we would have to start again with visas which will doubtless have even higher fees.

I feel trapped in a country I don't want to live in, run by a government who have no idea how their crazy rules affect normal people.

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:41 pm

The service so far i have received from British High Commissions abroad is disgraceful.
The last refusal for my husband was illiterate nonsense that obviously had not been checked before it was sent.
As noone will stand up for British citizens and their non eu spouses i would expect more of the same, this will never change whilst we just sit back and allow it to happen.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:25 pm

Just to play devils advocate but I wonder if there might be some positive effects, ie to discourage internet dreamers from importing their penfriends for instant divorce?

I've said it before, international relationships are not for those without a few quid, you can't skimp on face time, and two months of MSN messenger chat logs doesn't count....

Seems IND has targeted these petticoat visas, skills based ones have hardly risen at all in comparison.

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:36 pm

I would agree with you if the system was the same for everyone. But it's not. It is far easier for the eea permit to be abused than the system in place for British nationals.
If the system was more competent generally then i would say yes.
And for the record, there are lots of people whose relationships are not based on the internet and who have children with their spouses who are still being refused entry for reasons that aren't even lawful in this country.
The ecos abroad are not held accountable for their wrong decisions.
I agree Britain should not be left wide open for all to come here.
I just wonder why the system is made so difficult for us and yet so easy for those exercising treaty rights.
And the truth is you do need money to be treated fairly, so far it has cost me and my husband £2000.
And i just wonder, is it right that my husband is going to miss the birth of his son in May because the system is so backed up and imcompetent that appeals take 6 months to a year?
I admit, i have personal interest in this.
I can leave and live with him in his country? if only it was that simple. My mother is in the advanced stages of metastatic breast cancer and therefor i feel i should not have to choose between my husband and her.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:56 pm

loozit wrote:I would agree with you if the system was the same for everyone. But it's not. It is far easier for the eea permit to be abused than the system in place for British nationals.
If the system was more competent generally then i would say yes.
And for the record, there are lots of people whose relationships are not based on the internet and who have children with their spouses who are still being refused entry for reasons that aren't even lawful in this country.
The ecos abroad are not held accountable for their wrong decisions.
I agree Britain should not be left wide open for all to come here.
I just wonder why the system is made so difficult for us and yet so easy for those exercising treaty rights.
And the truth is you do need money to be treated fairly, so far it has cost me and my husband £2000.
And i just wonder, is it right that my husband is going to miss the birth of his son in May because the system is so backed up and imcompetent that appeals take 6 months to a year?
I admit, i have personal interest in this.
I can leave and live with him in his country? if only it was that simple. My mother is in the advanced stages of metastatic breast cancer and therefor i feel i should not have to choose between my husband and her.

It's not really my opinion but I have seen many relationships falter because of face time and lack of money.

My partner is Russian, so i get it all the time 'is she after a British passport' - 'did you meet her on the internet' - 'can you get one on a credit card' - day in day out.

Actually funnily enough I would go to Russia, it's actually a freer and less controlled place than here. Like u tho I have compelling reason why it's not possible, kids from a previous marriage....

ilm · Post by **ilm** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:29 am

Wanderer,

I wondered, the same as you, that they are trying to discourage spouse, and other related visas.

Having read more I don't think it is. I think it is more simply these applicants have no alternative. No competition = high prices to subsidise those where there is. That was the brief from the outset and surprise, surprise, this is the the result.

If this happened in business wouldn't it be referred to the monopolies commission?

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:25 am

I do think though that the general public will think this is a good thing simply because they see it as a step to stop importing husbands/wives.
I feel people need to be aware in this country that the government is slowly but surely chipping away at all our civil liberties.
I want justice for British Citizens and the truth is we will never get it unless we fight for it.
It is totally out of order that it should cost me more as a British Citizen than a "visitor" from europe.
It is totally out of order that i be treated worse than someone who is not a citizen of this country.
I understand what you are saying wanderer, i actually met my husband in this country and he is no internet casanova lol.
I want justice for us, and i am not the only one, there are people on many forums who feel the same way.
The truth is hoping they treat me fairly next time and keeping my head down is not working.

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:48 am

I just checked out the "divorcing me eea partner" what a joke, this is exactly what im talking about, open to abuse just as easily if not easier than a spouse visa.

MikeCharlie · Post by **MikeCharlie** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:31 pm

It seems to me that with anything the government touches these days, instead of asking;

"How best can we serve the law-abiding tax-paying citizens who pay our wages?"

They instead ask;

"How much blood can we suck out of the people, but yet still leave them available for some more leaching tomorrow?"

MikeCharlie · Post by **MikeCharlie** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:32 pm

Oh, and I would be happy to pay a fee increase of 100%.... but will the application get processed 100% faster? Will the IND be 100% more helpful? Will I get 100% more for my money?

Somehow, I think not...

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:42 pm

MikeCharlie wrote:Oh, and I would be happy to pay a fee increase of 100%.... but will the application get processed 100% faster? Will the IND be 100% more helpful? Will I get 100% more for my money?

Somehow, I think not...

Yes me too, if it was going to a decent service, instead what i got this time was a page of illiterate rubbish.
"do not intend to leave permanently as husband and wife"
That is a quote from my husbands refusal.

Docterror · Post by **Docterror** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:08 pm

loozit wrote:I just checked out the "divorcing me eea partner" what a joke, this is exactly what im talking about, open to abuse just as easily if not easier than a spouse visa.

Loozit, If by this you were refering to my suggestion, please do note that when it was made to Alisa it was not meant as an abuse of the EEA rights system, but rather as a route of escaping a system that I do not consider fair. Had she been married to a British citizen, she would have qualified in half an years time for her ILR as she has already been with him for 1.5 years. Just because he is another EEA national instead of british, did not seem like a good reason for me to let her tolerate someone who she doesnot want to be with for another 3.5 years.. instead of the .5 years she would have to tolerate had she been with a British and also in it for her ILR. Any system is open to abuse, whether it be immigration or any other fields in life. I just hope what I suggested doesnt look like an encouragement in the abuse of any system as it clearly wasnt my intention.

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 5:51 pm

I am not debating systems are unfair but why is that any different?
If a non eu spouse was considering divorce after 1 year into a spouse visa would it not be an abuse of the system to stay married until they got the ILR?

Russia · Post by **Russia** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:19 am

This situation with high fees/poor service is only going to get worse. We are a fragmented and diverse group of individuals spread across the whole globe. Of course, we are going to be maltreated.
Aside from this forum and a few in-country expat forums there is no other place to vent our annoyance.
However, direct action is an option, follow the lead of Maddi and myself, set up a petition, or contact all your friends and family and ask them to contact all of theirs and sign the petitions. If you set up your own, post a message here and we'll all sign also.

As for the five hundred pound fee, wasn't this just 260 before? How on earth can they justify almost doubling the cost? This is absolutely outrageous.

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:13 am

I set up the 10 downing street petition last year after i got my husbands refusal and quickly realised there was nowhere to get answers (real answers). I also reailised that there is no immediate fix ans the bhc tend to all stick together.
So, now i am 7 months pregnant and basically coming to terms with the fact the only way to get justice is to wait for the appeal. My husband will miss the birth and possibly first few months of his sons life.
My mother was diagnosed with metastaic breast cancer in january and yet ait dont think the fact that that combined with the stress of being away from husband and the fact that we are having a baby soon is compassionate grounds to bring forward an appeal.
They gave BHC till 24th May to submit their bundle, our son is due on the 26th.

limey · Post by **limey** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:25 am

There are people from all over the World coming to the UK to study. Some of them are bound to form relationships whilst here just as me and my Chinese wife did!

The UK makes a vast amount of money from these foreign students as they pay much more for their courses than British people (ie. They are ripped off by the Universitys really!) The Universities target foreign students over British ones cos they can make more money from them!

The UK wants all the Pros from these students and none of the Cons like the student wanting to settle here with their British partner.

loozit · Post by **loozit** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:28 am

Absolutely true, my husband was an overseas student.

Russia · Post by **Russia** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:27 pm

limey wrote:There are people from all over the World coming to the UK to study. Some of them are bound to form relationships whilst here just as me and my Chinese wife did!

Excellent point. In a previous life I used to teach Chinese students in the UK. The universities and colleges are making a mint from fees, and with recruitment scouts all over Asia business goes very strong indeed.

As for fee hikes, I've a theory!

The ECO's knock back say 80% of first time applicants, on appeal 70% or so are successful - is the 500quid fee to cover the maladministration costs, or as I suspect is just a more blatant approach to deterring applicants in the first place? Think about it, are ECO's so poorly trained that they fail to pass an application first time around, or are they deliberatley cocking things up, only for applicants to win on appeal? The 500quid goes a long way to cushioning the doubled up workload.

There were many UK manufacturers in the 1970's that took the same approach to slack in their operations - they all went bust in the end of course.

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SPOUSE VISA FEE TO RISE TO £500 AS OF APRIL

SPOUSE VISA FEE TO RISE TO £500 AS OF APRIL