New fee W.E.F 6th April

parvaiz_iqbal · Post by **parvaiz_iqbal** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:32 pm

They want the Tier 1 (General) Migrants with families to divorced them or let them die, if their people have to pay this amount of fee they will die.
for Birth certificates they take 5 pounds now that used to be 7 they reduced it for families with children.
But what we immigrants can do, if in their on country their government care about them no one need to left their country, but all developed country gave them a bone and than enjoy the soft meet.
on the media they say we are helping them

ram80 · Post by **ram80** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 8:51 pm

hussainkothari wrote:Hi ram80, We really appreciate your effort. I am about to write to my MP.
Would you have a modified letter taking into account the new fee increase as well?

ram80, what is your view about filing a litigation about the fee increase?

-H

PM me your email address, I can email you a format that you can probably use to write to your MP.

fs05 wrote:Wow that was good so looks like they just don't to listen to any rationale ! These same benefits of a t1-g visa are given to other visa cat holders. Spouse visa and t2 they all get perm residency or Ilr as well .

Did you write to your MP though?

Parvaiz & Mela, you too need to write to your MP before you expect them to act on it.

ukdest · Post by **ukdest** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:18 pm

ram80 . I have PMed you for the letter. I will sent to my MP. I am really looking forward to taking it to any level. This is too much of a discrimination.

ram80 · Post by **ram80** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:20 pm

Guys, if you want a copy of the letter I have drafted to help you write to your MP, please pm me your email address to which I can send it.

UKorUS · Post by **UKorUS** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 12:16 am

after reading through so many inspiring mails, I decided to write to my MP. Here's my mail text, if its of help to others

Dear Mr. Steve,

As a resident of ....., which falls under your constituency I am writing to you to express my frustration and dissatisfaction with the meteoric fee increases imposed by UK Borders Agency under the stewardship of your party's Mr. Damian Green and now Mr. Mark Harper.

I arrived in the UK four years back and happily voted for Conservatives exercising my voting rights as a citizen of the commonwealth. I am a taxpayer and work here as an Industry Analyst for Mobility, a skill that is in high demand across the globe. I hold a Tier 1 (General) Visa issued by the UKBA that will come up for renewal in July 2013.

On 25th Feb 2013 Minister of State for Immigration, Mr. Mark Harper introduced a proposal to increase fees for visas, which will come into effect from 6th April 2013. I urge you to question the visa fee hike in the House of Commons and specifically ask him to reconsider the double digit increases enforced on Tier 1 General Migrants and their dependents. Here are the facts and why visa fee increases will only further alienate Tier 1 General migrants, which I estimate could be in the region of around 200,000+ in the UK.

In the recent visa fee hike proposal, the visa fees for Tier 1 General Main applicant has been increased from 1500 to 1545, however what is shocking is the hike for dependent applicants from 750 to 1159 pounds. I cannot understand the rational behind this move, as dependents do not earn and since we are not entitled to state benefits, we are not creating any burden on the state. I have a child who is 2 years and she goes to nursery where I pay 1000 pounds per month. If living in London was not expensive enough, I feel this is an additional form of tax that the government has imposed on us. The visa fee hikes become even more abrasive and beyond any justification and rational when I compare it with a major immigration fee hike that was already put in place last year.

On 9th Feb 2012, the then Immigration Minister, Mr. Damian Green increased the main applicant fees for Tier 1 General visa by 50% from 1000 to 1500 pounds. It also increased dependent fees to 750 from 500. When I initially applied for my Tier 1 General visa in July 2008, I paid an equivalent of 800 pounds for applicants and dependents each. I also see the unit costs for processing Tier 1 General Migrants visa have suddenly doubled from 181 pounds in 2012 to 336 pounds in 2013. This means that UKBA has either hired more staff to process Tier 1 General Migrant visas or that number of applicants is swelling. However, neither of that is possible since the Tier 1 General visa route was closed in 2012 itself.

Hence, I can't fathom the reason for this relentless and hundred percent increase in Tier 1 General Migrant visa fees, over the last two years. I feel that the visa fee hike was totally uncalled for and instead of benefits would have a negative impact on the business friendliness of UK. I am a highly educated migrant, having studied from the best of universities and there is a global competition for good talent. I chose UK because my work brought me here and I can choose any other country, if I opt to. I am happy to pay more for such visa fees but it does not look like a competitive ROI when compared with other destinations. Moreover, it would leave a bad taste with me for the rest of my life, considering the way Conservatives have been projecting immigrants in this country. If we are not welcome, please say so. Its sad that after integrating so many talented individuals like me into the social fabric of the country, your government just wants to give us away. I hope you realised that Tier 1 General Migrants like me are not seamsters or benefit mongers but important ambassadors for the goodwill of UK, going forward.

I would like to ask as well request you to take up this issue with Mr. Mark Harper and as an MP representing the constituency where I live, raise our concerns within the government. You will also agree that Ealing, because of its ethnic diversity also happens to be one of the most favored places for these immigrants to finally settle down. Hence, I along with other voters who are on Tier 1 General Visa stand completely marginalized by Conservative Party. I hope you realize and understand the impact of this visa fee hike decision on voters like us. I am also compelled to approach certain media outlets in order to evoke a wider debate of one-sided decisions like these.

Yours Sincerely,

fs05 · Post by **fs05** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 1:59 am

GREAT JOB GUYS !! keep up the pace w.r.t sending emails to MPs we still have a few days left.

abhisheks9 · Post by **abhisheks9** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:20 am

Can someone explain me what is unit cost?
sorry for my ignorance

ram80 · Post by **ram80** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 12:21 pm

abhisheks9 wrote:Can someone explain me what is unit cost?

It is the cost which the UKBA says it incurs for issuing your visa. The fee is what it charges you for it.

abhisheks9 · Post by **abhisheks9** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 12:52 pm

ram80 wrote:
abhisheks9 wrote:Can someone explain me what is unit cost?
It is the cost which the UKBA says it incurs for issuing your visa. The fee is what it charges you for it.

thanks a lot ram80

intelinside · Post by **intelinside** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 5:21 pm

ram80 wrote:Guys, if you want a copy of the letter I have drafted to help you write to your MP, please pm me your email address to which I can send it.

Thanks for sending the doc.

Did you able to meet your MP. What was his response?

ram80 · Post by **ram80** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 7:33 pm

I am just back after meeting the Croydon MP. He said that the government is trying to make the immigration system self financing as much as possible (i.e. immigrants who are the beneficiaries should pay for the system).

I said that is fine but the following things are wrong:

1. Tier 1 General Migrants are faced with the dilemma of moving out of the UK since the fees are going up by 50% every year (last year the fee for a family of 3 was £3600 but this year it has become almost £5000, and next year it may be £7500). THis will not result in best and brightest people remaining in the UK.

2. The fee increases are completely arbitrary, there is no logic why the fees are increased to £4988 (for a family of 3) rather than to some other amount.

3. If the 60 million people who are taxpayers cannot afford to finance the immigration system, how much unaffordable is it for 250000 tier 1 migrants!

4. The government wants to reduce the impact of immigration system costs on general tax payers, but tier 1 migrants are also part of general taxpayers, so by also paying exorbitant fees, we are squeezed both ways.

5. If the majority of the fee is levied for the benefit it brings to the visa holder, it should be refunded if visa is refused, since a person who is refused a visa does not get any benefit.

He said he agrees with the above 5 points, and also said that the government does not want to drive away skilled migrants from the UK, and so he will discuss with immigration minister in greater detail and respond back to me.

zabiela · Post by **zabiela** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 1:25 am

Thanks for your great effort Ram, i think everyone here appreciate what you're doing!

Coming to the MP's response: 'the government is trying to make the immigration system self financing as much as possible (i.e. immigrants who are the beneficiaries should pay for the system) - Fine but by the looks of it, it seems Tier 1 migrants are financing the whole UK immigration system when you compare the fee paid vs the cost of an application and also the number of Tier 1 migrants against total migrants (all categories). I wonder to back up their claim (making immigration system self financing) whether they will be able provide a breakdown of, where they spend the funds collected as application fee (just like taxes)...Because if a portion of that goes to make sure there are more people at the immigration counter at heathrow, it'll prove that basically we are the ones responsible for narrowing down the deficit arising because of current austerity measures without a fault of our own..and i think it will also strengthen your point ram that we are thus squeezed both ways as a tax payer and as a T1 visa holder.

I would really love to understand how they came up with the figures as to how much they're going to charge for each application, as i'm pretty sure its an arbitrary figure and serves more than one purpose!

shahmir · Post by **shahmir** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 3:47 pm

Migrants and their dependents not getting a penny in terms of benefits but they are paying full tax just like any one else. But everyone including those who are not migrants benefiting from this tax.

UKBA is not dealing only with our applications but also securing borders on various locations by stopping illegal migrants. So why only we should generate money to stop illegal migrants. Everyone should contribute to run UKBA operations because everyone directly or indirectly benefits from the system.

Current fee of Dependents of Tier 1 (G) applying separately is £561. The new few documents says that from 6 April, Tier 1 (G) dependents applying separately by post will pay relevant main PBS fee which is £1545. So they have increased it from £561 to £1845 which is over 175% whereas the immigration minister says that most fee has risen in line with inflation. Is there anyone who knows a 175% increase in any price or fee of anything else in last at least 20 or 25 years in the UK?

Basically everyone is quiet. They know whatever they will do, they will still find us in the queue waiting again for a renewal. I wonder where are the human rights activists. Remember that we are here because they needed us. We are here because we needed a better system. So it should have been a 50/50. A similar give and take from both ends. But they want us to pay them each single penny we have left with us. This is modern looting. We are selling our properties back home to give them their fee and they are continuously robbing us. On top of that we are never first choice for most employers. Unfair!!!

ram80 · Post by **ram80** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 7:58 pm

zabiela wrote:I wonder to back up their claim (making immigration system self financing) whether they will be able provide a breakdown of, where they spend the funds collected as application fee (just like taxes)...Because if a portion of that goes to make sure there are more people at the immigration counter at heathrow, it'll prove that basically we are the ones responsible for narrowing down the deficit arising because of current austerity measures without a fault of our own..and i think it will also strengthen your point ram that we are thus squeezed both ways as a tax payer and as a T1 visa holder.

There is nothing illegal or questionable with the government's aim of making the immigration system as much self financing as possible.

The problem arises only in what they mean by immigration system. You and I are not a part of the immigration system any more than any person walking on the road in the UK.

Everyone who scream about restricting migration are part of the immigration system. They scream about it because they derive economic benefits from border controls (They also think they are the ones who finance the system).

So to make the immigration system self financing, the government has to first define its beneficiaries. All of the UK residents according to me are equally beneficiaries of the immigration system.

So the question then comes to what they mean by self-financing. It has no meaning if the entire UK benefits from the system, it is already self financing.

If on the other hand, they argue that only migrants are beneficiaries of the immigration system, then it means the UKBA functions for the benefit of migrants, not for the UK as a whole. Then why is it under the control of the government, we can run it ourselves and set our own fees, and define its policy. I am sure we can cut down the UKBA's expenditure substantially by removing all its functions that dont benefit us directly.

Will a court accept the claim that the UKBA exists mainly for the benefit of 1-2% of the UK population, and the rest of the UK population are deriving no use from immigration controls? If so, why is immigration such a big issue among the general population, almost the only significant reason why Labour lost the last election? So the facts on the ground speak how much the general population benefits from the system.

You and I are taxpayers and voters (assuming we are commonwealth citizens -- see http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/h ... ing-208827 for a Freedom of Information request that reveals nearly 90% of HSMP and T1G migrants are from the Commonwealth).

Thus an aim of charging excessive visa fees to subsidize general taxation is the same as charging a high amount of disguised tax from T1G migrants to benefit the general population. This means a clear discriminative taxation system exists where based on nationality (taxpaying-voters who are commonwealth nationals vs EU nationals) there is officially sanctioned discrimination. Section 13 of the Equality Act, 2010 read together with Section 9(1) defines discrimination by nationality or ethnic origins a form of facial discrimination.

The other thing about this issue is that if the Government is so keen to argue that we get more benefits from the immigration system than the general population, they have to objectively quantify it. It cannot be arbitrary. I do not think the benefits that I get as a T1G migrant increase year after year, so why is the fee increasing when corresponding benefits dont increase?

parvaiz_iqbal · Post by **parvaiz_iqbal** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:21 pm

Thanks Ram you are doing a great job, i spoke to my all friends who are on Tier 1 General if any one of us or group of us want to challange it in court we are happy to do a collection for that.... i think if any one of us can pay 1500 pounds we can afford 100-200 pounds to go in to court.
if any one of us think its not my problem... than GOD bless him ..might be tomorrow he have it...
so me and my friends can collect about 1000-1500 pounds...
even if no one is agree with me i will do for the benefit of all immigrant on Tier 1 general...i will pay about 1000 pounds in that case.
we need to broad our thinking and have to think collectively not individually that is the only way can save us

ram80 · Post by **ram80** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:53 pm

Thanks Parvaiz we will proceed depending on what the government replies... Every T1G visa holder will know others who are on T1G, so let's find out and build a network of contacts (also the same arbitrary fee increases are also there for people who apply for ILR, citizenship and other Tier 1 categories, so the group is likely to get bigger beyond merely T1G people). Let's know how many of us are concerned and would like to join together. If we build a network of contacts and communicate with each other before we decide to do anything, it will help.

If we actually end up suing the government and win, we can recover the legal costs as well from the government so we might end up not spending out of pocket. If we fail completely (which I think will be unlikely), then it would be an amount well spent. There are many solicitors who would charge on a no win no fee basis, but we will think about all this when the time comes.

Right now, ask your friends to get on this forum and share their thoughts. We need to form a network.

shahmir · Post by **shahmir** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 10:29 pm

I am with you guys. One has to start it from somewhere. I think the time has come. We need to be organized. I feel we have started it. Its not just this fee. From long time I have been thinking that we need to act to get equal rights. Since then, footer of my every message is......

intelinside · Post by **intelinside** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 10:38 pm

ram80 wrote: Right now, ask your friends to get on this forum and share their thoughts. We need to form a network.

Couple of my friends are already here !

I have contacted around 5 friends who are either going for ILR or extension in next few months so they are with me as well. They themselves have friends who are on T1 so I guess we can reach out to 10-12 friends (or more).

I have a feeling that this matter may end up in court.

If you look at the history of this Govt, they didn't listen to the local students regarding massive fee increase than why would they listen to an immigrant?

But good thing is that we (Ram80 in particular) seem to have gathered strong arguments that we can use if we go to the court.

parvaiz_iqbal · Post by **parvaiz_iqbal** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:17 pm

New fee W.E.F 6th April
http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=127307
I grabbed all this information from the thread above and collect on one place. to write your MP.
Please act now

Also i have just noticed that dependent fee will be same as main applicant if not applying at the same time as main applicant.

Refer the link below
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitec ... s-2013.pdf
As the line says in page 5 - "Dependants’ fees
are for applications made at the same time as the main applicant. For
PBS dependants applying individually the relevant main applicant fee is payable."

So, i believe £ 1545 per dependent if applying separately.... earlier there was an option and it was around £561 ..which is now more than 170% increase..
I have looked at the current fee changes - below link
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitec ... s-2013.pdf

And the previous year fee changes - below link
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitec ... b-2012.pdf

The term "All dependent" is commonly used and it means Individual dependent applicant.

The term "Joint" is for the complete family including dependents and main applicant.
UKBA Reforms Petetion.
guys something of interest.
Not exactly what we are looking for, but something close.
http://www.tntmagazine.com/expat-life/v ... ba-reforms
Template to start Letter to MP
THIS IS WHAT I AM SENDING OUT:

Dear Sir,

I would like to bring to your attention an issue which has been of a concern to a lot of people who are on the Tier 1 migrant visa. Most of us are hardworking skilled workers falling in the higher tax bracket rate and also do not have any recourse to public funds.

The UKBA has recently proposed increase of fee for all categories of visas and most of them fall in line with the inflation rate of 3% as quoted by the immigration minister. The statemet is as follows:

The proposals laid in Parliament today and on 14 March, subject to Parliamentary approval, will take effect from 6 April 2013.

Immigration Minister, Mark Harper said:

'These increases are mostly in line with inflation and will ensure that the UK continues to welcome the brightest and the best. It is only right that those who use and benefit from the immigration system should contribute more than the UK taxpayer.'

WEBSITE: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publicatio ... rging-wms/

However the increase of the dependents (of tier 1) fee is from £750 per dependent to £1159, which does not justify the huge increase ?
In my case we are 1 main appl. + 3 dependents and if i opt to go in person at the UKBA it costs me £6522 (1545 + 1159 *3 + pp fee of in person is £375) for a 2 year extension. Just around 3-4 years ago the dependent fee was £250 and the main applicant fee was £800, a rise of more than 100% is overly unjustified given that most of us are hardworking high earners paying 40% taxes and have no recourse to public funds and are applied restrictions of a nature which make us live our every day lives anxious for e.g even get driving related penalty points can impact our immigration decision.

Whereas we are all granted visa on a highly skilled evaluation and not on our driving tests.

However that mentioned I would request you to please take up our case and fight for this unjustified increase in dependent visa fee when this is presented in parliament on 14th March, we are happy with a 3% increase. (the main applicant fee was 1500 and its now raised to 1545 which is 3% and makes sense to be inline with inflation)
I think this is a good start but we need to write more arguments to stand with any chance to be successful.

I am just reading the full details of Mr. Mark Harper's ministerial statement athttp://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201 ... 2520000613 in which he has given arguments in support of this fee increase that we must respond to.

Particularly, this paragraph:

Quote:

For certain application categories, we will continue to set fees higher than the administrative cost to reflect their value to successful applicants. This helps to provide resources to run the UK immigration system and enables the agency to set lower fees elsewhere in support of wider Government objectives to attract those businesses, workers, students and visitors who most benefit the UK.

I think the way he has presented it, I see no other MP will object. But if we can give some numbers then we may get some support from our MP.

When I realized the OFT was not going to do anything about my complaint, I wrote to my MP as follows:

------
Dear Mr. ---

I'm one of your constituents, and as a commonwealth citizen from ---, I am also a registered voter. I am a taxpayer and work here as an IT Consultant. I hold a Tier 1 (General) Visa issued by the UKBA that will come up for renewal on ---.

I am writing to you to express my concern that the Immigration Minister Mr. Damien Green, in laying down the statement announcing increase in fees of visas in parliament on 9th February 2012, seeks to charge me £1800 to renew my visa. As you will agree, this is horribly inflated, for the UKBA is a not-for-profit entity and incurs only a relevant unit cost of £181 for Tier 1 - PEO Main (General), as page 5 of the minister's statement shows --http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitec ... b-2012.pdf

In announcing these fee increases, the minister stated "It is only fair that those who use and benefit from the immigration system contribute a higher share of the cost of running it - reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer."

However the minister seeks to rip-off me, the immigrant tax payer with these arbitrary fee increases; as he seeks to cross-subsidize visas for short term visitors and transit visitors (among others) who are not taxpayers by charging them below cost. I therefore believe that his statement is hollow and devoid of substance, and he is doing the exact opposite of his stated intention.

He has kept Parliament and the British public (and immigrants) in the dark by not spelling out the rationale behind this discriminating treatment of profiteering from certain types of visas while incurring a loss on other visa types. This is not just a question of fairness, it has implications that impinge upon the legality of discriminating against certain kinds of visa holders.

I fervently hope I can see some justice through your help on this front.

To properly understand the impact to a family of one T1G main applicant and 2 dependents, see how the total PEO fees have gone up in the last 10 years:
2004-05 = £150
2005-06 = £315
2006-07 = £335
2007-08 = £350
2008-09 = £950 (until here dependent visas were free)
2009-10 = £1120
2010-11 = £1403
2011-12 = £2600
2012-13 = £3600
2013-14 = £4988
Yes there might be no solution to it apart from litigation, otherwise realize that you have to swallow more fee increases in coming years.

We all still need to write to the OFT and our MPs. Please do, numbers do matter.

I wont be surprised if the total fee of £4988 (for 1+2 applicants) increased to £10,000 in a year or two. We absolutely will need to fight this discrimination and the sooner we do it, the better.

My belief is that the whole policy of charging above cost is completely flawed and discriminatory. Once the cost of processing your visa (which cannot contain a proportion of the cost of UKBA's other activities) is fixed, it can only increase with inflation or actuals.

after reading through so many inspiring mails, I decided to write to my MP. Here's my mail text, if its of help to others

Dear Mr. Steve,

As a resident of ....., which falls under your constituency I am writing to you to express my frustration and dissatisfaction with the meteoric fee increases imposed by UK Borders Agency under the stewardship of your party's Mr. Damian Green and now Mr. Mark Harper.

I arrived in the UK four years back and happily voted for Conservatives exercising my voting rights as a citizen of the commonwealth. I am a taxpayer and work here as an Industry Analyst for Mobility, a skill that is in high demand across the globe. I hold a Tier 1 (General) Visa issued by the UKBA that will come up for renewal in July 2013.

On 25th Feb 2013 Minister of State for Immigration, Mr. Mark Harper introduced a proposal to increase fees for visas, which will come into effect from 6th April 2013. I urge you to question the visa fee hike in the House of Commons and specifically ask him to reconsider the double digit increases enforced on Tier 1 General Migrants and their dependents. Here are the facts and why visa fee increases will only further alienate Tier 1 General migrants, which I estimate could be in the region of around 200,000+ in the UK.

In the recent visa fee hike proposal, the visa fees for Tier 1 General Main applicant has been increased from 1500 to 1545, however what is shocking is the hike for dependent applicants from 750 to 1159 pounds. I cannot understand the rational behind this move, as dependents do not earn and since we are not entitled to state benefits, we are not creating any burden on the state. I have a child who is 2 years and she goes to nursery where I pay 1000 pounds per month. If living in London was not expensive enough, I feel this is an additional form of tax that the government has imposed on us. The visa fee hikes become even more abrasive and beyond any justification and rational when I compare it with a major immigration fee hike that was already put in place last year.

On 9th Feb 2012, the then Immigration Minister, Mr. Damian Green increased the main applicant fees for Tier 1 General visa by 50% from 1000 to 1500 pounds. It also increased dependent fees to 750 from 500. When I initially applied for my Tier 1 General visa in July 2008, I paid an equivalent of 800 pounds for applicants and dependents each. I also see the unit costs for processing Tier 1 General Migrants visa have suddenly doubled from 181 pounds in 2012 to 336 pounds in 2013. This means that UKBA has either hired more staff to process Tier 1 General Migrant visas or that number of applicants is swelling. However, neither of that is possible since the Tier 1 General visa route was closed in 2012 itself.

Hence, I can't fathom the reason for this relentless and hundred percent increase in Tier 1 General Migrant visa fees, over the last two years. I feel that the visa fee hike was totally uncalled for and instead of benefits would have a negative impact on the business friendliness of UK. I am a highly educated migrant, having studied from the best of universities and there is a global competition for good talent. I chose UK because my work brought me here and I can choose any other country, if I opt to. I am happy to pay more for such visa fees but it does not look like a competitive ROI when compared with other destinations. Moreover, it would leave a bad taste with me for the rest of my life, considering the way Conservatives have been projecting immigrants in this country. If we are not welcome, please say so. Its sad that after integrating so many talented individuals like me into the social fabric of the country, your government just wants to give us away. I hope you realised that Tier 1 General Migrants like me are not seamsters or benefit mongers but important ambassadors for the goodwill of UK, going forward.

I would like to ask as well request you to take up this issue with Mr. Mark Harper and as an MP representing the constituency where I live, raise our concerns within the government. You will also agree that Ealing, because of its ethnic diversity also happens to be one of the most favored places for these immigrants to finally settle down. Hence, I along with other voters who are on Tier 1 General Visa stand completely marginalized by Conservative Party. I hope you realize and understand the impact of this visa fee hike decision on voters like us. I am also compelled to approach certain media outlets in order to evoke a wider debate of one-sided decisions like these.

Yours Sincerely,

fs05 · Post by **fs05** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 1:30 am

Great stuff guys !! Ram count me in happy to chip in £ 100 . We have to get this going if on 14th march the bill goes thru parliament then we go to court !!

Interesting arguments but surprised as to how illogical the statements are from the minister !! Anyways plz write to your mps those of you who have not ,

fs05 · Post by **fs05** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 1:30 am

Great stuff guys !! Ram count me in happy to chip in £ 100 . We have to get this going if on 14th march the bill goes thru parliament then we go to court !!

Interesting arguments but surprised as to how illogical the statements are from the minister !! Anyways plz write to your mps those of you who have not ,

kg_1218 · Post by **kg_1218** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 1:42 pm

GREAT... I happy to share.. Count me as well...

ram80 · Post by **ram80** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:10 pm

I propose to set up a google form to collect a list of T1G applicants who have recently renewed or are applying for renewal in future, and who feel that the fees they are paying above cost is illegal and unfair. Even those who have already paid for renewal in the recent past may possibly receive a refund if we are successful, so it may be in their interest also to support us.

This will be the group that will take on the government if and when we file a case. We should all be prepared to pitch in money to share the costs. Ideally the sharing will be on an equal basis but people can support by voluntarily contributing more. If we win and recover the legal costs, we can refund them back in the same proportion and same people as what we collect.

I would also try to bring in the non-profit organization "HSMP forum" and take their guidance since they have been doing this kind of work for the last 5 years or more.

Please wait until I set up the google form and then let us fill in each of our contact details to start with.

ram80 · Post by **ram80** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:47 pm

One very interesting case that could help us is HSMP forum vs Secretary of State for Home Department [2009] EWHC 711 (Admin)

In this case, the judge clearly observes the following (note the underlined text):

50. In the present case the Secretary of State accepts that it is necessary to deal with those individuals who were members of the scheme before April 2006. She accepts also that no individual should be disadvantaged, in relation to being removed from the UK or being asked to pay an additional fee.

This is clearly violated by the government year after year. So if the Secretary of State has accepted that additional fees should not be levied for a migrant already granted entry clearance, this can only mean that if you paid £500 when you got your visa, the government cannot increase this fee upon its renewal. One can understand if inflation effect of around 3% p.a. is factored into the fee charged, but to increase it by 50% is a violation of law, and we appear to have a clear legal precedent now.

AUHS · Post by **AUHS** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:55 pm

Count me in.I am ready.....

Immigrationboards.com: Immigration, work visa and work permit discussion board

New fee W.E.F 6th April

UKBA Milking the remaining Migrants

inspiring for me to write to my MP

Thanks Ram

Act Now