Reason for cost increase

[Stereotongue]

I remember last year the cost for British Citizeship jumped up from £300plus up to a scandalous £655. :furious3:
Has there ever been any credible excuse for this raise ?

Cheers
Stereo.

[KeithD]

Yes, we need to support the poor children who live in Romania!

Did you know over 500,000 people under 35 are claiming Incapacity Allowance? That is what you are paying for. All smackheads are on IA!!!

[aromulus]

I remember last year the cost for British Citizeship jumped up from £300plus up to a scandalous £655. :furious3:
Has there ever been any credible excuse for this raise ?

Cheers
Stereo.

My question is...........
What happens if after the qualifying period citizenship is not applied for...???:Erm:
Once you get ILR it should be ok... Or...???

[walesrob]

My question is...........
What happens if after the qualifying period citizenship is not applied for...???:Erm:
Once you get ILR it should be ok... Or...???

No worries Dom, ILR is, as the name suggest Indefinite, but still subject to Immigration control, so yeah, it is OK.

Elsa will have been in the UK 3 years next month, making her eligible to apply for Citizenship, but the cost is a bit prohibitive just now, and will be for a long while yet.

As for credible reason for this increase, its called ripoff UK.

[andypaul]

Its because they have no choice (im not defending it just stating the case) the goverment has a massive defict. The goverment sold off a large chunk of our gold reserve, sold the 3g, raided your pension and during the credit boom made lots of taxes.
Now thats all run out like with the tories with the share sell offs in the 80's. They got a headache as they have to raise money for all there policies but can't raise income tax or business rates to much, council taxes are paying for all the middle managers they suddenly need and can't be raised by much (but enough to pee us all off).

So any department has to try and raise its own monies to finace all the new proposals. They know the Sun the maill and the telegraph will not kick up a stink if they tax those imigrants and they know people will pay it as its for loved ones.

Before it gets party political im sure the tories or nearly any other party would be increase the amounts for the visas.

Im pretty sure spouse visas will peak at 1000 pounds and ilr prehaps at 2000 pounds but they would never do it all in one go it will be sneaked in.

The daily mail like in 2005 will have a headline the goverment put the cost of a british passport at 655 pounds. Which to many of the readers will not sound much as its just a figure they read in passing and less than the cost of a summer holiday.

[andypaul]

My question is...........
What happens if after the qualifying period citizenship is not applied for...???:Erm:
Once you get ILR it should be ok... Or...???

A person can remain with ILR staus for the rest of their life and as long as the rules/laws don't change drastically can apply at any time.

Many Indian couples the husband would become a british citzen and the wife remain indian. As in the past India did not allow dual citzenship and it allowed them to keep a foot in both doors. As many of the ones i know either were kicked out of africa in the 70's or knew of people who had so realised the importance of keeping your options open.

[joebloggs]

you cannot leave the country for more than 2years at once with ILR, or you will have to apply for a spouse visa again :NoNo:, and also you can be refused entry by an immigration officer, little chance of that happening thou.

the fees went up, becuase the gov said those who benefit from it should pay for it and to secure the borders :icon_lol:, well its good to see the fee for hsmp has gone from £400 to £600 makes it a bit fairer for those who have to pay for spouse visa..

and I think everyone who leaves or enters the country should pay, scrap the spouse visa and charge everyone, even europeans and brits, 50p or £1 everytime you leave or enter ,then everyone who uses it, pays for it :D

[walesrob]

you cannot leave the country for more than 2years at once with ILR, or you will have to apply for a spouse visa again

Not true. If a person has ILR and leaves the UK for a period of more than 2 years, they need a Returning Residents Visa.

http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukresidency/eligibility/returningresidents/

[andypaul]

you cannot leave the country for more than 2years at once with ILR, or you will have to apply for a spouse visa again :NoNo:, and also you can be refused entry by an immigration officer, little chance of that happening thou.

the fees went up, becuase the gov said those who benefit from it should pay for it and to secure the borders :icon_lol:, well its good to see the fee for hsmp has gone from £400 to £600 makes it a bit fairer for those who have to pay for spouse visa..

and I think everyone who leaves or enters the country should pay, scrap the spouse visa and charge everyone, even europeans and brits, 50p or £1 everytime you leave or enter ,then everyone who uses it, pays for it :D

I doubt it would be a pound they would ask for and even a tiny tiny increase to the masses holiday travel is not a vote winner particularly when belts are been tightened. Imagine once the Daily mail, sun and telegraph found that its reader were subsdizing the visa system:omg:

Have there been mass protests about the visa increases, or MPs in key areas raising the question in westminster?
If they feel they can get away with it, they will and mark my words soon we will look back when it was only 600 pounds:omg:

[KeithD]

We do pay, it's called Airport Tax

[joebloggs]

Not true. If a person has ILR and leaves the UK for a period of more than 2 years, they need a Returning Residents Visa.

http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/ukresidency/eligibility/returningresidents/

:D:icon_lol::D
maybe i'm wrong but

"If you have been away for more than two years, you may still qualify to return to live in the United Kingdom if, for example, you have strong family ties here or have lived here most of your life".

notice the wording, may , not you can,
how many on here does the above apply to :Erm:,strong family ties, most are still in the fils, most haven't lived here most of their lifes :NoNo:..

if you've been out of the uk more than 2 years, you could well have problems proving your links to the uk, are you a resident of the uk ??

i still think i'm right for most peeps on here :D:icon_lol:, as most wouldn't meet the above.

"Foreign nationals who are approved for Indefinite Leave to Remain may live and work in the UK without restriction. They may stay for an indefinite period of time. However, it is possible to loose Indefinite Leave to Remain status by ceasing to be seen as based in the UK; at a minimum, Indefinite Leave to Remain holders should not spend longer than two years out of the UK at a stretch if they want to maintain their Indefinite Leave to Remain status."

http://www.commonwealthcontractors.com/indefinite_leave_to_remain.aspx

i think returning resident visa could be easily refused, and your back to a spouse visa again :doh

[joebloggs]

We do pay, it's called Airport Tax

then why do we have to pay for visa's then :D

well they can start a new tax immigration tax :xxgrinning--00xx3:

tax, tax,
66p in every litre of petrol is tax and vat :D

we should be rioting :furious3::cwm23::angry::censored:

[walesrob]

I Predict a Riot...

sounds like a great idea for a song.....:Erm:

[aromulus]

I Predict a Riot...

sounds like a great idea for a song.....:Erm:

The people are.... revolting.....:omg:

[andypaul]

then why do we have to pay for visa's then :D

well they can start a new tax immigration tax :xxgrinning--00xx3:

tax, tax,
66p in every litre of petrol is tax and vat :D

we should be rioting :furious3::cwm23::angry::censored:

they do have immigration tax and its added to the visas

[aromulus]

look here what I found.....

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=411495&in_page_id=2

[walesrob]

"If you have been away for more than two years, you may still qualify to return to live in the United Kingdom if...

But then, thinking about it, why would someone leave the UK only to come back a few years later...thats crazy. :icon_lol:

"Oh yes I miss the rain, the cold, the high taxes, the incompetent government..." :Cuckoo:

[tomm]

Many Indian couples the husband would become a british citzen and the wife remain indian. As in the past India did not allow dual citzenship and it allowed them to keep a foot in both doors. As many of the ones i know either were kicked out of africa in the 70's or knew of people who had so realised the importance of keeping your options open.

So can a Filipina have dual citizenship and do the visa requirements for a British citizen married to a filipina remain the same?

[andypaul]

So can a Filipina have dual citizenship and do the visa requirements for a British citizen married to a filipina remain the same?

Others will know more than me but yes they can although i know some were writing on here that the phill goverment were looking at changing this in the future.

I think if i have read it right you can get brit citzenship and just need to fill in some paperwork at the phill british embassy when its time to renew your phill passport.

As i say others will know more, but its probably a good idea to keep an eye on the news in case this changes in the future.

[andypaul]

But then, thinking about it, why would someone leave the UK only to come back a few years later...thats crazy. :icon_lol:

"Oh yes I miss the rain, the cold, the high taxes, the incompetent government..." :Cuckoo:


people do as im sure Joe has read on some of the other visa sites.

Some people will have say worked here for long enough to gain residency or gained though marriage for example. Get a contract to work abroad and come back once the contract is up.

Ver handy if you have no work and need free health care etc.

[joebloggs]

But then, thinking about it, why would someone leave the UK only to come back a few years later...thats crazy. :icon_lol:

"Oh yes I miss the rain, the cold, the high taxes, the incompetent government..." :Cuckoo:

well, if your going out of the uk for a long period of time better save yourself a lot of trouble by getting british citizenship first.

my stepson is going back to the phils in april to go to uni, he's got ILR after only being in the uk less than 6 months, but to get citizenship he needs to be in the uk i think it was 5 years :cwm24:...

i'm wondering if your on a workpermit, you get ilr , but go back to the phils for 2 years, then you've lost your ilr, and have to try to get a workpermit again, which maybe more difficult now to get than ever.. :NoNo:

it's amazes me, that some people don't bother or know anything about visa's or immigration law:cwm24: even thou it effects them.. ignorance is not a defense. some people don't even realise that a spouse visa is for only 2 years, once it's expired your an overstayer :NoNo: and in many cases you will have to go back to your own country, apply for a spouse visa again :doh, or they don't know you need to take the life in the uk test to.

[andypaul]

it's amazes me, that some people don't bother or know anything about visa's or immigration law:cwm24: even thou it effects them.. ignorance is not a defense. some people don't even realise that a spouse visa is for only 2 years, once it's expired your an overstayer :NoNo: and in many cases you will have to go back to your own country, apply for a spouse visa again :doh, or they don't know you need to take the life in the uk test to.

Very true but with out sites like this its very hard to keep track on all the latest rules. Thats why i think we have all learned that you need to keep abreast of all the regulations.

For example when the wife and i married there was one procedure for applying fo the visa then it changed. When the wife was granted her visa only ten items were required by the time we got there it was twenty:doh

The prices had changed the rules on the exam had changed.

Those that only think about the next step as it approaches are playing a risky game me thinks.

[joebloggs]

:doh
well your right,. and some people just don't care or are not aware, like one of the libyan guys i use to work with, well his wife has been in the uk more than 2 years now, and i'm pretty sure shes not took a the life in the uk test or any esol english course, or applied and paid £750 for ILR. :D well shes an overstayer now, and well i would have told him, but it's not my job to :D, and oh, i don't speak to :censored: who laugh at british soldiers getting blown up :NoNo: