By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS
London : The British government has made no major hikes in its visa fees but companies proposing to hire immigrants from outside Europe will now have to pay a one-off fee, the Home Office said Friday.
The fees for the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme (HSMP) has been set at 600 pounds, which is exactly the same as before – but merely combines the HSMP approval fees of 400 pounds with the long term visa fees of 200 pounds.
Other fees have been increased by nominal amounts of 5 to 10 pounds.
Large companies that want to bring more than 49 non-European immigrants a year will need to pay 1,000 pounds and small companies 300 pounds for a four-year licence, the Home Office said.
“These are not costs to the immigrant, but to the company,” a spokesperson told IANS.
The new rules are part of the government’s effort to ensure that British companies bringing in specialist skills from outside the 27 countries of the European Union region do not abuse the immigration system.
“Companies will need to show that they are legitimate and reliable and are not sponsoring illegal immigrants,” the spokesperson added.
The fees for individual work permits will come down from 190 pounds to 170 pounds.
Meanwhile, the Home Office clarified that minor increases to visas for Britain are in keeping with “inflationary rises”.
“There are no major hikes proposed,” the spokesman said.
The announcement comes just weeks before the introduction of a new points based system (PBS) for managing migration. The system will help ensure that only workers with the skills to benefit Britain’s economy come to Britain and put in place a licensing system for businesses that want to recruit from overseas.
Immigration Minister Liam Byrne, who is visiting India from Monday, said: “We welcome the contribution that legal migrants make to the economy and cultural life in the UK and we have ensured that these fees, which will usher in the biggest reforms to the immigration system in a generation, are at levels that will not damage our international competitiveness.”