Fee Waiver Request: if you cannot afford to pay your immigration application fee

A fee waiver allows applicants to avoid paying application fees for certain immigration categories.

This may be granted if the applicant credibly demonstrates they cannot afford the fee.

This includes situations where the applicant’s income is insufficient to meet their child’s needs or if paying the fee would leave them unable to do so.

Each case should be assessed on its individual merits, with the responsibility on the applicant to prove their eligibility for a fee waiver.

• When determining whether the applicant qualifies, the total amount payable, including the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) must be considered. If the applicant can pay the entire immigration fee but none or only part of the IHS, the immigration fee will be required, and the waiver will apply to the IHS. If the applicant cannot pay either the immigration fee or the IHS, both must be waived. Applicants may also request a waiver solely for the IHS.
• If an applicant is being considered for temporary permission due to not meeting settlement requirements, they may be asked for an IHS top-up payment. If the applicant cannot afford this, a waiver for the IHS must be considered based on this guidance. For further details, see: Settlement: Varying a Settlement Application to Permission to Stay.
• An applicant may request a fee waiver for some, but not all, dependents. In such cases, you must evaluate whether the criteria have been met for each dependent. It may be determined that the applicant can pay the fee for some dependents but not for others. However, the immigration fee for an individual applicant cannot be partially waived; it must either be paid in full or waived entirely.
• Under Appendix CNP, if an applicant submits a fee waiver request with their permission to stay application using the FLR(P) form, the fee waiver request must be decided before the immigration application. The IHS amount must be calculated based on the sponsor’s remaining permission to stay in the UK. For instance, if a sponsor with refugee status has 24 months of permission remaining, the IHS liability for the applicant will correspond to 24 months. When assessing the fee waiver request, the applicant’s financial circumstances and those of individuals within their household who provide financial support, such as non-parent relatives must be taken into account.

If you need any assistance regarding a fee waiver request you can contact us.