UK Government Announces Significant Immigration Fee Rises to Fund Public Sector Salaries
UK Immigration fees and charges to significantly increase.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced pay increases for public sector workers, including teachers, doctors, senior civil servants, police, prison workers, and members of the armed forces.
The government promised that a rise in visa fees by 15% and extra charges on migrant workers using the health service will meet some of the cost while there will be a civil service recruitment freeze in the Ministry of Defense until March 2025. Student visa, certificate of sponsorship, settlement, citizenship, wider entry clearance, permission to stay and priority services will rise by at least 20% Some unions warned cuts to departmental spending will have to plug the rest of the gap.
Sunak insisted Thursday the increases will result in “no new borrowing, no cuts to the front line, no new taxes, and no new impact on inflationary pressures.”The pay rises range from 5.5% to 6.5%, falling short of some union demands. While the pay increases have been welcomed by some, others argue that they do not fully address pay stagnation and funding cuts. The government has outlined various funding sources for the pay uplifts, but questions remain about how the rest of the gap will be funded.
