If you are considering applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK, it is important to understand the costs associated with your application – both for you and your family members. Failure to pay your application fees on time could delay your application, so it’s important to make sure you have the funds available before you begin the process.
If you are applying for indefinite leave to remain alone, you will only need to pay the fee once. If you are applying with family members or dependents, you will pay the ILR fee for each applicant. While this can be very expensive, it may be the cheaper option in the long-term. This is because you won’t pay other immigration fees, such as the immigration health surcharge.
In this article, we will provide a full overview of the indefinite leave to remain fees you can expect to pay. We will also explore whether you need to pay the healthcare surcharge, the priority processing fees and whether it is possible to get a refund on the fees paid.
How much does it cost to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR)?
The application fee for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) set by the Home Office is currently £2,885. This rate applies whether you are applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) as a:
- Work visa holder (e.g. Tier 2, International Sportsperson, Skilled Worker visa, Scale-up Worker visa, or Global Talent visa)
- Business visa holder (e.g. Tier 1 Entrepreneur, Investor visa, Innovator visa, Start-up visa)
- Family visa holder (e.g. spouse or partner visa or child visa)
- Representative of an overseas business or a representative of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation
- Turkish Worker or Businessperson visa holder
- Private servant in a diplomatic household with an International Agreement visa or a domestic worker
- Commonwealth citizen (Ancestry visa)
- UK resident who has been in the UK for 10 or more years
- Refugee or a person with humanitarian protection or Discretionary Leave
- Person who served in the armed forces
As mentioned above, the ILR application fee of £2,885 is paid by each person who applies. This means that if you are applying for yourself and your family members, you will need to calculate the total cost.
For example, the ILR application fees payable to the Home Office for a family of 4 people would be 4 x £2,885 = £11,540. This does not include any other additional fees, such as legal costs or priority process costs (see below).
Do I pay the healthcare surcharge when applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR)?
Thankfully, as a person who is applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), you and your family members will not need to pay the costly immigration healthcare surcharge (IHS). That said, if you apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and end up being granted limited leave to remain by the Home Office, you may be required to pay the immigration healthcare surcharge.
In addition, when it comes to applying for British citizenship, you will also be exempt from paying the immigration healthcare surcharge. Given that the IHS is currently £624 (set to increase to £1,035 from 16 January 2024) per year per person, this makes applying for ILR cheaper than applying for a limited leave to remain visa in some cases.
ILR priority processing fees
Another cost to bear in mind when applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) is the cost of the priority processing service. The priority processing fee is completely optional; however, given that the standard Home Office processing time is in the region of 6 months, paying the priority processing fee can be extremely advantageous.
The Home Office offers 2 priority processing services:
- The priority service – provides an ILR decision within 5 working days for an additional fee of £500. It is important to note that the 5 days do not start from the date when your ILR application is received. As the Home Office explains, the 5-day period starts from the date of your appointment (if you prove your identity at a UK Visa and Citizen Application Services (UKVCAS) service point) or the next working day after you finish uploading your documents (if you use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app).
- The super priority service – provides a decision within 1 working day for an additional fee of £1,000. This means you will receive a decision by the end of the next working day following your UKVCAS appointment (working days do not include weekends or bank holidays).
The priority processing fees are paid by each person. It is also important to bear in mind that if you are applying for ILR together with your family if you wish to use the priority service for your application, each member of your family will need to pay for a faster decision.
One of the main reasons that individuals will choose to pay for priority processing is to enable them to travel overseas. If you travel outside of the UK while your application for indefinite leave to remain is still pending, the Home Office will treat your application as withdrawn. If you don’t pay for priority processing, you will have to remain in the UK until a decision has been reached.
Can I get a refund on my ILR application fees?
Whether you can get a refund on your ILR application fees and how much you will receive will depend on your circumstances, as follows:
- Application rejected as invalid: A full refund will be made less a £25 administration fee
- Inappropriate/void applications: The application will be cancelled, and a full refund made
- Withdrawal by the applicant: A full refund may be granted but only in certain circumstances; e.g. if biometrics are required and have not yet been submitted or where an ILR application requires documents to be submitted at a UKVCAS service centre and the application is withdrawn before you attend the application centre
- Refusal: If the Home Office considers your ILR application and issues a refusal, no refund will be payable.
- Variation of immigration status: If the Home Office varies an application from Indefinite Leave to Remain to limited leave to remain, the indefinite leave to remain fee will not be refunded. You may also need to pay the immigration health surcharge in this instance.
- Administrative review: if an administrative review results in an ILR decision under review being withdrawn, the fees paid for the review will be refunded.
In most cases, if you are due a refund on your ILR fees/priority processing fees, this will be processed automatically and paid into your bank account within 28 days by the Home Office, i.e. you will not normally need to request a refund.
If your bank details have changed in the meantime, you will need to wait for the Home Office to request your updated bank details.
Conclusion
ILR applications can be costly, especially if you are applying for your family members at the same time. Depending on the circumstances, the refusal of an ILR application may mean that you do not receive a refund of the fees paid.
This is why it is so important to ensure that your ILR application is carefully prepared, with the appropriate documents and without errors. When it comes to your indefinite leave to remain (ILR) application, don’t leave anything to chance. We can help to anticipate issues with your application before they arise, so you have an improved chance of a positive outcome.
A Y & J Solicitors is a specialist immigration law firm with extensive experience with indefinite leave to remain applications. We have an in-depth understanding of immigration law and are professional and results-focused. For assistance with your application or any other UK immigration law concerns, please contact us on +44 20 7404 7933 today. We’re here to help!
