Migrants let off paying visa fees more than 76,000 times since Labour came to power

Comment now Next MIGRANTS have been let off visa fees more than 76,000 times since Labour took office, analysis shows. Application charges worth at least £96.2million were waived after arrivals said they did not have the means to pay the £1,407 fee. Migrants have had visa fees waived more than 76,000 times since Labour came to power Credit: Alamy A record 33,737 people applied to have their visa fees waived in the first three months of this year – more than double the 13,669 at the end of 2023 Credit: AFP Advertisement Each waiver is now worth up to £3,994 per adult, covering the £1,407 application fee and a £2,587 NHS surcharge for 30 months of leave. However, not all applicants receive waivers for the NHS fee, although no breakdown is published. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. Applicants must show they are destitute, that paying would leave them unable to afford food or housing, or that it would harm a child’s wellbeing. The waivers were brought in after a string of human rights court rulings found it unlawful to charge people for human rights applications they could not afford. READ MORE ON MIGRANTS THE SUN SAYS Britain is broke but sky's the limit for funding homes for boat migrants MIGRANT FURY Landlords offered double rent to evict tenants & house migrants in 'nuts' deal A record 33,737 people applied to be let off in the first three months of this year, more than double the 13,669 who asked at the end of 2023. Another 33,393 joined the queue between April and June, the second highest quarter on record. Stats show officials are now struggling to keep up with the surge in applications, with 50,257 of those applications still waiting for a decision. Just 478 of the 33,737 requests made in the first three months of the year were dealt with inside the Home Office’s 20-working-day target. Advertisement Most read in The Sun BEACH HORROR Brit tourist 'seriously injured' after 32ft plunge from cliff at popular beach night shift Reason why it is so dark this morning explained SMASH TRAGEDY Beloved high school student, 15, killed in crash as three fight for life 'RAPE' HORROR Woman 'raped' in car park near airport in early hours - as man arrested Official figures show 70,916 waivers were handed out in Labour’s first 18 months alone, up 57 per cent on the 45,101 in the final 18 months of the last Conservative government. Applications began soaring in early 2024, when the health surcharge jumped from £624 to £1,035 a year. Waivers are open to partners and parents on the 10-year family route, people who have built a private life in the UK, and failed asylum seekers later given leave on human rights grounds. Small boat migrants and those granted asylum are already not required to pay a visa surcharge. Those on the 10-year route must reapply every 30 months, so the same migrant can be let off up to four times before they can apply for settled status. Advertisement A further 2,353 waivers went to families applying to join relatives from abroad in Labour’s first 18 months. Nigerians, Indians and Pakistanis top the nationalities granted extensions on the family and private life route since July 2024, with 21,220, 19,402 and 16,679 grants respectively. But the Home Office does not publish which nationalities are most likely to receive the waivers. RECOMMENDED STORIES The Home Office said it did not recognise the figure. A spokesman added that the waiver acceptance rate was lower than below the election and was still falling. Advertisement Comment now