British citizen Hannah Helbert, 31, is married to Cuban-born Danny, and Home Office <\/a>regulations mean they have had to spend thousands bringing Danny to the UK.<\/p>\n Ms Helbert estimates the pair have spent between \u00a37,000 and \u00a310,000 on visa <\/a>fees, an NHS surcharge and solicitors fees during their four-year relationship, and still face further charges.<\/p>\n Danny arrived in the UK last year and began working and paying national insurance just six weeks later.<\/p>\n \u201cOur savings have been obliterated,\u201d Ms Helbert said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not on bad wages, but we just can\u2019t afford a mortgage after all of this. We had budgeted for \u00a35,000 on the fees but constant increases have pushed us well over that.<\/p>\n \u201cThe partner visa has to be renewed every two and a half years and we\u2019ll also have to pay for indefinite leave to remain and eventually citizenship.\u201d<\/p>\n New visa fees hit families across the UK<\/p>\n The costs facing Ms Helbert\u2019s family have all been increased this week, with updated fees coming in to force on Wednesday.<\/p>\n But government transparency data<\/a> reveals that despite rising charges for families, the costs to the Home Office of processing the visas are considerably lower, and charities have questioned the fairness of the department appearing to profit from legal applications to come to the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cI appreciate that people have to pay their way, but I don\u2019t think people understand just how much this costs in the long term. As soon as Danny got here he was paying national insurance,\u201d Ms Helbert said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t had any explanation as to why what they\u2019re charging us is a lot higher than how much the process costs them. It feels like we\u2019re just having money made out of us.\u201d<\/p>\n \nVisa fees soar but Home Office pays just a fraction<\/p>\n The price of the settlement visa used by foreign spouses<\/a> has risen from \u00a31,846 to \u00a31,938.<\/p>\n But the cost to the department of processing the visa \u2013 listed as an \u201cestimated unit cost\u201d \u2013 is a fraction of the price at \u00a3482, government transparency data<\/a> shows, giving a profit of \u00a31,456.<\/p>\n An indefinite leave to remain application now costs \u00a33,029 \u2013 up from \u00a32,885 last year.<\/p>\n The cost to the Home Office currently stands at \u00a3523 \u2013 a profit of \u00a32,506.<\/p>\n This is the same even for domestic abuse victims or family members of the UK\u2019s Armed Forces, the Home Office has confirmed<\/a>.<\/p>\n British citizenship applications have also gone up by \u00a3105 to \u00a31,605, despite costing the Home Office just \u00a3575 to process. <\/strong><\/p>\n Student visas have also increased from \u00a3490 to \u00a3524, while the cost to the Home Office is \u00a3266.<\/p>\n The Home Office said that \u201cthese measures ensure we can maintain an effective migration and borders system, with those who benefit most from its use contributing towards its cost and reducing the reliance on UK taxpayers\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u2018I\u2019m incurring debt to meet the new visa charges\u2019<\/p>\n Caroline Coombs, co-founder of Reunite Families which supports families separated by Home Office visa rules<\/a>, said her own family rushed through their applications to beat the charge and avoid an additional \u00a3144 \u2013 but had to use credit cards because they didn\u2019t have the funds in time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all feeling the huge impacts of a cost of living crisis and this has put us in more debt and further and further away from being able to buy our own home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ms Coombs estimated that she has spent \u00a315,000 over a seven-year process to bring her Ecuadorian partner to the UK, in part because she had to appeal an initial refusal.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just so unbelievably expensive \u2013 I can\u2019t bear to think about how much we\u2019ve spent so far in visa fees, legal fees and associated costs for the process.\u201d<\/p>\n The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said that the latest fee rises would \u201cforce countless migrant families in to an impossible choice: poverty or separation from the people they love.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt a time when millions are already struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, this Government is shamelessly milking the immigration system for cash, at the expense of basic rights,\u201d said executive director, Yasmin Halima.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see people every day who have drained their life savings just trying to stay together \u2013 and with legal aid in such a sorry state, there is almost nowhere left to turn.\u201d<\/p>\n \nCost of bringing families to the UK rises \u2013 again<\/p>\n The total cost of bringing a partner to the UK on a ten-year path to settlement has reached \u00a320,000, according to analysis from a charity supporting separated families.<\/p>\n For those also bringing a child, the same route to settlement costs nearly \u00a337,000.<\/p>\n For those on a five year path to settlement, bringing a partner costs nearly \u00a312,000, and adding a child takes it to more than \u00a322,000.<\/p>\n This is because a family must pay for an initial visa application, which must be extended every two and a half years.<\/p>\n After five years the partner and\/or child is typically eligible for indefinite leave to remain, which is another cost of more than \u00a33,000.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_247009187.jpg\")
Caroline Coombs and her family have spent approximately \u00a315,000 to live together in the UK <\/p>\n