A new marriage visa appeal procedure has been announced in the UK.
Effective since 19th December 2001, the UK Government’s introduction of new fees refers to some asylum and immigration appeals, and is set to change the way that applicants are able to submit appeals.
Following a series of policy changes across the Government, the UK Ministry of Justice is joining the view that those who can afford to pay should contribute to the cost of their appeal. Consequently, fees of £80 for a paper consideration and £140 for an oral consideration will now be applied to appeal cases where the decision was made on or after 19th December 2011.
It is understood that the fees have been set at this relatively low level to ensure that the majority of people requesting an appeal should be able to pay the contribution, saving the UK Government millions of pounds each year at a time when cuts are very much the order of the day. These fees still only represent around a quarter of the cost of the appeal, but have been set at this level to create a balance between affordability and likely contribution.
For those UK visa applicants that meet the criteria and made their applications on or after 19th December 2011 from outside the UK, appeals must be submitted directly to the First-Tier Tribunal (immigration and Asylum Chamber) in Leicester. They can no longer send their appeals to the overseas visa application centre or Embassy where the initial decision was made.
Decisions made before 19th December 2011 from outside the UK can continue to send their appeal to the overseas application centre where the decision was made.
There is also set to be an on-line payment facility established in the coming months, which is designed to allow appeal applicants to pay using MasterCard, VisaDebit or Visa credit cards, or to make an application for an appeal where a fee is not due. Third party payments are also acceptable in these cases.
Marriage Visa Help is experienced in supporting applicants through the UK marriage visa application and, if necessary, the appeal process, and keeps up-to-date with the latest developments from the UK Border Agency and related agencies.