British national spotlight series: South Africa
Bukunmi Osuntoki
The start date for the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) increase was previously unknown. It was confirmed on 19 January 2024 that the relevant legislation has been made and will come into force on 6 February 2024.
Here are some more details about the increase in the IHS:
- The increase will apply to visa applications submitted on or after 6 February 2024.
- The IHS will increase from £624 to £1,035 per year of the visa for most adult visa applicants.
- The discounted rate (for students, Youth Mobility Scheme applicants and under 18s) will increase from £470 to £776.
Submission of applications before 6 February 2024
As previously mentioned, if you have applications in the pipeline we would suggest they are submitted before 6 February 2024 to avoid the higher IHS fee.
If you are submitting a Skilled Worker application, you will be aware you need to have a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) available to complete the application. Many sponsors are trying to submit applications before the IHS increase (and before Skilled Worker minimum salary requirements increase this Spring). You should bear in mind the following timescales for submission of any Skilled Worker applications:
- Submission outside the UK. If the visa application will be submitted outside the UK, it will likely take around 5-10 working days to receive a defined CoS. It will take longer if the Home Office requests further information.
- Submission inside the UK. If the visa application will be submitted inside the UK, you can use an undefined CoS you have stored ready to use in your online Sponsor Management System account. However, if you do not have any CoS available you will need to request one. Standard processing times for this are around 18 weeks! A £200 priority service fee can be paid to obtain a CoS by sending an email requesting one of the 60 priority slots available each day. If the priority request is granted it normally takes around 5 working days to receive the CoS. The Home Office has issued an update saying that there are currently around 1,000 daily requests from sponsors. This means that at the moment it is extremely difficult to secure a priority slot and as a result it may not be possible to obtain an undefined CoS before 6 February.
Further information
If you have any questions about this or any other immigration matter please contact a member of the immigration team.
We welcome views and opinions about the issues raised in this blog. Should you require specific advice in relation to personal circumstances, please use the form on the contact page.
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