Are you in the UK and are looking to submit your application for leave to remain, but are worried that you cannot pay the required Home Office fees?
What is a fee waiver?
A fee waiver is an application to the Home Office requesting that in light of your particular financial circumstances, you cannot afford to pay the Home Office fee.
Who can apply for a fee waiver?
If you are submitting a specified human rights application, or you are a victim of trafficking looking to extend your leave, can apply for a fee waiver.
What evidence do you need to provide if you are applying for a fee waiver?
You will need to provide a full breakdown of your financial circumstances, such as your last six months bank statements along with your monthly income and expenditure.
The Home Office may also do checks with the relevant government bodies to verify the information you provide.
If you provide any false information, your current or future applications can be refused based on this.
How does the Home Office assess if you qualify for a fee waiver?
If you can show that you fall under one of the below, you may be eligible for a fee waiver:
- You are destitute
- You will become destitute if you have to pay the Home Office fee
- You have no disposable income
- You cannot borrow money from someone else
- Or there are exceptional circumstances that you cannot afford to pay the Home Office fees.
What is the process of applying for a fee waiver from 1st November 2018?
If you still have valid leave to remain, you can submit a fee waiver application form or apply online, before your leave to remain expires.
If you have no legal status in the UK, you can submit the fee waiver application and wait for the response from the Home Office.
If your fee waiver application is successful, you will have ten days to submit your application for leave to remain in the UK using the appropriate application form. The date of your application counts from the date you submitted the fee waiver application.
If your fee waiver application is unsuccessful, you will have to submit your application for leave to remain in the UK using the appropriate application form and pay the specified application fee. The date of the application starts from the date you submitted the fee waiver application.