Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the fee was determined for settled and pre-settled status applications for EU citizens and their families.

Under Articles 17(1)(g) and (h) of the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the EU the Government agreed that applications to the Scheme will not cost any more than the cost of a comparable document for UK nationals and that applications from holders of valid Permanent Residence documentation or indefinite leave to remain will be free of charge. This was also confirmed in the Prime Minister’s open letter to EU citizens in the UK.

The fee of £65 is the same as the current charge for documentation under EU law and is less than the cost of a British passport. A lower fee (£32.50) for applications from children under the age of 16 is consistent with the age at which reduced fees for a British passport apply. There is also no charge for children in local authority care.