Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refunds have been issued to customers who paid for a same-day decision service from UK Visas and Immigration in respect of applications for leave to remain.

The Home Office does not refund a fee if someone applies for same day consideration of an application if they do not meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules or other relevant legislation for that category, nor does the Home Office issue a refund where an application is withdrawn and resource costs have been incurred.

However, the Home Office will refund the premium element of a same day consideration service fee if it cannot be considered due to circumstances beyond the customer’s control, for example: when Home Office IT systems are temporarily unavailable and the application cannot be considered on the same day.

The Home Office does not separately record such transactions. To compile a single record of all same day consideration payment refunds would mean looking at each individual application and could not be done except at disproportionate cost.