Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration An inspection of the policies and practices of the Home Office’s Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Systems relating to charging and fees, published on 4 April, what progress they have made in reviewing the level of fees for children's nationality and immigration applications and the fee waiver process; and when they expect to announce any decision on that matter.

The Home Office keeps its fees for immigration and nationality under regular review, including those for children’s nationality and immigration applications, and changes to individual charges need to be made with a view to maintaining the overall purpose of the fees and charging legislation.

The Home Office included its response to the Chief Inspector’s recommendations around fee waivers, in its formal response which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/response-to-an-inspection-of-home-office-bics-policies-and-practices-relating-to-charging-and-fees

These recommendations have been partially accepted and the Home Office has recently reviewed and updated it fee waiver policy. In addition, the Home Office has invested in recruitment and continued process improvement and also engaged with Local Authorities on how better to identify and, where required, prioritise fee waiver applications from those who are most vulnerable. Current fee levels and policies remain under consideration at this point in time.