Home Office/MOD Policy consultation - Settlement fees for non-UK personnel

The Home Office and MoD have launched a public consultation on proposals for the UK Government to waive the fee charged by the Home Office for Non-UK Service Personnel who have served for at least twelve years and wish to settle in the UK.

There are over 10,000 non-UK citizens serving in the UK Armed Forces from countries including Australia, Canada, Fiji, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, St Lucia and South Africa, many of whom may consider applying for indefinite leave to remain in the UK when their service ends.

Currently non-UK Service Personnel can apply for settlement in the UK upon discharge as long as they have served a minimum of four years and meet the requirements of the Home Office’s Immigration Rules. Separate arrangements exist for those who are medically discharged with less than four years’ service as a result of an illness or injury which is attributable to their Service.

Applications currently cost £2,389 per person. The proposal is to waive the settlement fees of serving personnel, not families or dependants. Non-UK family members of Armed Forces personnel, regardless of the service person’s nationality, enter the UK on a five-year visa which currently costs £1,532 per person. They would still be required to pay the settlement fee of £2,389 when applying for settlement.

Most Commonwealth citizens can, if they choose to instead, apply to naturalise as British citizens while serving, using their time both in the UK and on overseas assignments towards the five-year UK residency criteria. Becoming a British citizen removes the need to apply for settlement on discharge.

There is no intention to fund the fees payable by Armed Forces personnel who apply for naturalisation as British citizens while serving or who choose to apply for naturalisation after they have had settled status for at least 12 months.

The policy consultation document can be found here and you can give your view by visiting Immigration Fees Public Consultation (mod.uk) by July 7.