Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 (“the principal Regulations”).

Regulation 3(2) amends the definition of “administrative review” to define that expression for the purposes of paragraphs 1 and 3 of Schedule 11 to the principal Regulations as they apply to the review of decisions in respect of applications for leave to remain in the United Kingdom under Appendix EU to the immigration rules (which provides for the granting of leave to EU citizens and others). At the date on which these Regulations were made, those provisions of the principal Regulations did not apply to the review of such decisions because the immigration rules had not been amended to provide for the administrative review of such decisions to be available. Therefore, regulation 1(3) provides that the amendment to the definition of “administrative review” made by regulation 3(2) comes into force when the necessary amendments to the immigration rules themselves come into force, and not before.

The remainder of regulation 3, and regulation 7, revoke provisions relating to applications for entry clearance to enter the Isle of Man as a Tier 2 Migrant or the dependant of such a Migrant. The Isle of Man immigration rules no longer provide for such applications: they have been replaced by applications for entry clearance as a Worker Migrant or a Worker (Intra Company Transfer) Migrant or as a dependant of such a Migrant, for which fees are specified in Table 21 in Schedule 9 to the principal Regulations and in paragraph 3 of that Schedule.

Regulation 4 concerns the fees currently payable under Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations for applications for leave to remain in the United Kingdom. It makes three sets of changes. Regulation 4(2) provides a fee exception for applications for limited leave to remain made by children of a parent who has been given limited leave to enter the United Kingdom as a “relevant Afghan citizen” (defined in paragraph 276BB1 of the immigration rules). It also provides a fee exception for such children and for relevant Afghan citizens themselves and their other dependants when they come to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. Regulation 4(2) also adds a new (unrelated) fee exception for applications for indefinite leave to remain made by persons relocated to the United Kingdom as unaccompanied refugee children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. Finally, regulation 4(3) amends paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations to provide for the refund of any fees paid for an application for leave to remain in the United Kingdom where the application is varied by a subsequent application for leave to remain made under Appendix EU to the immigration rules.

Regulation 5 amends Schedule 3 to the principal Regulations. The amendments made by regulation 5(3) set fees for the processing of applications under Appendix EU to the immigration rules which are rejected as invalid. The amendments made by regulation 5(2) and (4) provide a fee exception for the processing of any application or claim which is later rejected as invalid where no fee was payable in respect of the application or claim itself (including where any applicable fee was waived) or where a fee was payable but no fee was in fact paid at the time when the application or claim was made.

Regulation 6 makes various amendments to Table 17 in Schedule 6 to the principal Regulations, which provides fees for premium services in the United Kingdom. The amendments set fees for services provided by contractors under new arrangements for processing immigration and nationality applications. The amendments made by regulation 6(a), (c) and (g) also have the effect of providing a single fee applying both to applications for the expedited processing of an application made under the “super premium service” and applications for the expedited processing of an application made otherwise than under that service (the latter currently involves payment of a separate fee under 17.2.1 for arranging an appointment). There is no increase in the overall amount currently chargeable for these applications.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument because no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.