National Day of Action 2024 - #ActionOnVisas
National Day of Action 2024 - #ActionOnVisas
Join Migrant Voice on our National Day of Action Against Unjust Visa Costs
Together with individuals and organisations from around the country, on 31 October Migrant Voice is leading a day of action to raise awareness about the impact of extortionate visa costs and settlement routes on people’s lives, among the public and policymakers, while also calling for action to be taken to make the system fairer.
We ask you to join us and spread the word, so together we can have a greater impact.
Our campaign aims to highlight the significant impact which extortionate visa costs can have on people’s lives, and calls for a fairer system for everyone. From £1,048 to £2,885 per visa, plus a yearly NHS surcharge of £1035, a single person can expect to pay at least £3,635 every 2.5 years before any additional costs and potential legal fees. These are the highest costs in Europe.
Currently visa fees can range between seven to 10 times the amount which it actually costs to process visas. We believe that nobody’s life should be used to make a profit at their expense.
We are need to ensure that policymakers listen and pay attention to the following asks, but we need to show that people will stand up them:
Visa fees should not be higher than the administrative cost, children should go free
The cost of visas can be 10 times higher than the administrative cost of processing them. The extortionate costs mean that many are struggling to pay for their visas, forced into making an impossible choice between saving for the fees and meeting other basic needs. That children are charged at all is incomprehensible, resulting in some having to leave children their undocumented and at risk.
Abolish the Immigration Health Surcharge
The Immigration Health Surcharge is a significant part of the cost of the visa application that increases the financial burden unnecessarily and acts as a double taxation. Migrants already contribute to the NHS through taxes yet are asked to pay again.
Cap all routes to settlement at 5 years
All routes to settlement should be no longer than 5 years. With over 170,000 migrants on a ten-year route, the length of time people stay on the route to settlement adds to the financial burden, keeps people in limbo, and increases the risk of harm caused by the process.
Cut waiting times and improve communication from the Home Office
Because of lengthy waiting times for a decision on visas - which can exceed 10 months - migrants are pushed further into uncertainty and stress affecting their job security, housing, and travel.
Devise a quicker, simplified and less stressful visa application process
The current process is unnecessarily complex, often asking for repetition of information, and a confusing amount of information and paperwork, which puts unnecessary stress on those applying and increases the potential for errors to be made.
Our main event on the day will be an online rally in the evening. We have a host of speakers, from a range of backgrounds, attending. It will be Halloween themed as we call on this government to exorcise the ghosts of the past from the Home Office, and implement a system which is fairer for everyone.
Join us, and take a stand, by clicking the link here.
We are also asking for people who have been affected by visa costs to share their experiences on social media on the day, using the hashtag #ActionOnVisas, or email us short videos which we can share throughout the day on ours, and our partner organisations, platforms, to Taj, [email protected].
If you would like more information about hosting your own event during the day, please email Daniel, [email protected], and we can send you a copy of our toolkit for the day and arrange a call with you.