VISA FEES FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS

Early day motion 113, tabled 26 November 2003 by Tony Colman (Labour). Signed by 48 members.

That this House notes that fees of ú155 and ú250 for certain categories of visa were introduced, without prior consultation, earlier this year; notes with great concern the impact of such fees on the economic and cultural contribution of overseas students to the United Kingdom; is further concerned by evidence of delay in the batch processing of payments at the Cannock office and suggests that such students be enabled to make prepayment at a bank; draws attention to the considerable disparity in fees paid by overseas students at entry clearance offices abroad, namely ú36, and those now paid in the UK; considers that the new fees regime was introduced with insufficient notice to those directly affected and without sufficient resources to process applications with the efficiency warranted by the high level of those fees; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to review the fees regime as a matter of urgency and to bring before this House proposals to rectify the manifest defects of that regime.

Signatures by party: Labour 24, Liberal Democrat 14, Labour/Co-operative 3, Conservative 2, Plaid Cymru 2, UUP 2, Scottish National Party 1.