[i]Visa fees for the United Kingdom will increase from 1 April 2007. UKvisas is committed to providing a modern, effective visa service which delivers a world class service to the customers while also protecting the UK.
The new fees will enable UKvisas to invest in a better migration system to counter illegal working and organised crime, while making it easier for tourists, investors, and students visiting the UK. The higher fees will be invested in new technology as well as new customer centres for visa applicants, offering longer opening hours and more flexible ways of paying for visas.
VISA FEES TABLE
[ul]
Visa Type Current Fees Fees from 1 April 2007
Direct Airport Transit Visa & Transit NT$2000 (£30) NT$2900 (£44)
Commonwealth & Overseas Territories NT$2000 (£30) NT$2900 (£44)
Visit 6 months NT$3300 (£50) NT$4100 (£63)
Student NT$5600 (£85) NT$6500 (£99)
Long term validity visit NT$5600 (£85) NT$13000 (£200)
Work Permit NT$5600 (£85) NT$13000 (£200)
Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) NT$5600 (£85) NT$13000 (£200)
Settlement NT$16900 (£260) NT$32500 (£500)[/ul]
*NT$ values based on an exchange rate of NT$65 = £1 sterling as of 23/3/07
The new fees are applicable from 1 April 2007. Visa applicants may apply up to 3 months in advance of their date of travel provided they have the all their required supporting documentation.[/i]
The bolding is my own work.
Edit: The formatting for the table didn’t come out. The figures are the old fee with sterling in brackets followed by new fees.
Ask me how much my new sodding passport was. Go on, ask me. And the new chip inside it is only guaranteed for two years.
Oh, and if you don’t live in the UK, you can only get a 32 page one. Presumably because we’re less likely to travel, hey?
They were also very patient while explaining to this bad-tempered applicant that British passport photos are two millimetres smaller than Taiwanese ones, and while they sympathized that I’d paid 400 dollars for them, no they couldn’t just snip the borders off, they had to be done again on the dedicated machine in the office.
They also kindly informed me, after having waited a month, that they hadn’t called me to tell me my passport was ready because my home number was a fax number.
It looks like a piece of crap as well. It had better be real.
Did you need to get a separate UK ID card, Buttercup? Or is the chip itself a kind of ID card? My passport’s got quite a while to run still but I’m curious as I remember reading something about the government making all new passport holders get ID cards.
Ner, I don’t have an ID card, the chip is stuck onto the paper with sticky backed plastic (I shit you not.). It is also not signed; they scan your signature from the application form.
[quote=“Buttercup”]Ner, I don’t have an ID card, the chip is stuck onto the paper with sticky backed plastic (I shit you not.). It is also not signed; they scan your signature from the application form.[/quote] Sounds like a Blue Peter job with the double sided sticky tape. Is the passport covered in brick paper, by any chance?
How much, Buttercup? I’ll need a new one in a few months. I also recall that its hard to travel if there’s less than six months on it. How long before it expires can you apply for a new one? Or do they just decide you can’t travel for that six-month period? Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
[quote=“sandman”]How much, Buttercup? I’ll need a new one in a few months. I also recall that its hard to travel if there’s less than six months on it. How long before it expires can you apply for a new one? Or do they just decide you can’t travel for that six-month period? Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.[/quote]IIRC you can apply any time. The British consulate in Hong Kong has pretty good information on its website. fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pag … 5717798397
Sounds like a Blue Peter job with the double sided sticky tape. Is the passport covered in brick paper, by any chance?