Some international students have been overcharged for visa fees – and you could get the money back!

If you applied for a student visa between October 2023 and April 2025 you might be eligible for a partial refund up to £161.

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This applies to all current and former students, those who have already graduated and left the UK.

What has happened?

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The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (SLSC) has found UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has potentially charged international students more than the law allows.

•           If you paid between October 2023 and March 2025 the overcharge is £127

•            If you paid since March 2025 the potential overcharge £161

Applying for a refund, receiving one, or enquiring about one will not affect your visa status.

You can find some more information about this on this visa tracker page.

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How do I claim?

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You’ll need to submit a claim within 5 years of your visa payment.

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1.     Locate Your Visa Application Reference Number

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You will need either your GWF number or your UAN (Unique Application Number). Both can be found on your visa decision letter, your BRP card correspondence, or any email confirmation you received from UKVI when your application was submitted.

2.     Write your letter, using the draft below, and fill in the relevant details.

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If you cannot find it, please use this link to help locate the address.

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3.     Send your letter to the address provided in your visa correspondence with UKVI.

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4.     Make sure you keep a copy of your letter and details of when you sent it off.

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5.     Follow up if you don’t hear a response within 4-6 weeks.

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** We cannot guarantee that any refund attempts will be successful

Request been rejected?

You may receive a response where the Home Office admit their error, but state the fees were still legally valid, so there is no automatic refund.

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You can still submit refund requests to highlight this concern to UKVI.

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You can also lodge a complaint of maladministration.

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You can do this by contacting your MP to complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

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They may be able to potentially recommend repayment and a consolatory payment for the trouble.

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*Wait time varies but can be over 6 months

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Draft Letter

Fill in the fields in square brackets and submit the request through the route indicated on your visa correspondence, or via the Home Office. Contact UKVI channels if no specific address is found. Remember to keep a copy of the submission and any correspondence on this topic!

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To: UK Visas and Immigration

[Address or email as per original visa correspondence]

Date: [date of letter]

Subject: Request for refund of overpaid Student / ChildStudent entry clearance fee – application reference [GWF or UAN number]

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Dear Sir or Madam,

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I am writing to request a refund of £[127 / 161] relating to the Student / Child Student entry clearance fee I paid on [date of payment] in respect of my application with reference number [GWF / UAN].

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The fee I was charged was £[490 / 524]. The fee specified in law, at line 1.3.11A of Schedule 1 of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/330), is £363. The two statutory instruments that the Home Office intended to use to uplift this fee – SI 2023/1004 and SI 2025/363 –purported to amend line 1.3.11, which had already been deleted from Schedule 1in December 2020, rather than the operative line 1.3.11A. The statute book was therefore never updated, and the current version of the Regulations onlegislation.gov.uk continues to show the fee as £363.

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This drafting error was identified by the House of LordsSecondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, which drew the matter to the specialattention of the House in its 57th Report of Session 2024–26.

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The Immigration and Nationality Refunds Policy (version13.0, published for Home Office caseworkers on 8 April 2026) sets out, under “General principle of refunds”, that the Home Office will refund an application fee where “an incorrect fee has been charged and paid to the Home Office” and where “there is no legal basis to keep the fee.” Both conditions are met in my case: the fee I was charged exceeded the fee specified in Schedule 1 of the 2018 Regulations, and there is no statutory basis on which the Home Office can retain the difference between £363 and the amount I paid.

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My request is within the five-year window specified in the refunds policy, as payment was made on [date of payment].

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I therefore request a refund of £[127 / 161], being the amount paid in excess of the statutory fee. I would be grateful if you could confirm receipt of this request, indicate when I can expect a response, and provide details of the refund method. In line with the published policy, I would expect the refund to be returned to the original method of payment.

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Yours faithfully,

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[Full name]

[Contact email]

[Correspondence address]

[Application reference / GWF / UAN]

[Date of visa grant, if applicable]

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