Have you paid a UK Student or Child Student visa application fee since late 2023?
International students: you may be owed a visa fee refund!
International students who paid a UK Student or Child Student visa application fee since late 2023 may have been charged more than the amount set out in legislation.
The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has raised concerns that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) charged applicants fees above the amounts legally prescribed. This could mean that some international students may be entitled to a refund.
Could you be owed money?
The amount you may have been overcharged depends on the visa fee you actually paid, which you can check on your payment confirmation:
- If you were charged £490 (broadly autumn 2023 to April 2025): potentially £127
- If you were charged £524 (broadly April 2025 to early April 2026): potentially £161
The overcharging stopped on 8 April 2026, when the fee was corrected in law. Applications made on or after that date were charged the correct amount and are not affected.
This may apply to both current students and former students who have since graduated or left the UK.
Please note: submitting a request does not guarantee a refund. The Home Office accepts that a drafting error occurred but is currently disputing whether refunds are owed, and some students have had requests refused. It is still worth submitting a claim: it puts your case on record, and it helps build the evidence we need to press for a fair, consistent outcome.
What can you do?
If you believe you may have been affected, you can submit a request to the Home Office for a refund under its refunds policy. Requests must be made within five years of the date the payment was made, so leaving the UK or your visa expiring does not, by itself, prevent you from making a claim.
The most reliable way to submit is through the Home Office's online complaints form: Complain about UK Visas and Immigration. If the form does not offer a suitable option under "Refunds", choose "Something else" and explain that you are seeking a refund because an incorrect Student or Child Student visa fee was charged.
We have prepared a Draft-Letter to help you make your request. Please update the sections in square brackets with your own details, check that all the information is correct, and paste it into the complaints form.
When submitting your request:
- Include the relevant details of your visa application and payment, such as your application reference (GWF or UAN) and payment confirmation.
- Keep a copy of everything you submit.
- Keep any acknowledgement, response, or refusal you receive from the Home Office. If your request is refused, please keep the refusal, as it is useful evidence.
Let us know through this form if you have submitted a claim, so that we can understand how many students may be affected.
Why should you tell us if you make a claim?
It is currently unclear how the Home Office will respond to individual refund requests. By keeping track of the number of students who have submitted claims, we can better understand the scale of the issue and use this evidence to push for a consistent response.
You can also support the wider campaign by signing the relevant UK Parliament petition.
What are we doing?
We are working to raise awareness of the issue among our international students and are engaging with relevant stakeholders to make sure affected students are aware of their potential entitlement.
We have contacted our local MP Wera Hobhouse to raise this issue directly with the Home Office and to seek a clear response on the refund process. The information collected from students who have submitted refund requests will help us demonstrate the scale of the issue and inform further lobbying.
What happens next?
This is an evolving issue, and the position on refunds may change as the Home Office responds to claims and further guidance becomes available. We will continue to monitor developments and share updates with students as we receive them.
If you think you may have been overcharged, we encourage you to submit a refund request and to let us know that you have done so.