Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s policy is on refunding people who have overpaid for their application for leave to remain.

Immigration and Nationality Fees Regulations state that when a person varies the basis of their application to remain within the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State may refund any fee (or fees) other than the higher (or highest, as the case may be) paid in respect of the applications.

In other circumstances, the fee charged is for the processing and consideration of the application. This fee will be payable once the application form is received by the Home Office or its payment processing agent, regardless of the outcome of the application.