Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how visa applications fees for Commonwealth veterans are calculated; and why visa application fees have risen by 1,441 per cent since 2003.

The fees for applications from Commonwealth citizens who have served in the armed forces are the same as applications from Commonwealth applicants who have not.

When setting fees, the Home Office takes into account the cost of processing the application, the wider cost of running Border, Immigration and Citizenship (BIC) system and the benefits the Home Office believes are likely to accrue from a successful application

Application fees have increased in recent years as the Home Office aims to reduce the overall level of funding that comes from general taxation.