Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Neha Gohil Community affairs correspondent

Families in UK in ‘state of limbo’ due to backlog of visa fee waiver applications

A man and woman sit side by side on a sofa. A young boy sits on the woman's lap and another, slightly older boy sits next to her.
Muhammad Rashid Khan and Farhad Alauddin Shaikh, who are receiving universal credit, have been waiting more than six months for a response to their visa fee waiver application. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Vulnerable families across the UK are facing “fear and uncertainty” due to a Home Office backlog in processing their visa fee waiver applications, leaving them in a “perpetual state of limbo”, according to migrant charities.

A record 18,528 applications for visa fee waivers were submitted to the Home Office in the first quarter of this year, but almost 33,000 submissions remain outstanding – the highest number recorded by the Home Office.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.