DAVE CALFE, general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ trade union, writes exclusively for the Morning Star as the union’s five-day annual conference opens in Birmingham
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‘It feels as though you do not exist’
Migrant rights campaigner LORAINE MASIYA MPONELA tells of the appalling impact of the government’s extortionate visa fees and how a lack of legal status leaves migrants in limbo
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ON OCTOBER 4, the government raised most visa fees by 15-20 per cent. This means the Home office making even more excessive profits off of migrants.
Even prior to this increase the cost of fees could be seven to 10 times that of the actual processing costs.
The increases just force fees further away from the processing costs, and, in so doing, force more people into destitution to pay for them. For example, “indefinite leave to remain” costs roughly £646 to process, but the applicant pays £2,885.
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