The cost of citizenship
An adult pays £1,580 in application fees alone to obtain British citizenship by naturalisation. Most applicants have to pay additional fees, which include a £50 Life in the UK test, around £150 if the applicant has to do an English test, as well as travel expenses and provision of biometric information. This does not even include lawyer fees which many EU citizens choose to use when making an application.
A child who applies for British citizenship pays £1,214 in fees. The cost for a family to apply for citizenship can be a great barrier.
The actual administrative cost for the Home Office to process the citizenship application is £372. This means a substantial economic win on each application, and shows that the Home Office could reduce the cost to applicants at no burden to themselves.
The cost of a naturalisation application should be reduced to more accurately reflect the cost of processing.
No one should be shut out from British citizenship because they can’t afford the high fee.
