It goes without saying that from the minute an applicant is granted limited leave to remain in the UK, they are from that moment onwards, in practical effect already in debt to the Home Office.

This is because on next seeking to extend their leave, the Home Office will ordinarily require provision of substantial application fees so as to accept an application as validly submitted and deserving of consideration.

For applicants without savings and in considerable financial straits, the way forward is usually:

• a delay in submission of the extension leave application, thereby remaining in the UK without leave, ie becoming an overstayer, until such time as the required funds are raised
• non – submission of the application, resulting in the individual likely eventually coming to the attention of immigration enforcement
• submission of an application by the applicant and their spouse but leaving one or two child family members out of the equation
• borrowing of funds from friends or family
• falling into debt by providing the application fees but unable to fund other necessary financial obligations relevant to the effective running of the household

There are however several ways that applicants may utilise, as provided for in Home office Guidance or Rules, to completely side- step the charging provisions and obtain a consideration of their applications by the Home Office.

The following free of charge procedures are available to eligible applicants:

• Fee Waiver application process
• Further Submissions procedure
• Representations from an applicant detained under immigration powers
• Red.0002 (enforcement non-charged) Section 120 Notice procedure(where the Notice is served by the Home Office)

FEES REQUIRED BY THE HOME OFFICE

Application fees and forms are set out here – https://www.gov.uk/topic/immigration-operational-guidance/fees-forms

Currently, the Home Office require £1033.00 application fees per applicant or dependant for leave to remain applications, such as FLR(FP) applications.

A biometrics enrolment fee of £19. 20 per person will be collected online at the same time as payment of the application fee is made.

For an FLR(FP) application for example, the Immigration Health Surcharge payable per person is £1560.00.

Taking the above figures into account, a family unit consisting of parents and two children will be required by the Home Office to provide a total of £10,448.80 in relation to an FLR(FP) initial or extension application.

FEE WAIVER APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applying for a fee waiver is one of the main procedures relied upon by applicants to obtain exemption from paying Home Office applications fees and the health surcharge.

Guidance Fee waiver: Human Rights-based and other specified applications  instructs Home office decision makers how to consider applications for a fee waiver from applicants making a specified human rights application and where to require payment of the fee before deciding the application would be incompatible with a person’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The fee waiver policy also applies to applications from victims of trafficking who seek to extend their leave to remain in certain circumstances.

Types of applications covered by the Guidance

The guidance applies to the following types of application:

• applications for leave to remain under the 5-year partner route from applicants who are not required to meet the minimum income threshold because their sponsor is in receipt of one or more specified benefits and who instead must demonstrate that their sponsor can provide adequate maintenance
• applications for leave to remain under the 5-year parent route
• applications for leave to remain under the 10-year partner, parent or private life route, where the applicant claims that refusal of that application for leave to remain would breach their rights (or the rights of other specified persons) under ECHR Article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life)
• applications for leave to remain on the basis of other ECHR rights
• applications for further leave to remain from applicants granted discretionary leave (DL) following refusal of asylum or humanitarian protection, where the applicant claims that refusal to grant further leave to remain would breach their ECHR rights
• applications for further DL from victims of trafficking or slavery who have had a positive conclusive grounds decision from a competent authority of the national referral mechanism (NRM), have already accrued

There is no fee waiver available for applicants for leave to remain under the 5-year partner route whose sponsor is not in receipt of one or more of the benefits specified at paragraph E-LTRP.3.3. of Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules. Such an applicant must meet the minimum income threshold and so they are not eligible for a fee waiver.

Applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain(ILR) are not covered by the fee waiver policy. ILR applications need to be accompanied by the correct fee in order to be considered.

Basis of grant of a fee waiver application

A fee waiver may be granted if the applicant is assessed and it is found that any of the following apply:

• they are not able to pay the fee
• they are destitute
• they are at risk of imminent destitution
• their income is not sufficient to meet a child’s particular and additional needs
• they are faced with exceptional financial circumstances

Documentary Evidence

The assessment of whether the applicant qualifies for a fee waiver will be made on the basis of their own individual circumstances and those of any dependent family members. The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate that they qualify for a fee waiver. The applicant must provide relevant documentation to evidence their fee waiver application, including detailed evidence as to their financial circumstances.

For example,  Home Office caseworkers will normally expect to see information and evidence relating to the applicant’s income, their accommodation, the type and adequacy of this, and the amount of their rent/ mortgage or of their contribution towards this, and their outgoings in terms of spending on things like food, utility bills. This information should be supported by independent evidence, such as their pay slips, bank statements, tenancy agreement, utility bills. The nature of the evidence provided will vary depending on the individual circumstances of the applicant, but the Home Office will expect to see evidence appropriate to the circumstances that are being claimed.

Evidential flexibility and fee waiver applications

Whilst the onus is on the applicant to provide sufficient evidence for the fee waiver to be granted, the Home Office appreciate that there will be some cases where providing evidence is more difficult than in others.

Among the cases will be some where it is foreseeable that repeated requests to the applicant to provide evidence may not result in further relevant information being produced because the initial statement of circumstances indicates that further documentary evidence does not exist or cannot reasonably be provided by the applicant because it is not available to them.

Evidential flexibility means that the decision maker can grant the fee waiver without seeking further additional evidence or documentation if they are satisfied that reasonable evidence has been provided in the round as to the applicant’s circumstances and that, without a fee waiver, the applicant will not be able to apply for leave to remain.

Situations in which the decision maker may be flexible in requiring further additional evidence are as follows:

• the applicant is a single parent and restricted in seeking and taking employment due to the need to look after children (this includes both pre-school children and children who can no longer attend a school due to COVID-19 restrictions)
• cases where eviction notices have been issued, or eviction has actually taken place
• cases where family, friends, or an identifiable organisation is providing essential living needs, e.g. a charity or food bank, and the applicant has no other means of being provided with essential living needs
• the applicant is the parent or main guardian of a child who is not attending school because of COVID-19 concerns
• there is evidence of vulnerability related to pregnancy, a long-term health condition, disability, or mental illness – this includes dependants as well as the applicant.

There is no automatic presumption that an application will be successful, but if the case meets any of the conditions set out above, the effect of that will be to require the decision maker to consider if further information and evidence is necessary.

Although the above list is not exhaustive, the Home Office state that it is not expected that there will be many other types of cases where evidential flexibility will be appropriate. Each case will still be considered on its own individual merits.

Whether to apply evidential flexibility can still be outweighed by other relevant matters, including the intentional disposal of funds and other countervailing evidence.

Grant of Fee Waiver

An applicant will be required to submit an online fee waiver form in advance of the substantive leave to remain application.

When applying for a fee waiver the applicant will be asked to provide details of their financial circumstances. This will mainly be in the form of statements covering the 6 months period prior to the date of application for all bank or building society accounts they hold, and a full breakdown of their monthly income and expenditure at the time of application

If an applicant is granted a fee waiver they will be issued with a Unique Reference Number(URN) to be used when applying for  leave to  remain online. This electronic pass  allows applicants  to complete and submit the substantive application form for leave to remain and proceed without paying Home office application fees.

The substantive application must be submitted within 10 working days of the date of the decision to grant the waiver.

The applicant must then make a Service and Support Centre appointment within 17 working days. Failure to do this could result in the URN no longer being valid and a new fee waiver application may be required.

Date of substantive application if fee waiver is granted

If an applicant makes a fee waiver request before their current leave expires, and then they make an application for leave to remain, the date of that application will be the date the applicant submitted the fee waiver request.

If an applicant makes a fee waiver request and they have no leave or their current leave has expired and then submit an application for leave to remain, the date of application will be the date they submit that application for leave to remain, not the date they submitted the fee waiver request.

Refusal of fee waiver application

A fee waiver decision is not subject to a reconsideration request as it is not an immigration decision. A decision will be made on the basis of the information set out in the application and any supplementary information about the applicant’s circumstances which they provide in support of their application.

Online applicants without a fee waiver or refused a fee waive will have to submit the relevant fee in order to proceed with submission of their leave application.

It is also open for an applicant to make a further request for a fee waiver.

Fee Waiver applications submitted by applicants holding valid leave to remain

Requests for a fee waiver made by those who have current Leave to Remain, and whose leave expires whilst their fee waiver request is being considered, will be allowed 10 days from the actual date of their fee waiver decision to submit an application for Leave to Remain or Further Leave to Remain. After this, their leave will be treated as expired.

Requests for a fee waiver made by those without current Leave to Remain mean that the applicant will not be able to benefit from the 10 days period allowed above.

Travel Assistance

Applicants who have been granted a fee waiver and who fit any of the following criteria may be eligible to apply for travel assistance to attend their closest Service and Support Centre:

• in receipt of asylum support or Local Authority support
• Domestic Violence customers
• a responsible adult attending an appointment with a child in social care
• anyone where paying for travel would render them destitute
• where travel is over 3 miles

FAILED ASYLUM SEEKERS AND FURTHER SUBMISSIONS PROCEDURE

There is no apparent reason why failed asylum seekers should not take advantage of the further submissions procedure and submit fresh claims based on human rights, ie Article 3( medical conditions) and Article 8 of the ECHR(right to private and family life).

The further submissions procedure does not require payment of application fees. Further representations and supportive evidence can be submitted and considered by the Home Office free of charge.

Guidance Asylum policy instruction: further submissions explains the policy, process and procedure which must be followed when considering further submissions following the refusal of an asylum or human rights claim, or where an asylum claim has been withdrawn or treated as withdrawn under paragraph 333C of the Immigration Rules. It applies to asylum or human rights based further submissions and covers:

• the process for making asylum and human rights based further submissions
• circumstances in which those lodging further submissions may be detained under immigration detention powers
• considering evidence provided as further submissions
• how to apply paragraph 353 of the Immigration Rules

What is a fresh claim?

Home Office Caseworkers only need to decide if further submissions amount to a fresh claim on asylum or human rights grounds when they have already considered the additional evidence provided, and decided not to grant any leave. In such cases,  the caseworker will be required to then consider whether the further submissions amount to a fresh claim. The claimant will only be entitled to an in-country right of appeal if it is accepted that there is a fresh claim.

Paragraph 353 states that submissions will amount to a fresh claim if they are significantly different from material that has already been considered. Submissions will only be significantly different if the content:

• has not already been considered; and
• taken together with previously considered material, creates a realistic prospect of success before the Tribunal on protection or human rights grounds, including claims under Article 8 ECHR (which will be considered under the Family or Private Life Rules, where appropriate)

Covid-19 Pandemic: submission by email or post

Prior to the first lockdown on 23^rd March 2020, there  was a requirement in the majority of cases for persons wishing to provide further submissions to the Home Office, to book an advance appointment and attend at Liverpool Home Office to present representations and supportive evidence.

Because of coronavirus (COVID-19), applicants cannot currently submit their evidence in person.

The applicable procedure is presentation of further submissions in one of two ways:

Email to:

Refused Case Management Further Submissions Unit

CSUEC@homeoffice.gov.uk

By Post to:

Refused Case Management Further Submissions Unit
Level 7
The Capital Building
Old Hall Street
Liverpool
L3 9PP

Applicants are required to Download and fill in the further submissions form and email or post it to the Refused Case Management team.

Together with the further submissions, applicants are advised to include copies or photos of the following documents (if they have them) to prove their identity:

• valid passport
• IS96/Bail Form 201 with photograph
• previous immigration status document
• driving licence (if the applicant has already submitted a photo of themselves)

Pre Covid 19: suspended further submissions appointment procedure at Liverpool Home office

Prior to March 2020, all further submissions following the refusal of asylum or humanitarian protection had to be made in person at the Further Submissions Unit (FSU) in Liverpool. Claimants were required make an appointment to attend the FSU unless they fell into one of the exceptional categories.

The Liverpool appointments procedure may still continue to apply after lockdown.

The FSU operates an appointment only system. To make an appointment, individuals were required to contact the FSU (the telephone number is 0151 213 2411). The FSU would then send written confirmation of the appointment (by letter or e-mail) to the individual, including the address of the FSU and a link to the form on the Gov.UK website.

Claimants were required complete the form and bring it to their appointment in Liverpool, along with supportive documentation and representations including:

• a completed Further Submissions form detailing the additional information the claimant would like the Home Office to consider
• supporting documents, including, where available, any Reasons For Refusal Letters (RFRLs) or appeal determinations
• application Registration Card (ARC) if still in possession of this
• passport (of the claimant and all dependants in the UK, if not with the Home Office)
• Evidence of family life in the UK (for family or private life based submissions)
• Police Registration Certificates (if held)
• any other Identity documents (if held)
• 4 un-separated passport-sized photographs (of the claimant and any dependants)
• evidence of accommodation (if not provided by the Home Office)
• any other documents relevant to the claim

SUBMMISSION OF REPRESENTATIONS BY DETAINED APPLICANTS

The circumstances in which the requirement to submit a valid application will not be applied are set out in paragraph 276A0 of the Immigration Rules and in paragraph GEN 1.9 of Appendix FM of those Rules.

Submission of a valid application necessarily requires submission of a specified application form and fees, however as will be evident below, where Paragraph 276A0 and GEN 1.9 apply, no such application form or fees need be provided by an applicant.

Paragraph GEN 1.9 of Appendix FM

Paragraph GEN 1.9 of Appendix FM states:

“GEN.1.9. In this Appendix:

(a) the requirement to make a valid application will not apply when the Article 8 claim is raised:

(i) as part of an asylum claim, or as part of a further submission in person after an asylum claim has been refused;

(ii) where a migrant is in immigration detention. A migrant in immigration detention or their representative must submit any application or claim raising Article 8 to a prison officer, a prisoner custody officer, a detainee custody officer or a member of Home Office staff at the migrant’s place of detention; or

(iii) in an appeal (subject to the consent of the Secretary of State where applicable); and

(b) where an application or claim raising Article 8 is made in any of the circumstances specified in paragraph GEN.1.9.(a), or is considered by the Secretary of State under paragraph A277C of these rules, the requirements of paragraphs R-LTRP.1.1.(c) and R-LTRPT.1.1.(c) are not met”.

Paragraph 276A0 of the Immigration Rules

Paragraph 276A0 of the Immigration Rules provides:

“276A0. For the purposes of paragraph 276ADE(1) the requirement to make a valid application will not apply when the Article 8 claim is raised:

(i) as part of an asylum claim, or as part of a further submission in person after an asylum claim has been refused;

(ii) where a migrant is in immigration detention. A migrant in immigration detention or their representative must submit any application or claim raising Article 8 to a prison officer, a prisoner custody officer, a detainee custody officer or a member of Home Office staff at the migrant’s place of detention; or

(iii) in an appeal (subject to the consent of the Secretary of State where applicable)”.

Paragraphs 276ADE enables applicants to place reliance on their private life in the UK having regard to the 20year Rule, 7year Rule including young adults who have resided in the UK half of their lives:

Paragraph 276ADE provides:

“276ADE (1). The requirements to be met by an applicant for leave to remain on the grounds of private life in the UK are that at the date of application, the applicant:

(i) does not fall for refusal under any of the grounds in Section S-LTR 1.1 to S-LTR 2.2. and S-LTR.3.1. to S-LTR.4.5. in Appendix FM; and

(ii) has made a valid application for leave to remain on the grounds of private life in the UK; and

(iii) has lived continuously in the UK for at least 20 years (discounting any period of imprisonment); or

(iv) is under the age of 18 years and has lived continuously in the UK for at least 7 years (discounting any period of imprisonment) and it would not be reasonable to expect the applicant to leave the UK; or

(v) is aged 18 years or above and under 25 years and has spent at least half of his life living continuously in the UK (discounting any period of imprisonment); or

(vi) subject to sub-paragraph (2), is aged 18 years or above, has lived continuously in the UK for less than 20 years (discounting any period of imprisonment) but there would be very significant obstacles to the applicant’s integration into the country to which he would have to go if required to leave the UK.

In essence, where an Article 8 private and family life claim is raised( whether to be considered within the Immigration Rules or outside on Article 8 exceptional grounds) there is no requirement to make provision for Home office application fees where the Article 8 claim is relied upon:

• as part of an asylum claim
• where a migrant is in immigration detention.
• in an appeal, subject to consent of the Secretary of State being applicable

RED.0002 (ENFORCMENT NON- CHARGED) SECTION 120 NOTICE PROCEDURE

A person can take advantage of RED.0002 (enforcement non-charged) Section 120 Notice, if served by the Home Office. In providing a response to the Notice, no application form need be completed nor application fees be provided by the claimant.

It is important to be aware of the single power of removal provided for in legislation so as to appreciate the significance of RED Notices.

The single power of removal is set out in section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 as amended by the  Immigration Act 2014. It outlines the different circumstances in which notice of liability to removal can be served and guidance on serving RED (Removal, Enforcement and Detention) notices.

Under section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 a person who requires, but does not have, leave to enter or remain in the UK is liable to removal. No removal decision is required but the person must still be notified of their liability to removal.

Significance of Red Notices

RED notices are used to tell an individual:

• they are liable to removal
• the country to which they will be removed

The notices also include:

• information on the consequences of being in the UK illegally
• information about any help that might be available to return home
• a section 120 notice which requires the migrant to raise with the Home Office, as soon as reasonably practicable, any grounds not previously raised as to why they should be allowed to remain in or not be removed from the UK

The migrant has an ongoing duty to raise new grounds under section 120 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 while in the UK without leave.

RED.0002 forms- (enforcement non-charged)

RED.0002 forms are section 120 notices and a reminder notice of the section 120 duty. There are 3 RED.0002 notices, the first 2 forms are section 120 notices, and the third is a reminder notice of the section 120 duty:

1) RED.0002 (charged): used where a person is directed towards making a charged application if they wish to make an article 8 claim (for example they are not detained and there is no operational reason to waive the requirement).

2) RED.0002 (enforcement non-charged): used where a person is not directed towards making a charged application (for example where removals casework are preparing a case for tasking to enforcement, or where a person is detained). If necessary the Home office Caseworker can fill in a time limit for response (for example if while not detained, the person was given 14 days to respond to an earlier section 120, but they are now detained and this period needs to be shortened).

3) RED.0002 (reminder): reminds a person both of their liability to removal and their section 120 duty and may be adapted to refer to either charged or noncharged applications, this may be served at reporting events.

A charged application requires the individual to complete and submit an application form and make provision of the Home office fees before their representations can be considered by the Home Office.

A RED.0002 (enforcement non-charged) Section 120 Notice, once served means that the person to whom it is directed, does not need to make a valid charged application when providing reasons as to why they should be allowed to remain in the UK.  The person may, without more, simply provide documentation relevant to their claim and provide all reasons as to why they should be permitted to remain in the UK and then wait for a decision from the Home Office.