Tories saddle Gurkhas with thousands of pounds in fees so families can live here

Gurkha veterans have to pay visa fees if they settle in the UK with their families

The Tories stand accused of saddling Gurkha veterans with thousands of pounds of costs so their families can live in the UK.

Labour is promising to get rid of visa fees for foreign nationals who have served four years or more in the armed forces, as well as their spouses and children. It means that overseas personnel who wish to settle in the UK after being in the British military will no longer have to pay the fee of £2,885 for indefinite leave.

The Tories have waived fees for veterans who have served for six years, but they remain in place for their dependents. It means someone with a wife and two children who served for five years would have to pay £11,540.

In 2021, the Conservatives voted down a cross-party amendment, backed by service charities such as the Royal British Legion, to scrap visa fees for Commonwealth and Gurkha veterans who’ve served more than five years and their families.

In their election manifesto, the Tories have said they will extend the waiver on visa fees to the dependents of those who have served for six years.

Shadow Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said: “Veterans have had 14 years of the Conservatives promising a lot but delivering very little. Despite their pledge to scrap these unjust fees in the next Parliament, the Tories have been saddling Commonwealth and Gurkha veterans’ families with over £11,500 in fees and voting down cross-party amendments backed by service charities to end this scandal. In government, Labour will scrap these unjust visa fees for non-UK personnel who've served for four or more years and their dependents, paid for by closing tax loopholes.”

Around 10,000 non-UK citizens are serving in the armed forces from countries around the world including Australia, Canada, Fiji, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, St Lucia and South Africa.