How much it cost me to become a British Citizen

There has been a lot of talk about Meghan Markle and what she has to do to become a citizen of the UK now that she is married to Prince Harry. My journey with visas and to become a British citizen was expensive and spanned 6 years.

1. July 2009- received my settlement visa £585
2. September 2011- received my Indefinite Leave to Remain £972 
• I had to also take the Life in the UK Test for £50
3. February 2015- I received my UK citizenship- £986 (including the fee for the ceremony you have to attend)

Total= £2,593

Also, I didn't have any dependants at the time so imagine the costs to families who want to be together.

If I had to do the same now it would look like this (all fees current as of 2018):

1. Settlement visa- 2.5 years £1,523 (you now have to have this twice before you can apply for the ILR)
• £200 per year for NHS surcharge on the visa (so will have to pay until you get an ILR)
2. Indefinite Leave to Remain £2,389 
• Life in the UK Test for £50
3. UK citizenship- £1330 + £80 for ceremony fee

Total= £7,895

This is why it is hard for people to keep families together. It is a lot more expensive now and people have to wait a lot longer for to gain citizenship.

All the Best!



American to Britain