Labour promised to waive visa fees for armed forces families – yet refuses to make the change
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A year into Keir Starmer’s tenure as Labour leader, an internal strategy document leaked.
One of the top recommendations stated that: “The use of the flag, veterans, dressing smartly at the war memorial etc. give voters a sense of authentic values alignment.” Fast forward five years and this Labour government makes much of its support for the armed forces, repeatedly burnishing its credentials and taking any and every opportunity to position itself as military adjacent.
Scratch the surface, however, and you’re left wondering how much of that is simply for show. While the government will quickly reel off a list of policies that it holds up as evidence of its support for service personnel and veterans, when asked to go that extra yard, it has been found wanting.
In 2022, the then-Conservative government amended the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018, waiving the fees for Indefinite Leave to Remain for non-UK service personnel. This is an injustice that was easily rectified by a minor piece of secondary legislation. Though not in Parliament at the time, I firmly believed that we should have taken the additional step of extending that waiver to immediate family members of those personnel; to spouses and children.
At present, any non-UK service personnel who wish to make their home in the UK after leaving the armed forces has to fork out a staggering £3,229 per person for the privilege. This inequity has been a sore point for personnel and families and featured prominently in the recent Army Families Federation survey.
Despite now having raised this with ministers on eight separate occasions, as well as taking the issue to a division twice, the government cannot give any clarity on when it plans to deliver it.
I recently tabled amendments to the Armed Forces Bill, during the Committee of the whole House and again at Report Stage, that received widespread support from across the House and as such went to a division. The simple amendment extended the 2022 change to the 2018 Immigration Act, adding a single extra line of text bringing spouses and children into scope.
The Starmer government decided, in its death throes, to vote against the amendments on both occasions, despite knowing that this would deliver Labour’s own manifesto pledge. It is a pledge that has made no progress in over two years across three veterans’ ministers.
There are very few apolitical issues that have the support of the whole House and could be resolved with such little effort
It has never been clear where the hold-up is within the process. The Ministry of Defence claims it is working on it. The Home Office claims, too, that it is working on it with the Ministry of Defence. Yet there is no progress, no timeline for delivery and now, with a change of prime minister, it may be sidelined yet further.
The pledge to deliver this was detailed in the 2024 manifesto, specifically costed and pledged to be worked on from “day one of a Labour government”. For obvious reasons, the government is squeamish about any issues around the topic of immigration, but if we cannot make the argument that those who have served this nation, and risked their lives in its defence, deserve the right to settle here, then we are in the wrong profession.
We rightfully want the bar to attaining the right to live in the UK to be high. There is no higher tariff than taking the oath and serving in our armed forces.
There are very few apolitical issues that have the support of the whole House and could be resolved with such little effort. The government’s unwillingness to pick such low-hanging fruit exposes a malaise that perfectly illustrates the situation it finds itself in now, not knowing what it wants to achieve or who it is for.
I urge the new ministers to take up the challenge, deliver this pledge and prove that this government’s support for our armed forces personnel is deeper than it initially appears.
Ben Obese-Jecty is Conservative MP for Huntingdon
