People applying to become British citizens are charged more than five times the amount it costs the Home Office to process their application, a new analysis has shown.
The latest fee of £1,709 to become a citizen compares with an estimated administrative cost of just £324, according to the latest Home Office data.
Applicants must also pay a further £130 for a citizenship ceremony if successful, taking the total cost of becoming a British citizen to £1,839.
The costs have emerged from an analysis by the left-leaning thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
It comes as Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, is expected to soften plans to double the waiting time for some people to qualify for permanent residency.
A fees-and-costs table released by the Home Office shows that, after a 6% increase, aspiring citizens will pay £1,709 for naturalisation as a British citizen. The estimated unit cost is just £324.
For nearly all applicants, a citizenship ceremony is mandatory and must be booked within three months of receiving confirmation of citizenship.
The UK charges considerably more than other G7 countries for naturalisation. Its £1,709 application fee is more than three times the next highest – the US at £562.
Before applying for citizenship, many applicants have to pay thousands of pounds in visa fees, as well as a mandatory annual immigration health charge of £1,035 per person.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, the refugee and migration rights policy lead at Amnesty International, said: “Successive governments have charged these increasingly high fees for the purpose of passing the cost of the UK’s immigration system from the taxpayer on to migrant people – this includes the cost of the system’s errors and delays.
“But governments are increasing the burden upon people seeking to make their new lives in the UK, people who already pay taxes and may have also paid solicitors and court fees too.”
Imran Hussain, the director of external affairs at the Refugee Council, said: “In the past, citizenship has been encouraged as a sign of someone successfully integrating into British life, but higher and higher financial barriers risk putting this out of reach for refugees.”
The IPPR report said the fees could put citizenship beyond the reach of long-term residents, leaving some people who have built their lives in Britain outside full participation in political and civic life.
At the same time, the thinktank argues that the citizenship process itself does too little to encourage civic participation or build a shared sense of belonging.
The former Labour home secretary David Blunkett, in a foreword to the analysis, called for citizenship and democracy to be placed on the schools curriculum next year, not in 2028 as planned.
He also called for early “indefinite leave to remain” to be granted to applicants on authorised visa or resettlement routes who pass courses in English and demonstrate their commitment to the community.
“The journey to naturalisation could be sped up as people are supported to demonstrate their commitment and contribution to the community in which they live. The same approach could be used as part of this journey to citizenship to invest in and develop greater social cohesion and integration,” Blunkett wrote.
The IPPR called for Britain to be less reliant on transitory migration and said it should instead build a system geared towards settlement, integration and citizenship.
It also said citizenship fees should be much closer to administrative costs, and that there should be clearer pathways for long-term residents. It further recommended replacing the Life in the UK test with a new citizenship course and test, focused on community life, UK institutions and shared values.
Marley Morris, the author of the report, said: “A fair society should view new migrants as potential citizens and actively encourage people to commit to their new home. Yet the act of getting citizenship is a largely bureaucratic process that is priced out of reach for many.
“If we want long-term residents to be included in our common life, there should be a clear and affordable route to becoming British.”
Mahmood announced plans in the spring to force many people to wait 10 years to qualify for settled status, rather than the existing five-year period.
After threats of a backbench rebellion, and since Andy Burnham became prime minister, Mahmood has been widely expected to soften the proposals, including exemptions to the new rules on indefinite leave to remain.
The Home Office said it did not profit from immigration and nationality fees and that any income from fees set above the cost of processing helped fund the migration system.
A Home Office spokesperson added: “While we will always welcome those who come to this country and contribute to our national life, British citizenship is a privilege.
“It is right that those who benefit from the migration and borders system contribute towards its operation, reducing the burden on the taxpayer.”
