§ Baroness Hooperasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider reverting to the former practice of waiving visa charges for the visits of Romanian teachers and students under a schools twinning programme arranged by the Anglo Romanian Educational Trust. [HL3697]
§ Baroness AmosWe cannot waive visa charges for visits by Romanian teachers and students under a schools twinning programme arranged by the Anglo Romanian Educational Trust.
It has been the policy of successive governments that costs incurred in running a global visa operation should be met from visa fee income alone and should not burden the UK taxpayer. The FCO is also required, under a service delivery agreement with Treasury, to reduce the number of gratis visas issued.
33WAIf an exception were made for the Anglo Romanian Educational Trust, it would put pressure on the self-financing visa operation worldwide, and go against our efforts to fulfil this service delivery agreement.
It would also be unfair to waive fees in the case of these teachers and students but not for similar applicants—from Romania and elsewhere, now and in the future. To waive fees for all such applicants would place an excessive financial burden on the visa operation.