The Home Office has been accused of profiteering from soaring immigration fees that delivered a £500 million surplus last year.

An analysis by The Times shows how charges levied on hundreds of thousands of people for British residency and citizenship have risen sharply in the past five years with profits increasing by 91 per cent.

The rising fees have a particular impact on the children of migrant parents who were born in the UK or came as young children and only know life in this country.

They must pay £1,012 to become British citizens — a fee that has risen by 51 per cent since 2014 and brings the Home Office a £640 profit for each application.

People caught in the system liken it to