Marvellous news! I am overjoyed that no trans person will henceforth be barred from legal gender change because they are unable, over the course of two years, to save up £140 and are also unable to fill in the fee waiver form.
It costs £1033 for a foreign national to join their partner, parent or child in the UK for just 2 years and 9 months (£1523 if applying from outside the UK). If you want to settle you must pay the same again for another visa for a further 2 years and 6 months (minimum). Then a further £2389 to apply for indefinite leave to remain. This doesn't include the NHS surcharge which is a further £624 per year (£470 for applicants under 18) which must be paid upfront to cover the whole period of each visa until you get indefinite leave to remain. Add on the fee for biometrics to be taken - £19.50 each time you apply.
After that you can choose to become a British citizen for another £1330. Additional costs include the English language test (£150 - £190) and Life in the UK test (£50). Also biometrics again (£19.50).
At each stage you can choose to pay an additional £500-£800 for expedited services which may decrease the chances of the home office hanging onto all your identity documents for several months, leaving you at the shitty end of the hostile environment, which will severely affect your ability to rent a property, get a job, drive a car etc.
There's no fee waiver for those on a low income (in fact for most applications you, or the loved one you are joining, need to show that you meet the minimum income requirement of £18.6K/year, plus £3800 for a first child and £2400 for each subsequent child.)
If you are granted a first family visa and then become destitute you can apply to have your 'no recourse to public funds' condition removed from your visa. This can take months but if you're successful you'll be able to claim benefits, help with housing, NHS care etc. and your fees may be waived for your next visa. You have to prove you are actually destitute though, which is a level of poverty far below that which is required to get a reduction or waiving of fees for British citizens applying for various government things. They just have to show they are in receipt of a means tested benefit. You have to show that you cannot keep a roof over your head or feed your children without social services involvement (which is a whole other clusterfuck).
Lifting NRPF only lasts for the duration of your visa and when it comes time to renew, you will need to explain why you are still destitute and what you have done to try to improve your circumstances. Otherwise the normal fees will apply and even if you manage to raise the funds for your visa you will once again have no recourse to public funds. If you are unsuccessful there's no right of appeal, you have to make a whole new application. If you are successful it will now take 10 years instead of 5 for you to be eligible for indefinite leave to remain.
The UK immigration system is extremely complex and there are many many ways you can fall foul of the rules. Immigration advice is heavily regulated and there is no legal aid, so add on £££ for legal advice. If you make a mistake on any of your applications, the home office reserves the right to just reject it and keep your money.
I'm so pleased the government has decided to be so kind to GRC applicants. I look forward to this level of kindness being rolled out across all government departments.