UK Immigration and Visa Fees will Increase on 8 April 2026
On 8 April 2026, many of the Home Office immigration and visa fees will increase. In this article, our UK Immigration Solicitors outline the key changes.
Contact OTS Solicitors for specialist immigration legal advice.
Calculating the Home Office visa or settlement fees
Visa and settlement fees are surprisingly complicated because they depend on:
- The date of submission of the visa or settlement application, and
- The visa route, and
- The length of the visa, and
- Whether the application is made from within the UK or made from overseas.
In addition, there may be associated fees payable to the Home Office, such as:
- The immigration health surcharge, and
- Biometric fees, and
- Priority or super priority fees for speedier Home Office processing.
The Home Office fees can be substantial, especially when you are submitting a three-year visa application for yourself, and dependent family members are also applying for Dependant Visas. It is crucial to calculate the fees correctly; otherwise, the Home Office will automatically reject the application. That can be highly frustrating, especially where the application is time-critical.
In addition to the fees payable to the Home Office, you may incur additional fees, such as fees to sit the English language test, the Life in the UK test or the British Citizenship test.
As the various fees can be complicated to calculate, it is best to speak to an Immigration Solicitor about the likely fees, visa options and timescales. For example, our Immigration Lawyers encourage a discussion about visa extension or settlement options when you apply for your first visa. That way, applicants understand the extension or settlement criteria and the likely Home Office fees, and can prepare for the application.
The Home Office immigration and nationality fee increases, 8 April 2026
The full list of Home Office immigration and nationality fees from 8 April 2026 can be found here.
Immigration rules and fees change regularly, so it is best to double-check the fees before submitting your application.
Family dependants
When you and family members make an application for a visa, you may assume that the Home Office will charge one fee, as Home Office officials will be assessing all the applications together.
The immigration rules state that separate fees apply to each visa application. Accordingly, there are no multiple visa fee discounts if you are applying for a Skilled Worker Visa and need Dependant Visas for four family members. Normally, the Dependant Visa fee is the same fee as the main visa applicant fee for the chosen visa route.
In addition, if you choose to use a Home Office priority service to speed up the visa processing time, the priority fee must be paid for all the applicants rather than just the main visa applicant.
Visa, settlement and fee waivers
Our Immigration Lawyers in London are sometimes asked about fee waivers. Generally, the Home Office does not offer fee waivers. Nor does it allow time to pay by instalments. Normally, the full fee must be paid when the application is submitted; otherwise, the application is refused.
An Immigration Solicitor can advise if a fee may not be payable if, for example, you are making an application as a refugee or if you are exempt from sitting an English language test or Life in the UK test because of your age or a disability.
Priority fees
Some visa and settlement applicants can choose either priority or super priority processing at an additional cost of £500 or £1,000 per application. The priority service offers faster processing, but paying extra Home Office fees does not increase the chances of your visa or settlement application being approved. However, with priority service, you should receive the Home Office decision within a matter of days, not months.
It is worth noting that not all applicants can use priority processing as the option may not be available for their visa route. Also, for some, their circumstances may not warrant a priority application. In contrast, for others, the £500 or £1,000 spent on additional Home Office fees is money well spent for a decision within a few days. Our Visa Lawyers in London are always happy to advise on the merits of priority and super priority processing.
Checking the immigration fee
It is a basic requirement: pay the correct Home Office fee if you want to obtain a visa, entry clearance, Indefinite Leave to Remain or British citizenship. However, it is surprising how often applicants or non-specialist solicitors submit the wrong fee, resulting in a visa or settlement application being refused and applicants wasting time and money.
At OTS Solicitors, our individual and business immigration law teams specialise in immigration law and stay up to date with all immigration law changes, including fee increases.
If you want a professionally drawn up visa, settlement or citizenship application, contact the Legal 500 and Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession Immigration Lawyers at OTS Solicitors for the expert immigration law advice you need.
Questions about visa and settlement fees
Most applicants for UK visas, and those applying to settle in the UK, are embarrassed to ask about immigration fees because they think they should be able to work them out. However, Home Office charging structures are not straightforward. It can be hard to work out if you will be liable for all the fees, such as the immigration skills charge or a certificate of sponsorship fee, or to understand the currency rules and the exchange fees to use if you are applying from overseas. It can be equally difficult to determine whether it is worthwhile to pay for the Home Office premium or super premium service, or whether premium priority options are available to you.
Our friendly and efficient Immigration Solicitors can answer your questions about visa and settlement fees, as they have substantial experience with all types of visa and settlement applications, ranging from Visitor Visas, temporary entry clearance, Student Visas, Work Visas, and Family Visas to Indefinite Leave to Remain and citizenship applications.
Contact OTS Solicitors for specialist immigration legal advice.
A summary of the key changes to visa and settlement fees
Here are the key changes to the visa and settlement fees. If you have questions about the best visa route for you, or about the fees and application process, contact one of our Immigration and Visa Lawyers in London.
Visas and applications made from outside the UK
| Visa route | Current Home Office fee | Home Office Fee from 8 April 2026 | Amount of the fee increase |
| Visitor Visa of up to six months | £127 | £135 | £8 |
| Visitor Visa up to two years (fee is £135 if the applicant qualifies under the Chinese visa scheme). | £475 | £506 | £31 |
| Visitor Visa – up to five years | £848 | £903 | £55 |
| Visitor Visa – up to ten years | £1,059 | £1,128 | £69 |
| Private medical treatment visa - more than six months but not more than 11 months | £220 | £234 | £14 |
| Other visa | £682 | £726 | £44 |
| Route to Settlement | £1,938 | £2,064 | £126 |
| Route to Settlement for other dependent relative | £3,413 | £3,635 | £222 |
| Administrative review of Home Office decision | £80 | £80 | £0 |
| Electronic travel authorisation (ETA) | £16 | £20 | £4 |
Work Visas– applications made outside the UK
| Work Visa route | Current fee | Fee from 8 April 2026 | Fee change |
| Innovator Founder - main applicant and dependants | £1,274 | £1,357 | £83 |
| Endorsement application fee under the Innovator Founder route (payable to the endorsing body and excluding VAT) | £1,000 | £1,000 | £0 |
| Start-up - main applicant and dependants | £465 | £495 | £30 |
| Global Talent Visa application - main applicant - where an approval letter is not required | £766 | £766 | £0 |
| Global Talent Visa dependent application | £766 | £766 | £0 |
| Skilled Worker Visa for three years or less, or a Dependant Visa | £769 | £819 | £50 |
| Skilled Worker Visa for over three years – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £1,519 | £1,618 | £99 |
| Skilled Worker Visa with a job on the Immigration Salary List for a visa of three years or less | £590 | £628 | £38 |
| Skilled Worker Visa with a job on the Immigration Salary List and a visa for over three years | £1,160 | £1,235 | £75 |
| Health and Care Worker Visa for three years or less - the fee for either the main applicant or dependants | £304 | £324 | £20 |
| Health and Care Visa for over three years - main applicant and dependants | £590 | £628 | £38 |
| Health and Care Worker Visa with a job on the Immigration Salary List - visa for three years or less – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £304 | £324 | £20 |
| Health and Care Worker Visa with a job on the Immigration Salary List - for over three years – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £590 | £628 | £38 |
| Representative of an Overseas Business Visa – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £769 | £819 | £50 |
| Global Business Mobility Visa – Senior or Specialist Worker – visa up to three years – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £769 | £819 | £50 |
| Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker – visa for more than three years – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £1,519 | £1,618 | £99 |
| Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee Visa – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £319 | £340 | £21 |
| Global Business Mobility Visa – UK Expansion Worker – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £319 | £340 | £21 |
| Global Business Mobility Visa – Secondment Worker – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £319 | £340 | £21 |
| Scale-up Visa – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £880 | £937 | £57 |
| High Potential Individual Visa – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £880 | £880 | £0 |
Student Visa applications made from outside the UK
| Student Visa route | Current fee | Fee from 8 April 2026 | Fee change |
| Student Visa - main applicant and dependants | £524 | £558 | £34 |
| Child Student Visa | £524 | £558 | £34 |
Work Visas – applications made in the UK
| Work Visa Fees category | Current fee | Fee from 8 April 2026 | Fee change |
| Innovator Founder - main applicant and dependants | £1,590 | £1,693 | £103 |
| Endorsement fee under Innovator Founder route (payable to endorsing body excluding VAT) | £1,000 | £1,000 | £0 |
| Start-up - main applicant and dependants | £625 | £666 | £41 |
| Approval letter from a competent body in respect of an initial application for Global Talent | £561 | £561 | £0 |
| Global Talent - main applicant - where an Approval Letter is required | £205 | £205 | £0 |
| Global Talent - main applicant - where Approval Letter is not required | £766 | £766 | £0 |
| Global Talent - dependants only | £766 | £766 | £0 |
| Skilled Worker Visa for three years or less - main applicant and dependants | £885 | £943 | £58 |
| Skilled Worker Visa for over three years - main applicant and dependants | £1,751 | £1,865 | £114 |
| Skilled Worker Visa with the job on the Immigration Salary List and visa duration is three years or less - main applicant and dependants | £590 | £628 | £38 |
| Skilled Worker Visa with the job on the Immigration Salary List, where visa duration is over three years - main applicant and dependants | £1,160 | £1,235 | £75 |
| Health and Care Visa - where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less - main applicant and dependants | £304 | £324 | £20 |
| Health and Care Visa - where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for over three years - main applicant and dependants | £590 | £628 | £38 |
| Health and Care Worker Visa with the job on the Immigration Salary List for three years or less - main applicant and dependants | £304 | £324 | £20 |
| Health and Care Worker Visa and a job on the Immigration Salary List for over three years - main applicant and dependants | £590 | £628 | £38 |
| Representative of an overseas business - main applicant and dependants | £885 | £943 | £58 |
| Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker - up to three years - main applicant and dependants | £885 | £943 | £58 |
| Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker – more than three years - main applicant and dependants | £1,751 | £1,865 | £114 |
| Global Business Mobility – Graduate Trainee - main applicant and dependants | £319 | £340 | £21 |
Student Visas – applications made in the UK
| Student Visa Fees category | Current fee | Fee from 8 April 2026 | Fee change |
| Student Visa - main applicant and dependants | £524 | £558 | £34 |
| Child student | £524 | £558 | £34 |
Other applications made in the UK
| Fees category | Current fee | Fee from 8 April 2026 | Fee change |
| Visitor Visa Extension | £1,100 | £1,172 | £72 |
| Leave to remain - Other | £1,321 | £1,407 | £86 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain – fee for the main applicant or dependants | £3,029 | £3,226 | £197 |
| Administrative Review of a Home Office decision | £80 | £80 | £0 |
| Life in the UK test | £50 | £50 | £0 |
Nationality
| British Citizenship Fees | Current fee | Fee from 8 April 2026 | Fee change |
| Naturalisation (British citizenship) | £1,605 | £1,709 | £104 |
| Nationality registration as a British citizen - adult | £1,446 | £1,540 | £94 |
| Nationality registration as a British citizen - child | £1,214 | £1,000 | -£214 |
| Citizenship ceremony | £130 | £130 | £0 |
Sponsorship fees
| Sponsor fees payable by employers | Current fee | Fee from 8 April 2026 | Fee change |
| Worker sponsor licence (large sponsor ) | £1,579 | £1,682 | £103 |
| Worker sponsor licence (small sponsor) | £574 | £611 | £37 |
The full fee list can be found at Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026 - GOV.UK.
Contact OTS Solicitors for expert and up-to-date immigration legal advice from specialist Immigration Lawyers in London.
Contact us by phone or complete our online form to schedule an appointment at our London offices or arrange a phone or online consultation.
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