The Home Office has announced fee increases across a range of immigration applications, effective from 8 April 2026. The new schedule was published by UK Visas and Immigration on 18 March 2026 and covers work, study, settlement, citizenship and sponsorship routes. The changes apply to main applicants and dependants alike.
If you are planning an application, it may be worth submitting before 8 April 2026 to lock in the current (lower) fee.
Out-of-country applications
These are the headline changes for applications made outside the UK:
| Route | Current fee | From 8 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Innovator Founder | £1,274 | £1,357 |
| Skilled Worker (up to 3 years) | £769 | £819 |
| Skilled Worker (over 3 years) | £1,519 | £1,618 |
| Skilled Worker (Immigration Salary List, up to 3 years) | £590 | £628 |
| Skilled Worker (Health & Care, up to 3 years) | £304 | £324 |
| Skilled Worker (Health & Care, over 3 years) | £590 | £628 |
| Student | £524 | £558 |
Other out-of-country routes also rise — for example Visit visas (short up to 6 months go from £127 to £135; long up to 10 years from £1,059 to £1,128), the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) routes, the Route to Settlement, and the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) (£16 → £20).
In-country applications
For applications made inside the UK:
| Route | Current fee | From 8 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Innovator Founder | £1,590 | £1,693 |
| Graduate Route | £880 | £937 |
| Skilled Worker (up to 3 years) | £885 | £943 |
| Skilled Worker (over 3 years) | £1,751 | £1,865 |
| Skilled Worker (Immigration Salary List, up to 3 years) | £590 | £628 |
| Skilled Worker (Immigration Salary List, over 3 years) | £1,160 | £1,235 |
| Skilled Worker (Health & Care, up to 3 years) | £304 | £324 |
| Skilled Worker (Health & Care, over 3 years) | £590 | £628 |
Settlement and Citizenship
| Route | Current fee | From 8 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) | £3,127 | £3,226 |
| Naturalisation as a British citizen | £1,649 | £1,709 |
ILR for domestic-abuse survivors and HM Armed Forces service leavers also moves to £3,226.
Sponsorship
For employers running a Sponsor Licence:
| Sponsor type | Current fee | From 8 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor Licence (Large) | £1,579 | £1,682 |
| Sponsor Licence (Small) | £574 | £611 |
Certificate of Sponsorship and other sponsor-related charges should be checked against the full schedule on GOV.UK.
What stays the same
Not every fee is rising. The following remain unchanged on 8 April 2026:
- Global Talent application fee (£766) and Approval Letter fee (£561) for the prestigious-prize and endorsement routes
- Tier 1 (Investor) application (£2,000) — closed route, only relevant for extensions
- Administrative review (£80)
- Single-entry visa to replace a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) (£154)
- Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode (£589)
- Innovator Founder endorsement fees paid to the endorsing body (£1,000) and the contact point meeting (£500), both excluding VAT
What this means in practice
For most work, study and settlement applicants, fees rise by £40 to £200 depending on the route and length. The largest absolute increases are on long-duration Skilled Worker applications and on settlement/HM Armed Forces routes.
Dependants pay the same fee as main applicants, so for families with multiple dependants the cumulative increase can be material. As an illustration, a family of four applying for in-country Skilled Worker visas (over 3 years) at the new fee would pay £1,865 × 4 = £7,460, an increase of £456 versus pre-8 April submission.
These visa fees are on top of the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which remains £1,035 per year of leave for most adult applicants and £776 per year for students and under-18s.
If you are planning an application
The simplest planning step is to check whether you can submit before 8 April 2026 at the current fee. Submission means a fully completed online application with payment taken — not just starting the form. Documents and biometrics can be provided after submission.
If submission before the deadline is not possible, the new fee structure is the one that will apply, and the published rates above will be the figures to budget against.
How RakLAW can help
We support clients across the full range of Home Office routes affected by these changes — Skilled Worker, Innovator Founder, Student, Graduate, ILR, naturalisation and Sponsor Licence applications. If you are unsure which fee tier applies to your circumstances, or whether you can practically submit before 8 April 2026, see our Immigration Law services or book a free 15-minute consultation.
Authoritative source
This summary is based on the schedule published by UK Visas and Immigration on 18 March 2026: GOV.UK — Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026.
Fees and routes are subject to further change — always confirm the current figure on GOV.UK before submitting an application.