The Home Office fees set out in this guide apply to applications made from 8 October 2026. The amount payable depends on the immigration route, whether the application is made inside or outside the UK and, for some work routes, the length of permission requested.

The figures in the tables are normally charged for each applicant. Where a partner or child applies as a dependant, that person will generally submit a separate application and pay the relevant fee. The presence of a fee in a Home Office table does not mean that a route is open to every applicant.

This article is a broad planning guide to principal fees. The official Home Office fee table is the definitive source and should be checked on the date the application is submitted. An overseas application may be collected in local currency and the card amount may not match a direct market conversion of the sterling fee.

1. Changes to UK visa application fees

Many application, settlement, nationality and sponsorship fees increased on 8 April 2026, but have remained consistent from 8 October 2026. Examples of increases that took place on 8 April 2026 include:

• a six-month Visit Visa increased from £127 to £135;
• a Skilled Worker application for up to three years increased from £769 to £819 outside the UK and from £885 to £943 inside the UK;
• a Student or Child Student application increased from £524 to £558;
• the usual family-route entry-clearance fee increased from £1,938 to £2,064;
• indefinite leave to remain increased from £3,029 to £3,226;
• naturalisation increased from £1,605 to £1,709;
• registration of a child as a British citizen reduced from £1,214 to £1,000;
• the Electronic Travel Authorisation fee increased from £16 to £20; and
• a sponsor licence increased to £611 for a small or charitable sponsor and £1,682 for a large sponsor.

Priority Visa and Super Priority fees remain £500 and £1,000 respectively. Certificate of Sponsorship fees also remain £525 for specified sponsored-worker routes and £55 for the lower-fee categories listed below.

2. Application fees are only part of the total cost

Immigration Health Surcharge

Many applicants for time-limited permission must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge in addition to the application fee. The current annual rate is £1,035 for most applicants. The reduced rate is £776 for Students and their dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme applicants and applicants who are under 18 when they apply. The amount is calculated by reference to the length of the permission sought, and exemptions apply to specified routes and applicants.

Immigration Skills Charge

An employer sponsoring a Skilled Worker or Global Business Mobility Senior or Specialist Worker may also have to pay the Immigration Skills Charge. A small or charitable sponsor pays £480 for the first 12 months and £240 for each additional six months. A medium or large sponsor pays £1,320 for the first 12 months and £660 for each additional six months. The sponsor, rather than the worker, is responsible for this charge, subject to the applicable exemptions.

Third-party and optional charges

Some costs are paid to organisations other than the Home Office. These may include endorsing-body charges, qualification-assessment fees and optional visa-application-centre services. VAT or local provider charges may apply. Priority and Super Priority services are also optional and are not available for every route or in every location.

3. Can a visa application fee be waived?

Some applications are fee exempt. A fee waiver may also be available for specified human-rights and other applications where the relevant affordability or rights-based test is met. A person applying online will normally need to obtain the fee-waiver decision before submitting the substantive application and must comply with the deadline in the waiver decision.

4. UK visa and immigration application fees from 8 October 2026

Visit, family and other applications made outside the UK

Application or service	Fee
Visit visa – up to 6 months	£135
Visit visa – up to 2 years	£506
Visit visa – up to 5 years	£903
Visit visa – up to 10 years	£1,128
Visiting academic – more than 6 months and up to 12 months	£234
Private medical treatment – more than 6 months and up to 11 months	£234
Direct Airside Transit Visa	£41.50
Visitor in Transit Visa	£74.50
Electronic Travel Authorisation	£20
Hong Kong BN(O) – 30 months	£206
Hong Kong BN(O) – 5 years	£285
Family route entry clearance / route to settlement	£2,064
Adult Dependent Relative entry clearance	£3,635
Refugee dependant relative	£452
Indefinite leave to enter under Appendix HM Armed Forces	£3,226
Indefinite leave to enter under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse	£3,226
Administrative review	£80

The “route to settlement” fee is the standard overseas fee used for many family-route applications. Eligibility and the correct application form remain route-specific.

Work applications made outside the UK

Application or service	Fee
Innovator Founder – main applicant or dependant	£1,357
Innovator Founder endorsement fee (excluding VAT; paid to endorsing body)	£1,000
Innovator Founder contact-point meeting (excluding VAT; paid to endorsing body)	£500
Global Talent – approval-letter stage	£561
Global Talent – visa stage where approval letter is required	£205
Global Talent – visa stage where approval letter is not required	£766
Global Talent dependant	£766
Skilled Worker – up to 3 years	£819
Skilled Worker – more than 3 years	£1,618
Skilled Worker – Immigration Salary List, up to 3 years	£628
Skilled Worker – Immigration Salary List, more than 3 years	£1,235
Health and Care Worker – up to 3 years	£324
Health and Care Worker – more than 3 years	£628
T2 Minister of Religion	£819
International Sportsperson – up to 12 months	£340
International Sportsperson – more than 12 months	£819
Temporary Work routes, Youth Mobility Scheme and India Young Professionals Scheme	£340
Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker, up to 3 years	£819
Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker, more than 3 years	£1,618
Other Global Business Mobility routes	£340
Scale-up Worker	£937
High Potential Individual	£880

The fee is per applicant. For the Innovator Founder route, the endorsement and contact-point charges are paid to the endorsing body and are shown excluding VAT.

Work applications made inside the UK

Application or service	Fee
Innovator Founder – main applicant or dependant	£1,693
Global Talent – approval-letter stage	£561
Global Talent – visa stage where approval letter is required	£205
Global Talent – visa stage where approval letter is not required	£766
Global Talent dependant	£766
Graduate route	£937
Skilled Worker – up to 3 years	£943
Skilled Worker – more than 3 years	£1,865
Skilled Worker – Immigration Salary List, up to 3 years	£628
Skilled Worker – Immigration Salary List, more than 3 years	£1,235
Health and Care Worker – up to 3 years	£324
Health and Care Worker – more than 3 years	£628
T2 Minister of Religion	£943
International Sportsperson – up to 12 months	£340
International Sportsperson – more than 12 months	£943
Temporary Work routes and Youth Mobility Scheme	£340
Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker, up to 3 years	£943
Global Business Mobility – Senior or Specialist Worker, more than 3 years	£1,865
Other Global Business Mobility routes	£340
Scale-up Worker	£937
High Potential Individual	£880

Not every route permits switching or an in-country application. The table states fees, not route eligibility.

Legacy and closed-route fees

Application or service	Fee
Start-up route – outside the UK (legacy cases)	£495
Start-up route – inside the UK (legacy cases)	£666
Tier 1 Entrepreneur dependant – outside the UK	£1,357
Tier 1 Entrepreneur – inside the UK	£1,693
Tier 1 Investor – inside or outside the UK	£2,000
Representative of an Overseas Business – outside the UK	£819
Representative of an Overseas Business – inside the UK	£943

These fees appear in the official table for limited legacy cases or dependants. They do not indicate that the routes are generally open to new main applicants.

Study application fees

Application or service	Fee
Student – outside or inside the UK	£558
Child Student – outside or inside the UK	£558
Short-term English language student – outside the UK	£228

Other applications made inside the UK

Application or service	Fee
Visitor extension	£1,172
Leave to remain – other	£1,407
Hong Kong BN(O) – 30 months	£206
Hong Kong BN(O) – 5 years	£285
Application rejected as invalid – administration charge retained	£30
Indefinite leave to remain	£3,226
Certificate of travel – adult	£320
Certificate of travel – child	£161
Convention travel document – adult	£102
Convention travel document – child	£66.50
Administrative review	£80
Life in the UK test	£50

British nationality application fees

Application or service	Fee
Naturalisation as a British citizen	£1,709
Naturalisation as a British overseas territories citizen	£1,140
Registration as a British citizen – adult	£1,540
Registration as a British citizen – child	£1,000
Registration under the provisions for Irish citizens – adult	£723
Registration under the provisions for Irish citizens – child	£607
Citizenship ceremony	£130
Oath or oath and pledge outside a citizenship ceremony	£5
Other nationality registration – adult	£1,027
Other nationality registration – child	£863
Renunciation of nationality	£513
Certificate of entitlement to the right of abode	£589
Nationality review	£513
Status letter or non-acquisition letter	£489
Certificate correction, certified copy or reissue	£456

The citizenship ceremony fee is separate where a ceremony is required. Fee waivers may be available for some child registration applications.

Sponsorship fees

Application or service	Fee
Sponsor licence – large sponsor	£1,682
Sponsor licence – small or charitable sponsor	£611
Student sponsor licence	£611
Temporary Worker sponsor licence	£611
Priority service for a sponsor licence application	£750
Expedited sponsorship-management request	£350
Worker sponsor licence upgrade where another licence is already held	£1,071
Scale-up endorsing-body pathway fee (excluding VAT)	£1,500
Student sponsor basic compliance assessment	£574
Sponsor action plan	£1,579
Certificate of Sponsorship – Skilled Worker, Minister of Religion or GBM Senior/Specialist Worker	£525
Certificate of Sponsorship – Temporary Work, other GBM and Scale-up routes	£55
Certificate of Sponsorship – International Sportsperson over 12 months	£525
Certificate of Sponsorship – International Sportsperson up to 12 months	£55
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies	£55

The Immigration Skills Charge is separate from these fees. The former Premium Sponsor Service is not included in the current Home Office fee table.

Optional premium services

Application or service	Fee
Priority Visa service – settlement application outside the UK	£500
Priority Visa service – non-settlement application outside the UK	£500
Super Priority Visa service outside the UK	£1,000
Priority service inside the UK	£500
Super Priority service inside the UK	£1,000
User Pays Visa Application service	£76.50
Mobile biometric enrolment – per hour per contractor representative	£650

Availability depends on the application type, identity process and location. Paying for a faster service does not improve the merits of the application.

5. Refunds, invalid applications and refused applications

A standard application fee is not normally refunded simply because the application is refused. If an application is rejected as invalid, the Home Office will generally refund the fee after retaining the prescribed £30 administration charge. Withdrawal refunds depend on the stage reached in the identity and biometric process. The Immigration Health Surcharge is normally refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn before a decision, while separate rules apply to priority-service refunds.

6. Related guidance for planning a UK application

• Review the current Immigration Health Surcharge rules and rates.
• Employers should calculate the Immigration Skills Charge separately from sponsor and Certificate of Sponsorship fees.
• Prepare the UK visa application supporting documents required for the relevant route.
• Check whether priority and super priority services are available and suitable.
• Review current visa processing and decision waiting times before making travel plans.
• After applying, you may need to check the status of a UK visa application or consider challenging a delayed decision.
• If the application is successful, review the practical steps after a UK visa application has been granted.

7. Contact our Immigration Barristers

For expert advice and assistance in relation to a UK visa, immigration, settlement, nationality or sponsorship application, contact our specialist immigration barristers in London on 0203 617 9173 or complete the enquiry form below.

8. Frequently Asked Questions: UK Visa Application Fees 2026

When did the current UK visa application fees take effect?

The fees in this guide took effect on 8 October 2026. The rate in force when the application is submitted is normally the relevant rate.

Does each dependant pay a separate UK visa fee?

Yes, in most routes each dependant makes a separate application and pays the relevant fee. The route must also permit dependants.

Is the Immigration Health Surcharge included in the visa application fee?

No. The IHS is a separate charge for many time-limited applications and is calculated by reference to the applicant’s category and the length of permission sought.

Can I apply for a fee waiver?

Possibly. Fee waivers are available for specified human-rights and other applications where the relevant test is satisfied, and the waiver usually needs to be obtained before the visa application is submitted.

Will my visa application fee be refunded if the application is refused?

Usually not. A refusal does not normally produce a refund of the standard application fee, although the IHS is normally refunded.

Are Priority and Super Priority fees charged in addition to the application fee?

Yes. They are optional additional charges and are only available for eligible applications and locations.

What fees does an employer pay when sponsoring a worker?

The employer may pay a sponsor-licence fee, a Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge. The exact total depends on sponsor size, route and sponsorship length.

Why might the amount collected overseas differ from the sterling table?

An overseas application may be charged in local currency using Home Office conversion arrangements, and payment-provider or visa-application-centre charges may also apply.