Upcoming UK Visa Application Fee Adjustments

The application fee for the majority of UK visa applications is set to increase next month.

A 15% increase will apply to:

• application fees for visit visa routes (save for visits for up to 2-years, where a 6% increase will be applied; and,
• application fees for all work visa routes (for example, Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility). In certain cases, a proportionally lower increase will be made, to ensure the fee is within the scope of separate legislation.

A 20% increase will apply to:

• application fees for settlement applications and applications for British citizenship; and
• the fee to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship.

35% increase will apply to:

• entry clearance application fees for a Student visa, to align the out of country and in country fees.

These increases will affect each visa category as follows:

• Visit visa (6 months) – up by 15% from £100 to £115
• Skilled Worker visa – up by 15% from £625 to £719
• Innovator Founder visa – up by 15% from £1,036 to £1,191
• High Potential Individual visa – up by 15% from £715 to £822
• UK Expansion Worker visa – up by 15% from £259 to £298
• Global Talent visa – up by 15% from £623 to £716
• Scale-up visa – up by 15% from £715 to £822
• Student visa – up by 35% from £363 to £490
• Graduate visa – up by 15% from £715 to £822
• Spouse visa – up by 20% from £1,538 to £1,846
• Indefinite leave to remain – up by 20% from £2,404 to £2,885
• Naturalisation as a British citizen – up by 20% from £1,250 to £1,500

The cost of applying for a settlement visa from overseas via the Priority Visa Service will drop by 13% from £573 to £500, but the cost of applying for a non-settlement visa from overseas via the Priority Visa Service will increase by 100% from £250 to £500.

However, not all UK visa application fees are increasing.

For example, the cost of applying for a private medical treatment visa for a period of more than 6 months will remain the same at £200, whilst the cost of applying for a 5-year Hong Kong BN(O) visa will remain at £250.

Employers applying for a sponsor licence also avoid a fee increase, with the Home Office fee for both a worker sponsor licence application and a temporary worker sponsor licence application remaining at £536 for a small sponsor and £1,476 for a large sponsor.

That said, it’s not all good news for employers, as the cost of allocating a certificate of sponsorship is set to increase by between 19% and 20%.

The fee increases will come into effect from the 4 October 2023, together with the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) increase, from £624 to £1,035 per year, which is set to increase later this autumn.

If you have any further questions or enquiries, get in touch:

0800 015 0340 | mailto:info@chadlaw.co.uk