UK Visa and Immigration Fee Changes from 8 April 2026

The Home Office has published a new schedule of immigration and nationality fees effective from 8 April 2026, increasing charges across most major UK visa and immigration routes. The changes affect a wide range of applications, including work, study, visit, settlement and sponsor licence categories.

For employers and applicants alike, the practical point is straightforward: applications made on or after 8 April 2026 will generally be subject to the new fees. This makes timing particularly important for businesses preparing sponsorship applications and for individuals approaching visa extension or settlement deadlines.

What is changing?

The 2026 Home Office fee table shows increases across most routes, although the scale of the rise varies by category. Some of the most commonly used business immigration routes are affected as follows:

Sponsor licence fees

Sponsor licence fees are increasing again. From 8 April 2026:

• Worker and Temporary Worker sponsor licence (small sponsor) rises from £574 to £611 

• Worker and Temporary Worker sponsor licence (large sponsor) rises from £1,579 to £1,682 

Importantly, the priority add-ons for sponsors are not increasing:

• Priority service for sponsor licence applications remains £750 

• Priority service for sponsorship management requests remains £350 

• Notably, the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) assignment fee remains unchanged at £525 for Worker routes and £55 for Temporary Worker routes.

  
  

Skilled Worker fees

Skilled Worker application fees are also increasing across the main categories.

For applications made outside the UK:

• Up to 3 years: £769 → £819 

• More than 3 years: £1,519 → £1,618 

  
  

Applications made inside the UK (extensions/switching)

• Up to 3 years: £885 → £943

• More than 3 years: £1,751 → £1,865

• Immigration Salary List: 

  
  

  • Up to 3 years: £590 → £628 

  • More than 3 years: £1,160 → £1,235 

    
    

Health and Care visa:

• Up to 3 years: £304 → £324 

• More than 3 years: £590 → £628 

  
  

In percentage terms, most increases sit at roughly 6–7%, depending on the route.

Settlement and indefinite leave to remain

Settlement costs are also increasing.

• Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) rises from £3,029 to £3,226 

  
  

This represents one of the most significant increases in absolute terms.