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Thinking about coming to the UK? It's good to know about the costs involved. The UK government has announced new fees for immigration and nationality applications. These new fees will start on 9 April 2025.
Let's break down some of these changes in simple terms.
If you want to visit the UK for a short time, the fee for a visit visa (up to 6 months) is going up from £115 to £127. For longer visits, like up to 2 years, the fee will change from £432 to £475. If you're planning to visit for up to 5 years, the new fee will be £848 (currently £771). For the longest visit visa (up to 10 years), the price will increase from £963 to £1059. Even the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will see a rise from £10 to £16.
If you are looking to work in the UK, there are different visas. For the Skilled Worker visa (for 3 years or less), the main applicant and their family will pay £769 from 9 April 2025, up from £719. If the job offer is for more than 3 years, the fee will be £1519, which is an increase from £1420. There are sometimes lower fees if the job is on the Immigration Salary List or if it's a Health and Care Visa role. For example, a Skilled Worker Health and Care Visa for up to 3 years will cost £304 (currently £284).
If you want to study in the UK, the fee for a Student visa will increase from £490 to £524 for the main applicant and any dependants. The same new fee of £524 applies to Child Student visas.
If you are already in the UK and want to extend your stay or apply for a different status, the fees are generally higher. For example, if you want to extend your visit, the fee is going up from £1,000 to £1,100. Applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (to settle in the UK) will cost £3,029 from 9 April 2025, up from £2,885.
The fees for becoming a British citizen are also changing. If you are applying for naturalisation (British citizenship), the fee will increase from £1,500 to £1,605. Registering as a British citizen as an adult will cost £1,446 (currently £1,351).
Businesses that want to sponsor workers or students will also see some fee changes. For instance, the fee for a Worker sponsor licence for a large company will go up from £1,476 to £1,579. The cost of a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for Skilled Workers and some other categories is increasing significantly from £239 to £525.