UK's Home Office raises visa, settlement and sponsor licence fees
HR and immigration teams must budget ~6–7% higher visa and sponsor fees from Apr 8
Change
UK's Home Office has increased most visa, settlement and employer sponsor licence fees by about 6–7%, effective April 8, 2026.
Why it matters
Worker Sponsor Licence fees are set higher (large sponsors: £1,682; small sponsors: £611). Applicant-facing charges have been raised for Skilled Worker, Student, visit visas and Indefinite Leave to Remain (examples: Skilled Worker up to 3 years: £819; Student visa: £558; ILR: £3,226), effective April 8, 2026.
Implications
- — HR and visa-administration teams at UK employers that sponsor overseas workers must allocate and pay the increased sponsor licence and visa application fees for filings on or after April 8, 2026 — failing to pay the updated fee will leave applications unpaid and ineligible for processing.
- — Finance and treasury teams managing international hiring and relocation at UK employers must revise and approve budgets immediately to cover roughly 6–7% higher visa, settlement and Electronic Travel Authorisation charges for filings on or after April 8, 2026 — without approved funds employers will incur unplanned cost overruns and risk pausing planned relocations.
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Source
View on Economic Times