United Kingdom: Visa Fee Increase to Come into Effect October 4, 2023

The fee changes cover the following applications:

• Fees for six-month, two-, five-, and 10-year visas.
• Most fees for entry clearance and certain applications for leave to remain in the United Kingdom, including those for work and study.
• Fees for indefinite leave to enter and indefinite leave to remain.
• Convention travel document and stateless person’s travel document.
• The Health and Care visa.
• Fees in relation to certificates of sponsorship and confirmation of acceptance for studies.
• The in- and out-of-country fee for the super priority service and the out-of-country fee for the priority service (the settlement priority service will be reduced so it is aligned with the cost of using the priority service).
• Applications to Register and Naturalise as a British Citizen.
• The fee for the User Pays Visa Application service.

In July 2023, the government announced a 15% increase in the cost of most work and visit visas, and an increase of at least 20% in the cost of priority visas, study visas and certificates of sponsorship.

Income from fees charged plays a vital role in the Home Office’s ability to run a sustainable immigration and nationality system. The fee increases are also intended to pay for vital services and allow more funding to be prioritised for public sector pay rises.

Where possible, sponsoring employers should try to submit affected visa applications prior to October 4, 2023 to benefit from the lower fees.

These changes do not include the planned increase to the Immigration Health Surcharge, which are scheduled to be introduced later in the coming months.

Parliamentary approval is still required for these changes, but is expected to happen.