UK visa fees went up again on 8 April 2026, and the Home Office’s fee table now runs to dozens of line items across visit, study, work and settlement routes. Most applicants also badly underestimate the total bill because they price the visa application fee alone and forget the Immigration Health Surcharge, which for a multi-year work or study visa often costs more than the visa itself. This guide breaks down what you actually pay, by route, using the Home Office’s April 2026 fee schedule.
Standard Visitor visa
The Standard Visitor visa is the only major UK route with no Immigration Health Surcharge attached, since visitors can’t access free NHS care beyond emergency treatment.
- 6 months: £135
- 2 years: £506
- 5 years: £903
- 10 years: £1,128
Longer validities are worth it if you expect to visit the UK repeatedly — the per-visit cost drops sharply on the 2-year and 5-year options compared to renewing a 6-month visa every time.
Student visa
The Student visa fee rose from £524 to £558 for applications made outside the UK from 8 April 2026, covering both the main applicant and any dependants included on the same application. That figure is only part of the bill — see below.
Skilled Worker visa
Skilled Worker fees scale with sponsorship length and where you apply from:
- Up to 3 years, applying from outside the UK: £819
- Over 3 years, applying from outside the UK: £1,618
- In-country extension and switching fees are broadly similar, with a modest premium over overseas applications.
These figures are the visa fee only. Employers separately pay the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and, for most sponsors, the Immigration Skills Charge — costs the sponsoring employer usually covers, not the applicant.
Settlement and citizenship
- Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR): £3,226, up from £3,029
- British citizenship (naturalisation): £1,709, up from £1,605
These are one-off fees paid once you meet the qualifying residence period — see our UK ILR guide for eligibility and timing.
The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): the number people forget
Every applicant on a visa longer than six months pays the IHS upfront, in full, for the entire length of visa granted — before the application is even processed. In 2026 the rate is:
- £1,035 per year for most adult applicants
- £776 per year for students, Youth Mobility Scheme applicants, and anyone under 18 at the date of application
This is not optional and is not refundable if you don’t use the NHS. For a 3-year Skilled Worker visa, that’s £3,105 in IHS on top of the £819 application fee — nearly four times the visa fee itself. Health and Care Worker visa holders (and their dependants) are exempt from the IHS entirely, one of the few carve-outs in the system.
Worked example — 5-year Skilled Worker visa, single applicant:
- Visa fee: £1,618
- IHS: £1,035 × 5 = £5,175
- Total: £6,793 before any Certificate of Sponsorship or agent costs
Priority and Super Priority services
If you need a faster decision, the Home Office offers optional add-ons on top of the standard fee:
- Priority service (5 working days): £500
- Super Priority service (next working day): £1,000
These aren’t available for every route or every application centre, and slots can sell out during peak periods (August/September for students, January for work visas). See our priority service guide for route-by-route availability.
FAQ
Do children pay full visa fees? Yes — each dependant, including infants, pays the same application fee and IHS rate as the main applicant (children under 18 pay the reduced £776 IHS rate, not the full adult rate).
Can I pay the IHS in instalments? No. It’s charged as a single upfront payment covering the entire visa period, calculated automatically during the online application.
Do fees change mid-application? You pay the fee in force on the day you submit your application, so a fee rise announced after you’ve applied doesn’t affect you.
Is the visa fee refunded if I’m refused? No — the application fee and IHS are both non-refundable if your visa is refused, though in rare cases (like a route becoming unexpectedly oversubscribed) IHS-only refunds have been processed.
Always check the current Home Office fee table before you apply — fees have risen at least once a year for the past several years, and this guide reflects the fees in force from 8 April 2026. This is preparation guidance, not legal advice; for anything unusual in your case, confirm directly with UKVI or a regulated immigration adviser.
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