What are the new visa fees for 2024?

A new schedule for immigration and nationality fees came into force on 4 October 2023, following legislation laid out in Parliament in September.

The new Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2023, introduced a range of changes, resulting in significant increases in Home Office fees. In real terms, this has meant a 15% increase in the cost of most work and visit visas, as well as an increase of at least 20% for study visas, priority visas, and Certificates of Sponsorship.

The increases are regarded as substantial and it’s important to understand how much you may be required to pay to support your application.

Why are fees rising?

Total upfront fees for immigrants to the UK are relatively high compared to other countries such as Canada, Germany, France and the USA. The UK government argues that these fees are needed to help fund border and migration services, with recent increases cited as being required to help fund public services.

How much are the new fees?

Immigration and nationality fees have both risen as a result of the changes introduced in October 2023. Here is a quick guide to the new fees:

● Work Visas

Application fees for work visas were increased by 15% in October 2023. In some cases, the fee increase is lower to ensure that the new figure is below the fee maxima that was in force at the time that the increases were agreed.

A three year Skilled Worker visa has risen to £719 for overseas applicants. If an application is being made within the UK, the cost is £827. Overseas applications where a Certificate of Sponsorship has been issued for three years now cost £1,420, an increase of 15%. UK based applicants will now pay £1,500, a 5% increase on the previous figure.

● Sponsorship Fees

19-20% increases were applied to the fee charged for Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) and Confirmations of Acceptance of Studies (CAS).

CoS allocation fees for workers route are £239 for permanent workers and £25 for temporary workers. The CAS allocation free has risen to £25.

No increases were applied in October 2023 to the Immigration Skills Charge. Similar application fees have remained the same for the sponsor licence application and sponsor priority services.

● Visit Visas

Visa for visitors have increased by 15%. This means that a 6 month visitor visa now costs £115, a 2 year visa is now charged at £440, a 5 year visa costs £771, and a 10 year visa is £963.

● Leave to Remain, Settlement and Citizenship

The charge for Leave to Remain for all applicants other than those from Hong Kong, was increased to £1,048. Charges for Route to Settlement have been increased to £1,846 and £3,250 for a dependent relative. In 2024, the British citizenship fee is £1500 for naturalisation, or £1351 to register as a British citizen

Full details of the new fee schedule can be found on the government website.

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