Immigration fee levels and recent changes detailed in updated Commons Library briefing - Electronic Immigration Network

The House of Commons Library last week updated its helpful briefing examining the structure, levels and policy framework of immigration fees in the UK.

Image credit: UK Government You can read a full copy of the briefing below and you can download the original 19-page report here. It covers current fee levels, exemptions, how fees are set, historical increases, recent government changes, parliamentary scrutiny, and comparisons with other countries.

As the House of Commons Library explains, people applying for visas, permission to stay, settlement or citizenship are generally required to pay application fees. At the time of writing, a six-month visitor visa cost £127, a student visa £524, a three-year work visa £769, settlement £3,029, and naturalisation as a British citizen £1,605. Most migrants must also pay an immigration health surcharge, currently £1,035 per year for adults.

Employers sponsoring migrant workers must pay a levy of up to £1,320 per year. The House of Commons Library highlights that sponsoring a worker for five years can cost a small business over £10,000, which is higher than in many other countries. According to a 2025 report commissioned by the Royal Society, the combined upfront cost of a five-year UK Skilled Worker visa — calculated at £12,500 — was 1,000% higher than the average total across the other countries studied.

Government income from immigration and nationality fees has seen a substantial increase over time. According to the figures in the briefing, income rose from £184 million in 2003 to £3 billion in 2024. In addition, £2.6 billion was collected through the immigration health surcharge and £600 million through employer levies.

The briefing also summarises recent changes to immigration fees. In October 2023, visa fees increased by between 15% and 35%, depending on the category, and the immigration health surcharge increased by 66% in February 2024. In 2025, the immigration skills charge paid by employers increased by 32%, and sponsorship certificate fees increased by 120%. Further increases to some fees are planned.

A copy of the full House of Commons Library briefing follows below.

3 Recent developments and parliamentary interest

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3 Recent developments and parliamentary interest

3.1 Starmer government measures since 2024

3.2 Increases under the Sunak government

3.3 Recent parliamentary scrutiny and interest

People who want a visa, permission to stay or citizenship in the UK usually have to pay for it. Fees have risen significantly above inflation over the past 20 years. For example, applications to stay in the UK indefinitely used to be free but cost over £3,000 at time of writing. The government charges more than the cost of processing applications to help fund the wider borders and immigration system.

All figures in this briefing are correct at time of writing: see the Home Office website if looking to confirm the exact current rates.

The application fee and health surcharge often cost thousands of pounds

As well as headline application fees, an immigration health surcharge of £1,035 per year is levied on visas and extensions. There is also an employer levy of up to £1,320 a year on work visas. All in, sponsoring a five-year work visa can cost around £10,000 (for a small business), while a two-and-a-half-year spouse or partner visa costs £5,000.

There are some exemptions from fees and surcharge for certain groups, in particular applications for asylum or under the EU Settlement Scheme. People who cannot afford to pay for family routes or child citizenship can also apply for a fee waiver.

The Home Office generates a surplus on visa fees to cross-subsidise border security

Successive governments have taken the view that the people who benefit most from the immigration system (migrants themselves) should contribute to its costs. The Home Office wants migration and borders operations to be largely self-funding. Its UK Visas and Immigration arm, which processes applications, aims to recover more than twice as much in fees as it spends.

But generating income is not the only relevant consideration. The Immigration Act 2014 permits the Home Secretary to take account of economic growth in setting fees, along with costs, benefits to migrants and a few other factors.

The government says it tries to strike a balance between growth and properly funding the immigration system.

Fees have increased significantly above inflation since the 2000s

Until 2003, the UK charged nothing at all for visa extensions, work permits and settlement. Fees for initial visas and citizenship were relatively modest. A student visa cost £36.

The Blair government began charging above the processing cost in order to fund wider immigration activities. Later governments continued that process and added the health surcharge (2015) and employer levy (2017). Government income from immigration and nationality fees rose from £184 million in 2003 to £3,000 million in 2024, not including another £2,600 million in health surcharge and £600 million in employer levies.

However, in the 2020s many fees – such as those for settlement and citizenship – have remained fairly stable after accounting for inflation.

The Labour government has increased the fees paid by employers but left others alone

The last major round of fee increases took place under the Sunak government. In October 2023, it increased work and visit visa fees by 15%, family visas, settlement and citizenship by 20%, and student visas by 35%. The health surcharge rose by 66% to £1,035 a year in February 2024.

The Starmer government has not made major changes to most immigration fees, but has increased the costs that fall on employers. In 2025, the immigration skills charge rose by 32% and individual certificates of sponsorship by 120%. The Home Office is also preparing to put up some other fees, including for naturalisation, by 6.5% later in 2026.

Other developed countries charge less

UK immigration costs are much higher than those in many other countries, including Canada, Germany, France and the USA, according to a 2025 report published by the Royal Society. This is not a strict like-for-like comparison because of the health surcharge being paid up front, whereas other countries charge ongoing health insurance premiums. But even without the surcharge, UK Skilled Worker visa costs were still considerably higher than most other countries studied.

People applying for a visa, extension, settlement or British citizenship usually have to pay a fee to have the application considered. The fees fund Home Office immigration and border operations. There is a separate immigration health surcharge levied on visas and extensions to fund the NHS, and an employer levy on work visas. All must be paid up front.

Application fees were last increased significantly in October 2023, the health surcharge in February 2024 and the employer levy in December 2025 (see section 3 below).

Application fees vary depending on the category and duration of immigration status being applied for. They also change at least once a year, so this briefing should not be relied upon for the latest rates; a list of current fees is on gov.uk.

To give a flavour, at time of writing:

• A six-month visitor visa cost £127

• A student visa for the duration of the course cost £524

• A three-year work visa cost £769

• Permission to stay in the UK as a spouse cost £1,321

• Naturalisation as a British citizen cost £1,605 [1]

Most migrants moving to the UK also need to pay a separate 'immigration health surcharge' . This is levied on most forms of temporary immigration permission (visitor visas and asylum applications are exempt). The money raised is ringfenced for healthcare spending.

At time of writing, the immigration health surcharge was £1,035 per year, or £776 for students and children. [2] That means it is generally higher than the headline application fee. For example, someone applying for a Skilled Worker visa valid for three years would pay £769 for the application fee plus £3,105 for the surcharge. Both must be paid up front at the point of application, but only the surcharge is refunded if the application is refused.

Employers sponsoring migrants for work visas pay an additional levy of £1,320 per year, or £480 for smaller businesses. Getting and renewing a sponsor licence, and issuing sponsorship certificates, also attract fees. Many companies choose to bear the visa application and surcharge costs on behalf of employees being sponsored. [3]

An indicative total cost for a small business to sponsor a migrant worker for five years, assuming it bears all fees and charges, is just over £10,000. [4]

There is no application fee or immigration health surcharge for certain categories, in particular applications for asylum or under the EU Settlement Scheme. Children being looked after by a local authority are also exempt. [5] The No Recourse to Public Funds Network has more information about exempt categories and groups. [6]

It is also possible to apply for permission not to pay, known as a 'fee waiver', in certain categories. These fall under three broad headings.

First, it is possible to apply for a fee waiver for certain family visas. This includes visas granted under Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules, which covers the main family immigration routes such as for spouses/partners of British citizens. The test for granting a fee waiver is whether the applicant and sponsor have credibly demonstrated that they cannot afford to pay. Waivers can be granted for both the application fee and health surcharge, or for just the surcharge. [7]

Second, a similar waiver scheme is available for people applying for permission to stay in the UK on family or human rights grounds. Again, the fundamental requirement is to show that the applicant and sponsor cannot afford the fee after meeting their "essential living needs". The Home Office expects detailed evidence of financial circumstances. [8]

Third, fee waivers are available for children applying for British citizenship. [9] This normally costs around £1,200. Campaigners had long complained that the fee excluded some families from being able to avail of their child's right to citizenship. In 2022, the Supreme Court held that charging for child citizenship was legal but the government decided to bring in a fee waiver scheme anyway. [10]

The Home Secretary has broad discretion to waive or refund application fees under provisions scattered throughout the fee regulations. [11] The same applies to the immigration health surcharge. [12] But unless there is a dedicated application process to apply for a waiver or refund, as in the cases above, it is not clear how this discretion can be requested in practice.

Successive governments have taken the view that the people who benefit most from the immigration system (migrants themselves) should contribute to its costs, reducing the contribution from general taxation.

A 2022 written statement by the immigration minister explains the idea that the Home Office should raise money from migrants to spend on its immigration functions:

… the department has pursued an approach over the last decade of progressively increasing the role fees play in funding the borders and migration system. This self-funding model serves to ensure those who benefit from the system contribute to its effective operation and maintenance, while reducing reliance on taxpayer funding. This in turn helps to ensure the system is able to support the Home Office's priority outcomes, including enabling the legitimate movement of people and goods to support economic prosperity, and tackling illegal migration, removing those with no right to be here and protecting the vulnerable. [13]

In 2024-25, UK Visas and Immigration had a cost recovery target for processing applications of 241%. [14] This means that, for every £100 spent on processing, it aimed to raise £241.

This does not necessarily mean that fees need to fund all Home Office spending on immigration. The 2015 spending review had targeted a "fully self-funded borders and immigration system", excluding customs and asylum. [15] But more recently, the aim has been expressed as a "largely self-funded" system, with frontline operations "substantially recovered through fees". [16]

In 2021/22, around 40% of the cost of the migration and borders system was covered by fee income, according to the Home Office. [17] It gave the cost of the system as £4,800 million that year, which matches spending on the following arms of the department: Migration and Borders Group (£250 million); UK Visas and Immigration and HM Passport Office (£880 million); Border Force and Immigration Enforcement (£1,060 million); Asylum and Protection Group (£2,580 million). [18]

Generating income is not the only relevant factor. In particular, visa fees affect the economy, because prospective tourists and migrant workers could be put off if costs are too high. The government says it tries to strike a balance "between setting fee levels to support economic growth whilst ensuring that the immigration system is properly funded". [19]

Section 68(9) of the Immigration Act 2014 lists the things that the Home Secretary can take into account when setting fees for immigration and nationality functions:

the Secretary of State may have regard only to

(a) the costs of exercising the function;

(b) benefits that the Secretary of State thinks are likely to accrue to any person in connection with the exercise of the function;

(c) the costs of exercising any other function in connection with immigration or nationality;

(d) the promotion of economic growth;

(e) fees charged by or on behalf of governments of other countries in respect of comparable functions;

(f) any international agreement.

Impact assessments published alongside major fee increases give some information about the methodology and assumptions involved (for example, if visitor visa fees were increased, how much would that reduce the number of visitors to the UK?). But the immigration inspector has noted that exact calculations are not made public, and there is "scant information about costs". [20]

The fact that immigration fees are of interest to other government departments apart from the Home Office and Treasury is reflected in governance arrangements. As of 2019, a Cross-Whitehall Fees Committee of senior civil servants considered Home Office proposals for fee changes, and final approval was given by a sub-committee of the Cabinet. [21]

The immigration health surcharge is set separately from the application fees. The policy is to broadly cover the cost of NHS services to migrants while exempting migrants who work for the NHS. [22] Money raised from the surcharge is intended for healthcare spending and is not retained by the Home Office.

Legal mechanics of changing the fees

The legal power to charge application fees is in section 68(1) of the Immigration Act 2014.

Assuming the power to charge is exercised, the act then requires two pieces of secondary legislation:

• A fees order specifying what can be charged for, how the fee is calculated and an upper limit on the amount

• Fee regulations setting the actual amount

A fees order must be approved in advance by a vote of both Houses of Parliament: the draft affirmative procedure. [23] By contrast, fee regulations are made under the negative procedure, so do not require a vote. Both must have the consent of the Treasury. [24]

The current fees order was made in 2016 and has been amended several times. It provides, for example, that the maximum amount that can be charged for a standard visitor visa is £140. [25] The current fee regulations then prescribe that the actual visitor visa fee is £127. [26]

Proposed amendments to the fees order, which would increase the maximum level of various fees, are awaiting parliamentary approval at time of writing. [27]

The immigration health surcharge is authorised by section 38 of the 2014 Act and the amount is set by a separate order. [28]

Cost of processing applications

Before the early 2000s, the philosophy behind fee levels was to charge enough to recover the administrative costs of processing the application. [29] The Blair government began charging above the processing cost in order to fund wider immigration activities, such as the appeal system and enforcement activity. [30]

As mentioned above, the policy today is that fees should fund as much of the immigration and border system as possible. This means that application fees are no longer constrained by processing costs; these costs are only one of several factors that the Home Secretary can take into account when setting fees. [31]

The Home Office publishes estimated processing costs for different types of application. [32] Charities and advocacy groups often draw attention to the fact that the fee charged is usually much higher than the processing cost. For example, a settlement application costs around £523 to process but the fee at time of writing is £3,029.

The result of the government's policy of charging above the cost of processing applications to cross-subsidise other areas of the immigration system is that rates have increased significantly above inflation. The introduction of the immigration health surcharge in 2015 has added to the costs for applicants, and to government revenue.

Before 2003, fees were comparatively low or non-existent. Naturalisation as a British citizen at that time cost £155, while a student visa cost £36. [33] There was no charge for applications from within the UK for permission to stay ('leave to remain' or 'indefinite leave to remain') until 1 August 2003, when a fee of £155 was introduced. [34] Work permit fees for employers were also introduced that year, at a rate of £95. [35]

In 2003/04, Home Office income from immigration and nationality fees was around £72 million. [36] Entry visa fees were at that time collected by the Foreign Office, which raised £112 million, for a total of £184 million. [37] By contrast, combined fee income in 2024/25 was £3,000 million. A further £2,600 million was collected in health surcharge and £600 million in skills charge (neither of which are retained by the department). [38]

Significant fee increases under Labour governments took place in 2005, 2007 and 2010, in each case following a consultation process. The incoming Coalition government undertook a second round of increases later in 2010.

After 2015, fee rises were accompanied by the introduction of the health surcharge, which has since been increased several times. For example, a typical spouse visa cost around £900 in 2014 but £3,400 (including £1,900 surcharge) by 2020 and £5,000 (including £3,100 surcharge) in early 2026. [39] The immigration skills charge, an employer levy on sponsored work visas, was introduced in 2017. [40]

The chart below shows the change in the price of a spouse visa, including immigration health surcharge from 2015, taking inflation into account.

Spouse/partner visa cost over time

Real terms, £ (2026 prices); includes health surcharge introduced in 2015

The health surcharge, represented by the upper light green section of the bar, is added to the total cost from its introduction in 2015 onwards.

Sources: Consular Fees Orders 2002-2007; Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2007-2018; Immigration (Health Charge) Order 2015; HM Treasury, GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP, December 2025. GDP deflator growth for 2020, 2021 and 2022 has been averaged across the two years to smooth the distortions caused by pandemic-related factors. OBR forecasts are used for 2025 and 2026.

The charge for indefinite leave to remain (settlement) began at £155 when introduced in 2003. It rose to £900 by the end of 2010, reached £1,500 by 2015, and was around £2,300 by 2017. The current fee is just over £3,000.

Once inflation is taken into account, fee levels have remained fairly stable since 2017 (as shown on the chart below). Naturalisation fees have also stabilised in real terms over the past ten years.

Cost of indefinite leave to remain and naturalisation

Note: Naturalisation costs include citizenship ceremony fee (currently £130). Excludes English language and Life in the UK test fees. Sources: As above, plus Home Office, Nationality applications: Scale of Fees (4 April 1975 to date) (PDF), 22 March 2016.

3 Recent developments and parliamentary interest

3.1 Starmer government measures since 2024

The Labour government has not made major changes to most immigration fees since taking office in July 2024. It has however raised the immigration skills charge on employers by 32%:

• For large businesses, from £1,000 to £1,320 per year of visa sponsorship

• For small/medium businesses, from £364 to £480 per year of visa sponsorship [41]

The cost to employers of issuing each certificate of sponsorship has also risen significantly, from £239 to £525. [42]

The Department for Business and Trade has announced "limited and targeted" fee reimbursements for people in certain technology sectors. [43]

Proposed changes to the rules on qualifying for indefinite leave to remain would also affect fee revenue, in that migrants on a longer pathway to settlement would pay more in fees (all else being equal). [44]

3.2 Increases under the Sunak government

The last major set of wide-ranging fee increases took place under the Conservative government. In July 2023, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced increases to application fees and the health surcharge, including:

• Work and visitor visas rising by 15%

• Family visas, settlement and citizenship rising by 20%

• The health surcharge rising by 66%, from £624 a year to £1,035 (and from £470 to £776 for students and under-18s) [45]

For example, a three-year Skilled Worker visa in a shortage occupation rose from around £2,350 to £3,650 (including health surcharge but ignoring skills charge and certificate of sponsorship). Settlement increased from around £2,400 to £2,900.

The government estimated that the fee increases would raise an extra £560 million a year in 2024/25. [46] This would help to fund a pay rise for the police. Police officer salaries are not a permissible consideration in setting immigration fees under the 2014 act, so the announcement framed the impact as an indirect consequence of higher Home Office immigration revenue. [47]

The health surcharge increase was estimated to raise an extra £1.1 billion a year in 2024/25. [48] This was to help to fund a pay rise for NHS doctors.

The application fee changes came into effect on 4 October 2023 and the surcharge increase on 6 February 2024. [49] Migrants' rights organisations, trade unions and other interest groups opposed the increases. [50]

3.3 Recent parliamentary scrutiny and interest

The government is proposing to amend the maximum levels of certain fees in 2026. This would include a £4 rise in the maximum cost of an electronic travel authorisation and a £100 rise in the maximum cost of naturalisation, in both cases with a view to increasing the actual fees by these amounts later on.

The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has provided some analysis of the proposal. [51] A Commons committee debate to approve the measure is scheduled for 24 February 2026.

In late 2025, the Commons and the Lords debated and approved the immigration skills charge increase. The Conservative opposition supported the measure. [52]

Two Early Day Motions calling for fee waivers to be possible for certain settlement applications attracted 37 and 44 signatures. [53]

In December 2023, the House of Lords debated a non-binding motion to regret the Sunak government's major round of fee increases. [54] A Commons motion to reject the changes attracted 35 signatures and was not debated. [55]

Also in December 2023, Rob Roberts (independent) introduced a Private Member's Bill to exempt NHS workers from immigration fees. [56] He had previously submitted the same measure as a Ten Minute Rule Bill. [57]

In November 2023, 52 MPs signed an Early Day Motion calling for fee waivers to be available for bereaved partners whose sponsor has died. [58] This would later be implemented under the Labour government. [59]

In January 2023, Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour) led a debate on reducing settlement fees for healthcare workers. [60] This was in response to a petition which attracted over 34,000 signatures. [61]

In July 2023, the House of Lords debated a motion to regret government policy on child citizenship fees. Baroness Lister of Burtersett argued that the introduction of a fee waiver in individual cases (see section 1.2 above) did not go far enough. [62]

Settlement fees were waived for foreign members of the armed forces with at least six years' service or a medical discharge. This took effect on 6 April 2022. [63] The Conservative government had announced the change in February 2022 following a public consultation. [64]

A Westminster Hall debate on immigration requirements for non-UK members of the armed forces, in the name of Dan Jarvis (Labour), took place in January 2022. Some MPs mentioned fees. [65]

A Westminster Hall debate on immigration and nationality fees, in the name of Meg Hillier (Labour), took place in March 2021. [66]

Lord Rosser (Labour) tabled a motion of regret when the House of Lords debated an increase to the health surcharge in September 2020. [67]

In September 2020, Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat) introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill to grant settlement to healthcare workers for free. [68]

In May 2020, during the covid-19 pandemic, the government announced that overseas healthcare workers would be exempt from the health surcharge. [69] A petition calling for the surcharge to be reduced or abolished for NHS staff received 16,000 signatures. It received a government response and a House of Commons debate led by Catherine McKinnell (Labour). [70]

Total upfront immigration costs in the UK are higher than those in many other countries, including Canada, Germany, France and the USA, according to a 2025 report commissioned by the Royal Society. [71]

It found that the cost of a UK Skilled Worker visa, taken as £12,500, was 1,000% higher than the average total upfront costs across the other countries studied. This would be for a five-year visa sponsored by a big company, combining application costs, employer costs and the health surcharge (so the most expensive example possible).

In comparison, allowing for currency conversion:

• A German Job-Seeker Residence Permit costs less than £200

• A Canadian Global Talent Stream application costs around £700

• A Swiss L or B Permit costs around £900

• A United States H1B Specialty Occupation visa costs £8,200 (the closest the report found to the cost of a UK Skilled Worker visa)

The exercise is not a strict like-for-like comparison. As the report states, much of the UK cost is accounted for by the upfront health surcharge, whereas other countries require ongoing health insurance premiums. The Skilled Worker visa also lasts longer than some of its equivalents.

Without the surcharge, upfront Skilled Worker visa costs are still much higher than all other countries studied except the United States and Australia. But the cheaper UK Graduate and Global Talent visa fees without surcharge are closer to the international norm (because there is also no employer levy for these visas).

A 2019 report by the Institute for Government think tank similarly found that the Home Office relied upon "very high charges" compared to Australia, France, Germany and Canada at that time. [72]

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[72] Institute for Government, Managing migration after Brexit, 5 March 2019, figure 6