Earlier this summer, the UK government announced across the board increases of approximately 15% to application costs for UK visas as well as a 20% increase to the cost of priority visas, study visas and certificates of sponsorship. These rises were announced at the same time that the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) was confirmed as due to increase by 66% in late 2023 / early 2024, rising from £624 to £1,035 per adult. This staggering rise will affect almost all applicants in the coming months. The increases come as the government has committed to public sector pay rises and is looking for ways to fund them.
On Friday 15th September 2023, the government announced that the price increase for visas and priority applications will come into effect on 4th October 2023 following secondary legislation laid before Parliament.
A full list of the fee increases can be found on the UK government website here. So for example, the cost of a visit visa for less than 6 months has risen from £100 to £115, whilst the fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK has risen to £490 from £127.
For sponsors of skilled workers, the headlines are:
- Skilled worker entry clearance (upto 3 years) increases 15% from £625 to £719; in-country applicants will pay £827, up from £719
- Certificates of sponsorship up 20% from £199 to £239
- Sponsor licence fees remain unchanged – at £536 for a small / medium / charity employer, £1,476 for a large sponsor
- For those concerned about Home Office processing times, priority service for an overseas visa applicant decreases from £573 to £500 to mirror the in-country cost, while in-country, the super-priority service is up from £800 to £1,000 in addition to the standard application fee.
It is still not known exactly when the IHS increase will come into effect, causing worry for many applicants. More information on the IHS can be found here.
To discuss fee increases, and find out if you are able to apply now in order to beat the fee rises, you can contact us and speak with an experienced member of our legal team, who will be able to help.