UK to increase fees for visas, immigration, and nationality

The UK government has announced its intention to raise fees across various visa categories, residency permits, immigration applications, and naturalization requests. These proposed fee increase range from 15% to 35%. In a statement released by the UK Home Office on September 15, 2023, it was revealed that these adjustments are scheduled to come into effect starting from October 4, 2023, after getting approval by the Parliament.

The primary objective behind these proposed changes is to ensure the sustainability of immigration and nationality service in the UK. The government aims to secure adequate funding to cover operational expenses while also redirecting any surplus funds toward enhancing wages within the public sector. These revisions are intended to reduce the dependency on contributions from British taxpayers.

The fee increases will impact a wide range of immigration services, including applications for visit visas, work visas, student visas, indefinite leave to remain, and naturalization. Some of the notable fee adjustments include:

• Short-term Visit Visa (up to 6 months): To increase to £115 from the current £100
• Visit Visa – Long (up to 2 years): To increase to £400 from the current £376
• Visit Visa – Long (up to 5 years): To increase to £771 from the current £670
• Visit Visa – Long (up to 10 years): To increase to £963 from the current £837
• Innovator Founder Visa: To increase to £1,191 from the current £1,036
• Start-up Visa: To increase to £435 from the current £378
• Global Talent Visa (where Approval Letter required): To increase to £192 from the current £167
• Global Talent Visa (where Approval Letter not required): To increase to £716 from the current £623
• Exceptional Talent Visa – Tier 1: To increase to £716 from the current £623
• Investor Visa – Tier 1: To increase to £1,884 from the current £1,638
• Entrepreneur Visa (main applicants only): To increase to £1,191 from the current £1,036
• Skilled Worker Visa (who issued certificate of sponsorship for 3 years or less): To increase to £719 from the current £625
• Skilled Worker Visa (who issued certificate of sponsorship for over 3 years): To increase to £1,420 from the current £1,235
• Scale-up and High Potential Individual Visas: To increase to £822 from the current £715
• Student and Child Student Visas: To increase to £490 from the current £363
• Priority Visa service: To increase to £500 from the current £250
• Super Priority Visa service: To increase to £1,000 from the current £956
• User Pays Visa Application service: To increase to £76.5 from the current £55
• British Citizenship by Naturalization Application: To increase to £1,500 from the current £1,250 (plus a £80 ceremony fee)
• British Citizenship by Registration Application (adults): To increase to £1,351 from the current £1,126 (plus a £80 ceremony fee)
• British Citizenship by Registration Application (minors): To increase to £1,214 from the current £1,012

In addition to these outlined fee adjustments, the UK government also plans to increase the mandatory immigration health surcharge (IHS) to £1,035 annually, compared to the current rate of £624. The exact implementation date for this healthcare surcharge increase has not yet been confirmed but may be postponed until early 2024.