The Home Office has published its updated schedule of immigration and nationality fees, and the new rates come into force on 8 April 2026. For any employer holding a sponsor licence, this means higher costs across visa applications, licence fees, and settlement applications. This article is for UK sponsors, HR leads, and operations teams who need to understand exactly what's changing and how it affects their hiring budgets.
The increases follow the established pattern of annual fee uplifts, typically aligned with the start of the new financial year. While none of the rises are dramatic in isolation, the cumulative cost of sponsoring a worker — from licence fees to visa applications to eventual settlement — continues to climb.
What's Changing and When
The revised fees apply to all applications made on or after 8 April 2026. Applications submitted before that date will be processed at the current fee, even if the decision is issued after 8 April.
The changes cover visa application fees, sponsor licence fees, Indefinite Leave to Remain, nationality, and premium services. Certificate of Sponsorship assignment fees and most premium service charges remain unchanged.
The full fee schedule is published in the Home Office policy paper Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026.
Skilled Worker Visa Fees From 8 April 2026
Skilled Worker visa fees vary depending on two factors: whether the application is made from outside the UK or as an in-country extension/switch, and whether the Certificate of Sponsorship covers a period of three years or less, or more than three years.
Applications made outside the UK
Applications made in the UK (extensions and switches)
These fees apply per applicant. Dependants applying at the same time pay the same rate. For sponsors recruiting internationally, the out-of-UK fee is the relevant figure; for those extending existing workers already in the country, the in-country rate applies.
Health and Care Visa Fees From 8 April 2026
Workers in eligible health and social care roles continue to benefit from the reduced Health and Care Visa fee. This discount applies regardless of whether the role appears on the Immigration Salary List.
Even after the increase, the Health and Care Visa route remains substantially cheaper than the standard Skilled Worker visa — a difference of nearly £500 for a three-year application from outside the UK. If you're sponsoring workers in eligible health or care roles, make sure the CoS specifies the correct visa type. Getting this wrong means the worker pays the full Skilled Worker fee unnecessarily.
Sponsor Licence Fees
Organisations applying for a new Worker sponsor licence will pay more from 8 April:
Whether an organisation qualifies as small or large is determined by the Companies Act 2006 definition. An organisation is classified as large if it meets two or more of the following thresholds: annual turnover above £10.2 million, balance sheet total above £5.1 million, or more than 50 employees.
The same fees apply to combined licences (Worker and Temporary Worker, Worker and Student, etc.) — a large sponsor always pays £1,682, regardless of how many licence types are bundled together.
Certificate of Sponsorship Fees
The CoS assignment fee remains unchanged:
This is a cost borne by the sponsor, not the worker — and that distinction is legally enforced. More on this below.
Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) Fees
Workers applying for settlement after five years on a Skilled Worker visa will pay:
This is a per-person charge. A worker applying with a spouse and one child would face a combined ILR bill of £9,678 from 8 April — up from £9,087 currently.
What Sponsors Cannot Charge Workers
This is a compliance area that catches out some employers, so it bears repeating. Under the Immigration Rules and sponsor licence conditions, sponsors are prohibited from passing the following costs to workers as a condition of employment:
→ The sponsor licence fee (£611 or £1,682)
→ The Certificate of Sponsorship assignment fee (£525)
→ The Immigration Skills Charge
Workers may voluntarily choose to fund their own visa application fee, but this cannot be written into a contract of employment, made a condition of an offer, or deducted from wages. Doing so risks a compliance action, a reduction in your CoS allocation, or — in serious cases — licence revocation.
Priority and Premium Services
The optional priority and super priority services for in-country applications remain at the same price:
These are unchanged from the previous fee schedule and are paid on top of the visa application fee.
How to Prepare Before 8 April
If you have workers whose visa applications are ready to submit, consider doing so before 8 April to lock in the current fees. Here's a practical checklist:
→ Audit pending CoS assignments. If you've assigned Certificates of Sponsorship but workers haven't yet submitted their visa applications, flag these for urgent action.
→ Brief your workers. Let them know about the fee increases so they can budget accordingly — especially for ILR applications, where the increase is nearly £200 per person.
→ Review your recruitment pipeline. If you're planning to bring in new sponsored workers in Q2 2026, factor the higher visa costs into your planning and budgeting.
→ Check licence renewal dates. If your sponsor licence is due for renewal around this time, confirm whether the new fees apply to your renewal date.
→ Confirm the right visa route. Where workers qualify for a reduced fee category (such as the Health and Care Visa), make sure you're applying under the correct route. The savings are significant.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Skilled Worker visa cost from April 2026?
From 8 April 2026, a standard Skilled Worker visa costs £819 for up to three years (outside the UK) or £943 for an in-country extension. For applications covering more than three years, the fees are £1,618 (outside) or £1,865 (in-country). Health and Care Visa applicants pay reduced rates starting at £324.
Are sponsor licence fees going up in 2026?
Yes. Small sponsor licence fees rise from £574 to £611, and large sponsor fees increase from £1,579 to £1,682 from 8 April 2026. These apply to new licence applications. The priority processing fee for licence applications remains £750.
Has the Certificate of Sponsorship fee changed?
No. The CoS assignment fee remains at £525 for Skilled Worker roles and £55 for Temporary Worker routes. This fee is paid by the sponsor and cannot be passed on to the worker.
Can I submit applications before 8 April to avoid the increase?
Yes. Applications submitted before 8 April 2026 will be charged at the current fee rates, even if the decision is made after the new fees take effect. If you have applications ready to go, submitting them before the deadline saves money.
What is the ILR fee from April 2026?
The Indefinite Leave to Remain application fee rises to £3,226 per applicant from 8 April 2026, up from £3,029. Each dependant applying at the same time also pays £3,226.
The April 2026 immigration fee increases are incremental rather than transformative, but they add up — particularly for sponsors recruiting multiple workers per year. The single biggest cost is still the ILR application at £3,226 per person, and the ongoing affordability gap between the Health and Care Visa (£324) and the standard Skilled Worker route (£819) makes it essential to get the visa category right from the outset.
If you're a sponsor, the most valuable thing you can do right now is review any pending applications and submit them before 8 April. After that, update your internal budgeting and make sure your recruitment team understands the new fee landscape.
Need help managing your sponsor licence and keeping costs under control? Borderless helps employers streamline immigration compliance — from CoS assignments to Home Office reporting — so you can focus on hiring the people you need.
Sources: Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026 (GOV.UK, Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0)
Automate Home Office Audits with Borderless
The Borderless platform provides a centralized system for all sponsorships, automating reminders for key tasks and ensuring best practices across your organization, simplifying audit preparation and ongoing compliance.
