UK visa fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge and processing times
All the main fees in one table, plus the health surcharge, priority services and how long each decision normally takes.
Rules and fees checked against gov.uk on 8 November 2026. Page updated 8 November 2026. How we check our guides.
Want the total for your family? The visa cost calculator adds up fees and the health surcharge for every person on your route, then the cost through to citizenship.
Home Office fees are set by regulations and normally change once a year, in the spring, with occasional mid-year increases. The table below shows the figures in force when this page was reviewed, from the Home Office immigration and nationality fees (gov.uk), April 2025 fee round, checked November 2026. Fees are per person: a family of four pays four fees and four health surcharges. Before you pay, check the live figure on gov.uk, because the application form will charge whatever is current on the day.
Work visas
| Application | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker, up to 3 years, applying from outside the UK | £769 | Per person. Shortage-list and Immigration Salary List roles pay a reduced fee. |
| Skilled Worker, more than 3 years, applying from outside the UK | £1,519 | |
| Skilled Worker, up to 3 years, applying in the UK (extend or switch) | £885 | |
| Skilled Worker, more than 3 years, applying in the UK | £1,751 | |
| Health and Care Worker, up to 3 years | £304 | Same fee inside or outside the UK. No Immigration Health Surcharge. |
| Health and Care Worker, more than 3 years | £590 | |
| Global Talent (endorsement + visa) | £766 | £561 for the endorsement application and £205 for the visa. |
| Graduate visa | £880 | Plus the health surcharge for the full grant. |
| Youth Mobility Scheme | £319 | |
| UK Ancestry | £637 | Five-year grant. |
| Innovator Founder | £1,274 | Plus the endorsing body's own fee, typically £1,000 plus VAT. |
Family, study and visiting
| Application | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Partner or spouse visa, applying from outside the UK | £1,938 | Per applicant, including each child. |
| Partner or spouse, extending in the UK (FLR(M)) | £1,321 | |
| Student visa | £524 | Same fee for dependants. |
| Standard Visitor, up to 6 months | £115 | Long-term visitor visas cost more: 2 years £432, 5 years £771, 10 years £963. |
| Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) | £16 | For visa-free nationals. Valid two years. |
Settlement and citizenship
| Application | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indefinite leave to remain (settlement) | £3,029 | Per person, adults and children alike. |
| Naturalisation as a British citizen | £1,605 | Plus the £130 citizenship ceremony fee. |
| Citizenship ceremony | £130 | Compulsory for adults; included in the quoted total of £1,735. |
| Registering a child as British | £1,214 | Fee waivers exist for children who cannot afford it. |
| Life in the UK test | £50 | Per attempt. Paid when you book. |
Immigration Health Surcharge
| Application | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IHS, adults, per year of visa | £1,035 | Paid in full at application for the whole visa length. |
| IHS, students, Youth Mobility and under-18s, per year | £776 |
Faster decisions
| Application | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Priority service (decision in about 5 working days) | £500 | On top of the application fee. Not available on every route. |
| Super priority service (next working day) | £1,000 | In-UK applications only. |
Employers
| Application | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor licence, small company or charity | £574 | Valid four years, then renewable. |
| Sponsor licence, medium or large company | £1,579 | |
| Certificate of Sponsorship | £525 | Per worker, per assignment. |
| Immigration Skills Charge, small or charity, per year | £364 | Paid up front for the whole sponsorship period. |
| Immigration Skills Charge, medium or large, per year | £1,000 |
The Immigration Health Surcharge
Almost everyone applying for a visa of more than six months pays the surcharge, which funds NHS treatment during the stay. It is charged up front for the full length of the visa, rounded up to the half year: £1,035 a year for adults and £776 for students, Youth Mobility applicants and children. A five-year Skilled Worker visa therefore carries £5,175 of surcharge before the visa fee. Health and Care Worker applicants and their dependants are exempt. If your application is refused the surcharge is refunded; the application fee is not.
Processing times
These are the Home Office's published service standards, not guarantees; in busy periods, and for applications that need extra checks, they are missed.
| Application | Standard |
|---|---|
| Work, study and visitor visas from outside the UK | 3 weeks |
| Partner and family visas from outside the UK | 12 weeks (24 at busy periods) |
| Extensions and switches inside the UK | 8 weeks |
| Indefinite leave to remain | 6 months |
| Naturalisation as a British citizen | 6 months |
| Electronic Travel Authorisation | 3 working days, usually minutes |
The priority service (£500) aims for a decision within five working days, and the super priority service (£1,000) by the end of the next working day; both are on top of the normal fee and neither is available on every route or in every country. Your application date, for the purposes of your immigration status, is the day you submit and pay online, not the day of the decision, so as long as you apply before your current visa expires you remain lawfully in the UK while you wait.
Fee waivers
You can ask for the fee and surcharge to be waived for a human-rights application (including the partner route) if paying would leave you unable to meet your essential living needs or destitute. There are no waivers for work or study routes, or for ILR and naturalisation, apart from a limited one for children registering as British.