On 9th April 2025, the cost of many visas and other fees related to international travel will increase.
What costs are increasing?
The costs of most visa applications will increase, alongside applying for or renewing a British passport and the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation). The changes apply to applications from both inside and outside of the UK.
Some fees will stay the same, for example priority visa services and English language test checks. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is also staying the same. You can find a full list of fee increases on the government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table/home-office-immigration-and-nationality-fees-9-april-2025.
Some of the key fee changes are as follows:
- A Certificate of Sponsorship will increase from £239 to £525
- A visa for up to 3 years submitted inside of the UK will increase from £827 to £885
- A visa for over 3 years submitted inside of the UK will increase from £1,636 to £1,751
- A spousal visa submitted outside of the UK will increase from £1,846 to £1,938
- Settlement, or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), will increase from £2,885 to £3,029
- Naturalisation as a British citizen will increase from £1,500 (not including the ceremony fee) to £1,605 (the ceremony fee will stay the same)
- An ETA will increase from £10 to £16
- A student visa will increase from £490 to £524
There are other changes for Skilled Worker and short-term Student visas coming in on the 9th April. Financially, this means that the minimum salary for Skilled Worker visas will increase from £23,200 to £25,000, in accordance with minimum wage.
Why are visa fees increasing?
The Home Office uses visa fees to fund the cost of processing applications, as well as other parts of the immigration system. This is the latest in a number of significant fee increases over the last few years, which means more people are having to apply for fee waivers.
What if I can’t afford this?
You can apply for a fee waiver if you cannot afford to pay the higher fees. This can be a full or partial fee waiver (i.e. you can be asked to pay no fees or a discounted rate). The conditions for being granted a fee waiver on financial grounds are when you:
- Do not have a place to live in the UK and you cannot afford one
- Have a place to live but cannot afford essential living costs like food or heating
- Have a very low income and paying the fee would harm your child’s wellbeing
There are also other grounds for getting a fee waiver, as well as some visas that don’t require a fee, for example if you are a refugee or have other leave to remain on human rights grounds, a victim of modern slavery, or applying to join a family member in the UK on a family visa.
We are opposed to visa fees and profiting from migration. People should be free to move, and we do not believe someone’s ability to stay in the UK should be conditional on paying large amounts of money.
If you are impacted by this change, and want to get involved with our campaigns, drop us a message at [email protected]
You can find information on eligibility on the government website here, and more information on fee waivers and exemptions here.