UK to raise visa fees for visitors, workers, students by up to £222 from April

The UK Home Office has announced a new increase in visa application fees for individuals planning to visit, study, work, or settle in the United Kingdom.

The revised fees, which will take effect from April 8, will see some charges rise by as much as £222. The move is part of a broader strategy by the government to tighten immigration controls and reduce the number of people entering the country.

Alongside the fee hike, the government is rolling out stricter policies targeting migrants and asylum seekers. These include offering up to £10,000 to failed asylum seekers who agree to voluntarily return to their home countries. Authorities also plan to withdraw taxpayer-funded accommodation from migrants found to be working illegally.

In addition, an “emergency brake” has been placed on student visa applications from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan following a rise in asylum claims from nationals of those countries.

Shabana Mahmood said the measures were introduced in response to increasing pressure on the UK’s asylum system.

Under the updated fee structure, the cost of a short-term visit visa (up to six months) will rise from £127 to £135. Visas valid for up to two years will now cost £506, while five-year and ten-year visas will increase to £903 and £1,128 respectively.

Applications for British citizenship will also become more expensive, with naturalisation fees rising from £1,605 to £1,709.

Settlement visa fees are also being adjusted. The standard application route will increase from £1,938 to £2,064, allowing successful applicants to live and work in the UK before becoming eligible for indefinite leave to remain.

For those seeking to join relatives in the UK for care, fees will rise significantly by £222 to £3,635. Meanwhile, settlement visa fees for refugee-dependent relatives will increase slightly from £424 to £452.

Work visa fees are also affected. Skilled worker visa applications submitted from outside the UK for stays of up to three years will increase from £769 to £819. Longer-term work visas will experience similar percentage increases, with the changes applying to both main applicants and their dependants.