UK raises ETA and visa fees
The UK is increasing its Electronic Travel Authorization fee to £20 from April 2026 and is raising student, worker, and visitor visa fees by up to 25%, tightening the cost of travel and study for visa‑exempt and visa‑required travelers alike. Those hikes create new out-of-pocket burdens for families, employees, and students planning UK travel or assignments next quarter. ( )
The Home Office published an updated immigration and nationality fee table on 18 March 2026 setting the new rates to take effect on 8 April 2026. (gov.uk)) Most visa and sponsor‑licence application fees are being increased by roughly 6–7%, with the standard six‑month visit visa set to rise from £127 to £135 in the revised fee table. (fragomen.com)) The Student and Child Student application fee is being uprated from £524 to £558 for applications made in and outside the UK, according to the Home Office schedule and university advisories. (fragomen.com)) Skilled Worker route fees will rise across the board: an overseas Skilled Worker application of up to three years increases to £819 while the overseas fee for more than three years moves to £1,618; in‑country skilled worker application fees are set at £943 (up to three years) and £1,865 (over three years). (fragomen.com)) Settlement and nationality charges are changing too: Indefinite Leave to Remain rises from £3,029 to £3,226 and the main naturalisation fee increases to £1,709, while the fee for registering a child as a British citizen is reduced from £1,214 to £1,000. (gov.uk)) The legal route for the changes began with the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2026 and supporting impact assessment, and the measure was cleared through a House of Lords Grand Committee to raise fee maxima ahead of the regulatory adjustments. (legislation.gov.uk)) Several ancillary charges remain unchanged in the March update: the Home Office has left the Certificate of Sponsorship fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge and the Immigration Skills Charge as they were while adjusting application and sponsor licence rates. (lewissilkin.com))
