The UK Home Office Announces New Sponsorship & Visa Fees that will take effect in April 2025

The UK Home Office said on March 19 that sponsorship and visa fees would increase starting on April 9. The majority of the expenses indicated have increased, which will affect practically everyone, including sponsors, people applying for citizenship and settlement, and holders of skilled worker visas. The increases range from a meager £8.50 to an astounding £286. In this post, we have outlined the main changes.

• The largest rise will be in the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) payments for skilled workers, global business mobility for senior or specialized workers, ministers of religion, and international athletes (over 12 months), which will go from £239 to £525.
• Skilled Worker applications for up to three years (outside the UK):
  • Previously: £719
  • New fee: £769
• Skilled Worker applications for up to five years (outside the UK):
  • Previously: £1,420
  • New fee: £1,519
• Skilled Worker applications for up to three years (inside the UK):
  • Previously: £827
  • New fee: £885
• Skilled Worker applications for up to five years (inside the UK):
  • Previously: £1,636
  • New fee: £1,751
• Skilled Worker roles on the Immigration Salary List (formerly Shortage Occupation List) will see increases of £39-£76 depending on the length of the visa.
• Sponsor license fees for medium or large sponsors will increase by £103 from £1,476 to £1,579.
• Indefinite Leave to Remain (Settlement) will increase from £2,885 to £3,029.
• Naturalization (British Citizenship) will jump from £1,500 to £1,605.
• The smallest increase of £8.50, which doesn’t relate specifically to sponsorship, will be applied to a Convention Travel Document for a child, increasing the cost from £53 to £61.50.

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It’s interesting to note that, despite the perception that premium services like priority processing costs would be simpler to market, they will essentially stay the same.

These hikes result in increased expenses for companies that sponsor employees as well as increased financial strain on immigrants who choose to settle in the UK. As the government continues to tighten immigration regulations and increase attention to sponsor compliance, employers should account for these developments in their hiring budgets.

The Home Office stated in its most current Statement of Changes, dated March 12, 2024, that starting on April 9, some payments will be subtracted from a skilled worker’s compensation to determine whether or not their pay satisfies the minimum salary criterion. These consist of payments for investments, company expenses, or immigration fees, particularly:

• Deductions from salary;
• Repayments of loans; or
• Investments.

This implies that in order to determine whether an employee meets the income requirement for a skilled worker visa, the employee’s compensation will be reduced if their employer borrows money for sponsorship or forces them to pay back visa expenses through salary deductions.

When the revised caseworker guidelines are published, we will need to wait for additional information about what this will actually entail in practice.

To learn more about the new fee structure, go to the Home Office’s official website: UK Visa and Immigration Fees – April 2025.