UK Visa costs jump from April 8: Tourists, students, workers to pay more - check new fees here

The British High Commission has raised visa fees across key categories from April 8 that will directly affect tourists, students, and working professionals traveling to the UK. It is part of the UK government’s part of the UK government’s push to build a more "streamlined, digital immigration system".

The higher charges will help maintain a secure and efficient visa process, official says

The UK Home Office has implemented increased immigration and nationality fees, effective April 8, 2026. This includes a 6–7% uplift on most work visas, visitor visas, and settlement fees.

10-year tourist visa's will now cost £1,128 - a sharp £69 increase from £1,059.

Students will now have to pay £558 for a study visa, up from £524. At the same time, skilled workers applying for work visas of up to three years will see fees increase from £769 to £819.

The Health and Care visa now costs more as well. Fees for applications of up to three years have increased from £304 to £324, while those for more than three years have gone up from £590 to £628.

However, premium services like priority processing have largely been left untouched—despite expectations that these fees might have been the easier ones to increase.

The UK government maintains that the revisions are necessary to improve service delivery and keep pace with rising global demand.

The data showed 168,000 work visas were issued in 2025, down 19% on 2024 and 50% on 2023.

The fall included a halving of the number of visas issued in the health and care sector and a 36% decline in the number of other skilled worker visas.

That continues a trend seen in data released by the Office for National Statistics last year, which showed long-term net migration to Britain fell by more than two-thirds in the year to June.

There were 46,497 detected arrivals via illegal routes, up 7%. Of these arrivals, 89% were in small boats.

(With inputs from agencies)