The United Kingdom has announced a broad increase in visa application fees for individuals applying from outside the country, with the new charges set to take effect from April 8, 2026, as part of a wider review of immigration-related costs.
Under the revised fee structure, short-term visit visas of up to six months will rise from £127 to £135, while long-term visit visas will also see notable increases.
Two-year visit visas will cost £506, up from £475, while five-year and ten-year visas will increase to £903 and £1,128 respectively.
What they are sayingÂ
The adjustments extend across multiple visa categories, including transit, study-related, and family migration routes, reflecting what authorities describe as routine fee indexation to align with administrative costs and service delivery.
- For specialised travel categories, visiting academic visas for stays between six and 12 months will increase to £234, while private medical treatment visas within a similar duration will also rise to the same level. Transit visas will see marginal increases, with direct airside transit visas moving from £39 to £41.50, and landside transit visas rising to £74.50.
- In addition, fees for individuals joining ships or aircraft as crew members will increase to £74.50, while several administrative services, including Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) replacement visas, vignette transfers, and consular support services, will remain unchanged.
The UK government has also revised fees under its settlement and long-term residency pathways, with more pronounced increases in this category.
- Applications for settlement routes will rise from £1,938 to £2,064, while fees for dependent relatives under this route will increase significantly to £3,635.
Other increments
Similarly, indefinite leave to enter the UK for members of the Armed Forces and their dependants will increase from £3,029 to £3,226. The same revised fee will apply to victims of domestic abuse applying under the relevant immigration provisions.
- For applicants under the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route, fees will increase modestly, with the 30-month visa rising to £206 and the five-year visa increasing to £285.
- The electronic travel authorisation (ETA), a key pre-arrival requirement for certain travellers, will also see a 25% increase, moving from £16 to £20.
Despite the widespread adjustments, some services will not be affected. Administrative review fees will remain at £80, while consular service charges such as document processing and out-of-hours support will also stay unchanged.
What you should know
The latest fee hike comes amid shifting migration trends and evolving education policy in the UK.
- Nairametrics previously reported that Nigerian students are increasingly seeking higher education opportunities in the UK, with 30,204 study visas granted in the year ending December 2025, representing a 59% increase compared to 2024.
- Data from the UK Home Office positions Nigeria among the fastest-growing sources of international students, underscoring the country’s importance in the UK’s education export market.
- At the same time, the UK government is recalibrating its international education strategy, targeting £40 billion in annual education exports by 2030. The policy shift replaces a 2019 target focused on attracting 600,000 foreign students annually, signalling a move towards expanding British education beyond its borders.
Under the revised framework, universities will be encouraged to establish offshore campuses and partnerships, enabling students to access UK education in their home countries or regions. Authorities say the strategy is aimed at diversifying institutional revenue and strengthening global partnerships while maintaining economic contributions from the education sector.
However, the shift comes against a backdrop of declining overall study visa volumes. In the year ending June 2025, the UK granted 431,725 sponsored study visas, marking an 18% decline year-on-year and a 34% drop from 2023 peak levels.
