UK Visa Fee Hike April 2026: New Fees for Students, Workers and Visitors Explained

If you are planning to apply for a UK visa in 2026, one date matters more than any other right now: April 8, 2026.

From April 8, the UK Home Office is increasing immigration and nationality fees by 6 to 7% across almost every application type, whether you are applying to work, study, visit, extend your stay, or apply for settlement or British citizenship.

This is not a rumour or a last-minute proposal. The Home Office officially updated its fee table on March 18, 2026, and the new rates apply to any application submitted on or after April 8. Submit before that date, and you pay today's rate, even if your visa decision only comes after April 8.

So if you have been sitting on a nearly-ready application, this is your sign to move.

Why Is the UK Doing This?

These fee increases are linked to inflation and form part of a longer-term shift towards a user-funded immigration system, where applicants, rather than UK taxpayers, cover the cost of running immigration processing.

These increases do not arrive in isolation either. They follow a period of significant change in the immigration system, including sharp rises to salary thresholds for Skilled Workers, limits on health and care roles, and proposals that could make settlement harder and more expensive to achieve.

In short: the UK is moving towards a system where coming in, staying on, and eventually settling all costs more than it used to. This is unlikely to reverse anytime soon.

The New Fees at a Glance

Here is what actually changes on April 8, broken down by the categories that matter most to Indian applicants.

For Students

The UK Student Visa application fee rises from GBP524 to GBP558 for applications submitted from April 8, 2026.

That is Rs.4,250 more per person at today's exchange rate. If your spouse is coming with you, add another Rs.4,250 for their dependent visa.

Exchange rate note: All INR figures in this table are calculated at GBP1 = Rs.125, as of March 30, 2026. The Home Office applies its own quarterly conversion rate at the time of payment, which may differ from this figure. Always verify the exact rupee amount on the day you pay at VFS. Do not use this table as your final payment figure.

(A quick note on currency: All fees in this article are listed in GBP (British Pounds Sterling / GBP), not Euros. The UK is not part of the Eurozone and uses its own currency.)

But here is what the table does not show, and what trips up most families:

From April 8, 2026, the Immigration Health Surcharge rises from GBP776 to GBP1,145 per adult per year. Students receive a 25% discount, bringing the student rate to approximately GBP858.75 per year. 

For a one-year Master's programme on a 16-month visa, that means approximately GBP1,145 in IHS alone (1.33 × GBP858.75 = GBP1,142). At ₹125 per pound, that is approximately Rs.1,42,875 in IHS, before application fees, TB test, or VFS charges.

Total UK student visa cost for Indian students ranges from Rs.2.9 to 3.2 lakh for a one-year course, and up to Rs.3.8 to 4.0 lakh for longer programs, excluding tuition.

That is the number your family budget needs to have ready before you apply.

For Skilled Workers

If you are planning to move to the UK for work, or your employer is sponsoring you, here is what changes:

• Skilled Worker visa (up to 3 years, applying from outside UK): from GBP769 to GBP819 (Rs.96,125 to Rs.1,02,375)
• Skilled Worker visa (over 3 years, applying from outside UK): from GBP1,519 to GBP1,618 (Rs.1,89,875 to Rs.2,02,250)
• In-country Skilled Worker extension (up to 3 years): from GBP885 to GBP943 (Rs.1,10,625 to Rs.1,17,875)
• Health and Care Visa (up to 3 years): from GBP304 to GBP324 (Rs.38,000 to Rs.40,500)
• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS): Rising from GBP239 to GBP525, a 120% increase. This is paid by the sponsoring employer but may affect recruitment timelines and employer willingness to sponsor. Indian professionals should be aware this cost increase affects their employer's decision to sponsor

For Visitors

Even a short trip to the UK is getting slightly more expensive:

• Standard visitor visa (up to 6 months): from GBP127 to GBP135 (Rs.15,875 to Rs.16,875)
• Long-stay visa (up to 2 years): from GBP475 to GBP506 (Rs.59,375 to Rs.63,250)
• Long-stay visa (up to 5 years): from GBP848 to GBP903 (Rs.1,06,000 to Rs.1,12,875)
• Long-stay visa (up to 10 years): from GBP1,059 to GBP1,128 (Rs.1,32,375 to Rs.1,41,000)

If you are a frequent UK visitor considering a multi-year visa, applying before April 8 makes sense purely on cost.

For Settlement and Citizenship

This is where the numbers get heavy, especially for families.

Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) rises from GBP3,029 to GBP3,226 (Rs.3,78,625 to Rs.4,03,250). Naturalisation as a British citizen increases from GBP1,605 to GBP1,709 (Rs.2,00,625 to Rs.2,13,625).

For a family of four applying for ILR together, the saving from applying before April 8 is close to GBP800 in total. That is not a small change.

The one piece of genuinely good news in all of this: children's naturalisation applications are actually coming down, from GBP1,214 to GBP1,000.

Note: A GBP130 citizenship ceremony fee is added separately to naturalisation applications. Total cost from April 8: GBP1,709 + GBP130 = GBP1,839 per applicant (₹2,29,875 at ₹125/GBP).

The ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation)

For visa-exempt travellers, the ETA is also going up. The fee rises from GBP16 to GBP20 from April 8, 2026. In just over two years, this travel authorisation cost has doubled since it launched at GBP10 in November 2023.

What Is NOT Changing

Before this starts to feel overwhelming, here is what stays the same on April 8:

• Immigration Skills Charge: Unchanged.
• Priority service fees: GBP500 for priority, GBP1,000 for super priority, both unchanged.
• CAS fee per student: GBP55, unchanged.
• Confirmation of Acceptance for Study: Unchanged at GBP55.

Should You Rush Your Application Before April 8?

Honest answer: it depends entirely on whether your application is actually ready.

If it is fully ready, yes. Apply before April 8.

For a student visa, you save Rs.4,250. However, with the IHS also rising from April 8, the total saving for a student on a 16-month visa is considerably larger. The application fee saving is ₹4,250; the IHS saving (GBP369/year × 1.33 years) adds approximately ₹61,400 to the saving. Total saving for a student filing before April 8: approximately Rs.65,000–Rs.70,000.

For a Skilled Worker visa, it is Rs.6,250 to Rs.12,375 depending on duration. For ILR, the saving is close to GBP197 per person.

If it is not fully ready, do not rush it just to chase the deadline.

Paying even slightly less than the correct fee, whether because you used an outdated table or got the currency conversion slightly wrong, can result in your application being voided or delayed. The fee is non-refundable in that scenario.

A rejected or voided application costs far more than the Rs.4,000 to Rs.12,000 you were trying to save.

The Bigger Picture for September 2026 UK Applicants

If you are targeting the September 2026 UK intake, the visa fee increase is real but it is not the number that should keep you up at night. The IHS is.

Before you focus on April 8, make sure you have done these three things:

• Calculate your total visa cost, not just the application fee. Add the IHS for your full course duration, your TB test (Rs.2,500 to Rs.3,500), VFS service charges, and biometrics.
• Get your CAS from your university well in advance. Without a valid CAS, no fee deadline matters.
• Check the exact INR amount on the day you pay. The Home Office applies its own exchange rate, which can differ from what you see online. Always verify the figure at VFS on your application day.

Planning to Study in the UK?

A visa fee change is just one piece of the puzzle. Getting the right university shortlist, understanding your real total cost of attendance, and applying on the right timeline take proper planning, especially when the rules keep shifting.

Book a free counselling session with Leap Scholar and speak to a UK specialist who will map out your exact costs, documents, and deadlines for September 2026, without the guesswork.

Sources: 

• UK Home Office , Immigration and Nationality Fees, April 8 2026 
• Fragomen UK Fee Briefing 
• University of Cambridge, Student Visa Costs