The Home Office has published its immigration and nationality fees table for 8 October 2026. Every fee in it is the same as in the April 2026 table: no visa, sponsorship, settlement or citizenship fee goes up on 8 October.
The new table is housekeeping. It lines up with the HC 584 rule changes that take effect on the same day, and removes the rows for main applicants on the closed Start-up and Tier 1 (Investor) routes. Dependant fees on those routes remain.
What this means for employers
Sponsorship budgets set after April 2026 still hold. As an example, a medium or large sponsor bringing in one Skilled Worker from outside the UK on a 3-year Certificate of Sponsorship faces these Home Office charges:
- Visa application fee: £819
- Certificate of Sponsorship: £525
- Immigration Skills Charge: £3,960 (£1,320 for the first 12 months, then £660 for each further 6 months)
- Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): £3,105 (£1,035 a year)
- Total: £8,409, before any dependants
Small and charitable sponsors pay a lower Immigration Skills Charge of £480 for the first 12 months and £240 for each further 6 months, which brings the same example down to £5,889. The Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge must be paid by the sponsor and cannot be passed on to the worker.
Key Home Office fees from 8 October 2026
| Fee | From 8 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Worker sponsor licence (small or charitable sponsor) | £611 |
| Worker sponsor licence (medium or large sponsor) | £1,682 |
| Priority processing of a sponsor licence application | £750 |
| Certificate of Sponsorship (Skilled Worker) | £525 |
| Skilled Worker visa, outside the UK, up to 3 years | £819 |
| Skilled Worker visa, outside the UK, over 3 years | £1,618 |
| Skilled Worker visa, inside the UK, up to 3 years | £943 |
| Skilled Worker visa, inside the UK, over 3 years | £1,865 |
| Skilled Worker, Immigration Salary List job (up to / over 3 years) | £628 / £1,235 |
| Health and Care Worker visa (up to / over 3 years) | £324 / £628 |
| Graduate visa | £937 |
| High Potential Individual visa | £880 |
| Student visa | £558 |
| Innovator Founder visa (outside / inside the UK) | £1,357 / £1,693 |
| Standard visitor visa (up to 6 months) | £135 |
| Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) | £20 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain | £3,226 |
| Naturalisation as a British citizen | £1,709 |
| Priority visa service / Super priority visa service | £500 / £1,000 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), per year | £1,035 (£776 for students, Youth Mobility and under-18s) |
Source: GOV.UK, Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 October 2026. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) and the Immigration Skills Charge are set separately and are also unchanged.
Other changes on and around 8 October
Fees are not changing, but the HC 584 rule changes are. From 8 October 2026:
- Skilled Workers recognised as victims of modern slavery can work for any employer for the rest of their permission.
- Erasmus+ participants gain new options under the Visitor, Student and Government Authorised Exchange routes.
- Hong Kong BN(O) dependent children no longer need five years’ continuous residence to qualify for settlement.
- Family members joining under the EU Settlement Scheme for the first time must apply within three months of their latest lawful entry.
Changes to the Minister of Religion and Religious Worker routes follow on 29 October, and the higher Student maintenance requirement applies from 30 November 2026. Employers should also note that right to work checks now extend to more workers from 1 October 2026.
Four new services for employers
Steady fees do not mean steady obligations. Right to work checks now reach more of the workforce, sponsorship costs run to several thousand pounds per hire, and Home Office compliance visits continue. To help businesses manage this, we are introducing four new services:
- Right to work compliance for the wider workforce. For businesses newly covered from 1 October 2026, including those engaging contractors, sub-contractors or workers through online platforms. We review your checking process, documents and records so you hold a statutory excuse for every worker. Right to work checks for contractors and platforms.
- Sponsorship cost planning. A per-hire breakdown of every Home Office charge: sponsor licence, Certificate of Sponsorship, Immigration Skills Charge, visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), so finance and HR teams can budget before they recruit. Try our sponsorship cost calculator.
- SMS and sponsor compliance retainer. Ongoing support with the Sponsorship Management System: reporting changes on time, keeping records inspection-ready and meeting your sponsor duties. SMS and sponsor compliance retainer.
- Mock Home Office audit. A pre-inspection review of your HR files, right to work records and SMS reporting, carried out the way a Home Office compliance officer would, with a written action plan. Mock Home Office audit.
How Morgan Smith Immigration can help
Our advisers help employers plan sponsorship costs, apply for and manage sponsor licences and handle Skilled Worker visa applications end to end. Call us on 0203 959 3335 or email [email protected].
