Sponsoring a Skilled Worker involves up to five separate Home Office charges, paid at different times and by different people. Our calculator adds them up for your hiring plan, so finance and HR teams can budget before the offer letter goes out.
2026 Home Office rates, checked against GOV.UK in October 2026.
Reviewed by Morgan Smith Immigration · IAA-regulated UK immigration advisers · Last reviewed
TL;DR
The Home Office cost of sponsoring one Skilled Worker from outside the UK on a 3-year Certificate of Sponsorship is £8,409 for a medium or large sponsor: a £819 visa fee, a £525 Certificate of Sponsorship, a £3,960 Immigration Skills Charge and a £3,105 Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). A small or charitable sponsor pays £5,889. The sponsor licence itself costs £611 or £1,682 once, and dependants add their own visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
£8,409
One Skilled Worker, 3 years, large sponsor
£5,889
The same hire for a small sponsor
£1,682
Large sponsor licence (one-off)
Sponsorship Cost Calculator
Choose your sponsor size, route and hiring plan. The total and breakdown update as you change each field.
Estimated Home Office cost
£8,409
Sponsor-only costs £4,485 | Visa costs £3,924
| Charge | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Total Home Office cost | £8,409 |
Estimate using the Home Office rates published on GOV.UK for 2026 and whole-year certificates. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is charged on the permission actually granted, which can be slightly longer than the certificate, and the Sponsorship Management System confirms the exact Immigration Skills Charge when a certificate is assigned. Adviser fees are not included.
What Does It Cost to Sponsor a Worker?
The cost of sponsoring an overseas worker is made up of charges set by the Home Office. Some fall on the sponsor alone: the sponsor licence application fee, the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee and the Immigration Skills Charge. Others belong to the worker's own application: the visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which also apply to each dependant.
The amounts depend on four things: the size of your organisation, the length of the Certificate of Sponsorship, the route (standard Skilled Worker, an Immigration Salary List job or the Health and Care Worker visa) and whether the worker applies from outside or inside the UK. Health and Care Worker visa applicants and their dependants pay lower visa fees and no Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
These are Home Office charges only. They do not include adviser fees, recruitment costs, relocation or the personal savings a worker may need to show.
The Three Groups of Sponsorship Costs
Who pays each Home Office charge, and when it falls due
📄
Sponsor-Only Costs
The sponsor licence fee, the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge must be paid by the sponsor. The Home Office prohibits passing these costs on to the worker, and doing so can put your licence at risk.
💼
Visa Application Costs
The visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) are paid when the worker applies, by the worker or by the employer if it chooses. Each dependant pays the same visa fee as the main applicant, plus their own Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
£
Timing of Each Charge
The licence fee is paid once with the licence application. The CoS fee and Immigration Skills Charge are paid when each certificate is assigned. The visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) are paid with each visa application, including extensions.
What You Can and Cannot Do
The payment rules every sponsor must follow
✓ You Can
- Pay the visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for your worker and their family as a benefit, if you choose
- Choose the certificate length to match the role, which changes the Immigration Skills Charge
- Use reduced visa fees for Immigration Salary List roles and the Health and Care Worker visa
- Claim a refund of the Immigration Skills Charge in some cases, such as when a worker's visa is refused
- Budget per hire using the calculator and a costed plan from our advisers
✗ You Cannot
- Pass the Certificate of Sponsorship fee to the worker: the sponsor must pay it
- Recover the Immigration Skills Charge from the worker: it is a charge on the employer
- Pass the sponsor licence fee to workers in any form, including through salary deductions
- Avoid the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for standard Skilled Worker applicants and dependants
- Rely on old rates: fees changed on 8 April 2026, so older budgets may be out of date
Costs & Fees
Current fees as of 2026. Set by the Home Office — subject to change.
Fees set by the Home Office and subject to change. Last reviewed: October 2026.
| Item | Cost (2026) |
|---|---|
| Sponsor licence (small / large) | £611 / £1,682 |
| Certificate of Sponsorship | £525 per worker |
| Immigration Skills Charge, first 12 months | £480 / £1,320 |
| Skilled Worker visa, outside UK (up to / over 3 yrs) | £819 / £1,618 |
| Skilled Worker visa, inside UK (up to / over 3 yrs) | £943 / £1,865 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), per year | £1,035 (£776 under 18) |
How Sponsorship Cost Planning Works
Five steps from a hiring plan to a costed budget
Share Your Hiring Plan
Tell us the roles, how many workers, likely certificate lengths and whether candidates are overseas or already in the UK.
Check Route and Salary
We confirm the route for each role, including Immigration Salary List and Health and Care options, and check the salary rules.
Cost Every Charge
We produce a per-hire and total budget covering licence, CoS, Immigration Skills Charge, visa fees and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
Agree Who Pays
We set out which costs must stay with your organisation and which you may choose to cover for workers and families.
Plan the Timeline
You get a costed timeline showing when each Home Office charge falls due across the hiring plan.
Speak to Our Team Today
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Request a Consultation
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Sources
Legal information on this page is based on guidance from GOV.UK, the UK Home Office / UK Visas and Immigration, legislation.gov.uk, and Free Movement. Rules change frequently — speak to our team to confirm current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the cost of sponsoring overseas workers
How much does it cost to sponsor a Skilled Worker in 2026?
For a medium or large sponsor, one Skilled Worker applying from outside the UK on a 3-year certificate costs £8,409 in Home Office charges: a £819 visa fee, £525 Certificate of Sponsorship, £3,960 Immigration Skills Charge and £3,105 Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). A small sponsor pays £5,889 for the same hire.
How much is a sponsor licence in 2026?
A Worker sponsor licence costs £611 for a small or charitable sponsor and £1,682 for a medium or large sponsor. It is a one-off application fee rather than a charge per worker.
Who pays the Immigration Skills Charge?
The sponsor pays it when the Certificate of Sponsorship is assigned. It is £480 for the first 12 months for small or charitable sponsors and £1,320 for medium or large sponsors, plus £240 or £660 for each additional 6 months, and it cannot be recovered from the worker.
Can an employer make the worker pay the Certificate of Sponsorship fee?
No. The £525 Certificate of Sponsorship fee must be paid by the sponsor. The Home Office treats passing this cost to the worker as a breach of sponsor duties.
Do dependants increase the cost of sponsorship?
Yes, but not the sponsor's own charges. Each dependant pays the same visa fee as the main applicant and their own Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): £1,035 a year for adults and £776 a year for children under 18. No extra Certificate of Sponsorship or Immigration Skills Charge is due for dependants.
Do Health and Care Worker visa applicants pay the Immigration Health Surcharge?
No. Applicants who are eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa, and their dependants, do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). Their visa fee is also lower: £324 for up to 3 years or £628 for longer.
Is it cheaper to sponsor someone already in the UK?
Not usually for the visa fee. A Skilled Worker applying from inside the UK pays £943 for up to 3 years or £1,865 for longer, compared with £819 or £1,618 from outside the UK. The sponsor's own charges are the same.
Is the Immigration Skills Charge different for small businesses?
Yes. A sponsor that counts as small or charitable pays £480 for the first 12 months and £240 for each further 6 months, compared with £1,320 and £660 for medium and large sponsors.
Does an Immigration Salary List job reduce the cost?
It reduces the visa fee to £628 for up to 3 years or £1,235 for longer. The Certificate of Sponsorship fee, the Immigration Skills Charge and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) are unchanged.
Is the calculator figure exactly what we will pay?
It is an estimate using the published 2026 rates and whole-year certificates. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is charged on the length of permission actually granted, which can be slightly longer than the certificate, and the Sponsorship Management System calculates the exact Immigration Skills Charge when a certificate is assigned.
Get a Costed Sponsorship Plan
Our immigration specialists handle everything from sponsor licence checks to visa approval — for employers and applicants alike.