“UK Raises Visa, Residency And Citizenship Fees” — Home Office Increases Charges For Nigerians, Others From April 8, 2026

The United Kingdom government has announced an increase in fees for a wide range of visa, residency, and citizenship applications, effective April 8, 2026. The new charges will affect Nigerians and other foreign nationals seeking to visit, study, work, or settle in the UK.

The revised fee schedule, published by the UK Home Office on Thursday, shows increases across nearly all categories of visa applications made both inside and outside the UK. The affected categories include visit visas, student visas, work visas, settlement applications, and naturalisation fees.

The adjustment comes as Nigeria remains one of the largest sources of visa applicants to the UK, with hundreds of thousands of Nigerians applying annually for visit, study, and work visas.

Under the new regime, the short-term visit visa rises from £127 to £135, while the student visa increases from £524 to £558. Applicants seeking permanent residency will now pay £3,226, up from £3,029, while those applying for British citizenship through naturalisation will pay £1,709, up from £1,605.

In a rare exception, the fee for registering a child as a British citizen has been reduced from £1,214 to £1,000, a cut of £214. All other categories either increase or remain unchanged. Some visa routes, including the Tier 1 (Investor) visa at £2,000 and the High Potential Individual visa at £880, remain unchanged.

Below is the breakdown of the new UK visa and immigration fees relevant to Nigerians:

VISIT VISAS

• Short-term (up to 6 months): £127 → £135
• Long-term (up to 2 years): £475 → £506
• Long-term (up to 5 years): £848 → £903
• Long-term (up to 10 years): £1,059 → £1,128
• Visiting academic (6–12 months): £220 → £234
• Private medical treatment (6–11 months): £220 → £234
• Direct airside transit visa: £39 → £41.50
• Landside transit visit visa: £70 → £74.50

STUDENT VISAS

• Student (main applicant and dependants): £524 → £558
• Child Student: £524 → £558
• Short-term student (English language, 6–11 months): £214 → £228

WORK VISAS

• Skilled Worker (up to 3 years): £769 → £819
• Skilled Worker (over 3 years): £1,519 → £1,618
• Immigration Salary List (up to 3 years): £590 → £628
• Immigration Salary List (over 3 years): £1,160 → £1,235
• Health and Care Visa (up to 3 years): £304 → £324
• Health and Care Visa (over 3 years): £590 → £628
• Innovator Founder: £1,274 → £1,357
• Start-up: £465 → £495
• Scale-up: £880 → £937
• High Potential Individual: £880 (unchanged)
• Graduate Route: £880 → £937
• T2 Minister of Religion: £769 → £819
• International Sportsperson (up to 12 months): £319 → £340
• International Sportsperson (over 12 months): £769 → £819
• Temporary Work routes: £319 → £340
• Representative of overseas business: £769 → £819
• Global Business Mobility routes: £319–£1,519 → £340–£1,618 (depending on category)

SETTLEMENT AND INDEFINITE LEAVE

• Route to Settlement: £1,938 → £2,064
• Dependant relative: £3,413 → £3,635
• Refugee dependant relative: £424 → £452
• Indefinite Leave to Remain: £3,029 → £3,226
• Visitor Extension: £1,100 → £1,172
• Other Leave to Remain: £1,321 → £1,407

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

• Certificate of travel (adult): £300 → £320
• Certificate of travel (child): £151 → £161
• Convention travel document (adult): £94.50 → £102
• Convention travel document (child): £61.50 → £66.50

NATIONALITY AND CITIZENSHIP

• Naturalisation (British citizenship): £1,605 → £1,709
• Registration (adult): £1,446 → £1,540
• Registration (child): £1,214 → £1,000 (reduced)
• Renunciation of nationality: £482 → £513
• Nationality review: £482 → £513
• Status Letter: £459 → £489
• Non-acquisition Letter: £459 → £489

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