March 26, (THEWILL) — The UK Home Office has announced a sweeping review of visa, residency and citizenship application fees, with new charges set to take effect from April 8, 2026, in a development that will affect Nigerians and other foreign nationals seeking to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.
The revised fee structure, published on the government’s official portal, reflects increases across most immigration routes, including visit, student, work and settlement categories. The move is part of ongoing efforts by UK authorities to recalibrate migration management while sustaining access to key pathways for education, employment and long-term residency.
Under the new regime, the cost of a short-term visit visa (up to six months) will rise from £127 to £135, while long-term visit visas will also see upward adjustments. Student visa fees will increase from £524 to £558, affecting both main applicants and dependants. Similarly, short-term English language study visas will move from £214 to £228.
Work visa categories are also impacted, with Skilled Worker applications (up to three years) increasing from £769 to £819, and those valid for more than three years rising from £1,519 to £1,618. Other routes, including Innovator Founder, Start-up and Scale-up visas, have also been adjusted upward, while the Graduate Route visa will now cost £937, up from £880.
For applicants seeking long-term settlement, the fee for indefinite leave to remain will rise from £3,029 to £3,226, while the broader route to settlement increases from £1,938 to £2,064. Naturalisation as a British citizen will now cost £1,709, up from £1,605, with adult registration fees also increasing.
In a notable balancing measure, however, the UK government has reduced the cost of registering children as British citizens from £1,214 to £1,000, offering some relief to families navigating the immigration system.
Additional increases apply to transit visas, academic visit visas and private medical treatment visas, alongside a range of temporary work and global mobility routes.
However, certain categories, including the High Potential Individual visa and Tier 1 Investor visa, will remain unchanged, providing stability for specific groups of applicants.
The development follows earlier policy interventions by the UK government, including an “emergency brake” targeting visa issuance to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan after a surge in asylum claims. According to the UK Home Office, applications from students of these countries rose by over 470 per cent between 2021 and 2025, prompting tighter controls such as the suspension of sponsored study visas for affected countries and restrictions on select skilled worker routes.
Nigeria continues to rank among the largest sources of visa applicants to the UK, particularly through student and skilled worker pathways. Analysts note that while the new fees represent an increase in the cost of migration, the adjustments remain incremental, allowing prospective applicants to plan ahead without abrupt disruption.
With the new charges taking effect in less than two weeks, prospective applicants are expected to fast-track submissions under the current rates, while migration advisers and institutions prepare for the transition.
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