Increases in UK Immigration Fees Announced

In unwelcome news for sponsors and non-UK nationals, the Government has announced significant increases to a number of key UK immigration and nationality fees, including:

• Certificate of Sponsorship fee rising to £525 (from £239)
• Electronic Travel Authorisation fee rising to £16 (from £10)
• Naturalisation as a British Citizen fee rising to £1605 (from £1500)
• Naturalisation as a British Overseas Territories Citizen rising to £1070 (from £1000)

In announcing the new measures, the Government confirmed the hikes in immigration fees are part of efforts to reduce the reliance of the UK’s immigration system on taxpayer funding.

Sponsorship of workers by UK employers already represents a significant financial investment, so sponsors need to budget accordingly when assigning Certificates of Sponsorships (COS) in the future. It is also important to remember that sponsors are now expressly prohibited from recouping COS fees from workers as explained here.

Fortunately, it appears that student sponsors have been spared any increase in the fees to assign a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) with the fee remaining at £25.

The increase in fees for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will affect non-UK national visitors to the UK. The recent expansion of the ETA scheme is part of the Government’s efforts to improve UK border security by requiring certain travellers to apply for an ‘Electronic Travel Authorisation’ before travelling to the UK. Since 8 January 2025, certain eligible Non-European national visitors must now have an ETA to travel to the UK. Eligible European nationals will need an ETA to travel to or transit through the UK from 2 April 2025 and can apply for an ETA from 5 March 2025. Following feedback from the aviation industry, the Government has also announced a temporary exemption from the requirement to obtain an ETA for passengers in transit

The fee increases are now subject to Parliamentary approval so watch this space for when the new fees will take effect!

For assistance with any queries about sponsorship, nationality or ETAs, please get in touch with a member of our immigration team.