Skilled Worker visa cost: what you pay and what the employer pays
From abroad the fee is £819 for up to three years, plus £1,035 of health surcharge per year. A two-year visa costs £2,889 upfront.
Skilled Worker fee and surcharge for your stay
Total to pay when you apply
£3,924
Skilled Worker, up to 3 years, outside the UK · Home Office fees of 8 October 2026
| Person | Fee | Surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | £819 | £3,105 |
| Application fees | £819 |
| Health surcharge (3 years) | £3,105 |
| Total | £3,924 |
Calculated in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere. Not legal advice; not affiliated with the Home Office.
Published by Radif Partners · How we calculate · Home Office fees of 8 October 2026, rules checked 13 October 2026
A Skilled Worker visa has two costs for the applicant and a separate set for the employer. You pay the application fee, which depends on where you apply and how long the certificate of sponsorship runs: £819 from outside the UK for up to three years and £1,618 for longer, £943 and £1,865 from inside the UK. Jobs on the Immigration Salary List pay £628 or £1,235 wherever you apply. You also pay the immigration health surcharge upfront, £1,035 for each year of leave, and may need to show £1,270 of savings, which you keep. The employer pays its own charges and may not recover them from you: £525 for the certificate of sponsorship and the immigration skills charge, £1,320 for the first year at a medium or large company or £480 at a small one or charity. The calculator above adds up fee and surcharge for your length of stay.
The application fee
The fee is fixed by the Home Office fee table in force from 8 October 2026. Two things move it: whether you apply from abroad or from inside the UK (an extension, a switch or a change of employer), and whether the certificate of sponsorship covers more than three years.
| Length of the certificate | Outside the UK | Inside the UK | Immigration Salary List job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 years | £819 | £943 | £628 |
| More than 3 years | £1,618 | £1,865 | £1,235 |
The fee is per person. A partner or child pays the fee for the same length as you, even if they apply later, so a family joining a five-year visa in its second year still pays the over three years rate. Health and care jobs on the Health and Care Worker visa have a lower fee and no surcharge.
The health surcharge is usually the bigger bill
The immigration health surcharge is £1,035 per year of leave for adults and £776 for applicants under 18, paid in full when you apply. Part years of six months or less count as half a year, longer ones as a full year. Three examples, priced by this site's engine:
- Two years from abroad, standard job: £819 fee plus £2,070 surcharge, £2,889 in total. GOV.UK uses the same case and reaches the same figure.
- Five years from inside the UK, switching from another visa: £1,865 plus £5,175, £7,040.
- Three years from abroad in an Immigration Salary List job: £628 plus £3,105, £3,733.
The length of the first certificate matters over time. Three years from abroad followed by a two-year extension inside the UK costs £3,924 and then £3,013, £6,937 across five years. A single five-year certificate from abroad costs £6,793 at once. The single certificate is £144 cheaper overall and spares you an extension application, but it asks for more money on day one and depends on the employer offering a five-year certificate.
Optional extras sit on top. From abroad, where it is offered, priority costs £500 and super priority £1,000; inside the UK, £500 and £1,000. You may also pay for an English test, a TB test or translations. Savings of £1,270 for 28 days are a proof of funds, not a charge, and your employer can certify maintenance instead.
Charges that belong to the employer
The sponsor guidance is blunt: the employer must pay the certificate of sponsorship fee and the immigration skills charge itself, and its licence may be revoked if it asks the worker to pay them or any costs linked to its application. These are not part of your visa fee and should never be deducted from your pay.
| Employer charge | Small sponsor or charity | Medium or large sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor licence application | £611 | £1,682 |
| Certificate of sponsorship, per worker | £525 | £525 |
| Immigration skills charge, first 12 months | £480 | £1,320 |
| Immigration skills charge, each further 6 months | £240 | £660 |
| Skills charge for a three-year certificate | £1,440 | £3,960 |
The skills charge is not due for the worker's partner or children, nor for research codes such as 2111, 2112, 2113 and 2114. It is refunded if the visa is refused or withdrawn. Your employer may choose to reimburse your own fee and surcharge, which is a matter for your contract, but reimbursement is not salary: payments towards immigration costs do not count towards the salary threshold. The skills charge calculator and the family cost page go further, and the official figures are in GOV.UK: how much it costs.