UK visa for work, tourism to increase fees from next month

Travellers planning to head to the UK must be ready for extra expenses as the country is set to increase its visa fees.

Starting Oct. 4, visa fees across categories are due to increase by at least 15 per cent or more, depending on the type of visa, the UK Home Office confirmed on their official website.

UK's new visa fees

As per the new visa fee structure, the tourist visa for a stay of less than six months will cost £115, instead of the previous £100. The student visa will see a £127 increase for travellers across the globe. The fee for applying for a student visa from outside the UK is now £490, instead of the previous £363.

Back in July, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that there would be a hike in fees for priority visas, study visas and certificates of sponsorship to meet the country's public sector wage increase.

Sunak had also justified the move as "entirely right" as these fees have not been increased recently. He also cited that the UK visa fee hike is fitting given that the costs have risen since the last hike.

Last week, the UK Home Office also stated that the income from fees charged "plays a vital role in the Home Office's ability to run a sustainable immigration and nationality system".

"Careful consideration is given when setting fees to help reduce the funding contribution from British taxpayers, whilst continuing to provide a service that remains attractive to those wishing to work in the UK and support broader prosperity for all", added the UK Home Office in their press release.

Meanwhile, the UK government has also revealed that subject to Parliamentary approval, the immigration and nationality fees will also increase from Oct. 4 and the new charges will be announced later in autumn.

From early next month, if a person is looking to migrate to the UK with a skilled worker visa (where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for three years or less), they will have to pay a work visa fee of £718. The current work visa fee is £625.

UK's new scheme from next year

From next year, the UK is also going to put their new travel scheme in place. After leaving the European Union (EU) a couple of years back, the UK recently announced a new scheme, the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

The ETA is a new requirement for people who do not need a visa to enter the UK. According to the Government of UK's Visa and Immigration Department of the Home Office, the ETA will be valid for two years or until the holder's passport expires, whichever is sooner. It will cost around £10 ($12 or €8.50).