The United Kingdom Home Office has announced an increase in fees for a broad range of visa, residency, and citizenship applications, with the new rates set to take effect from April 8, 2026.
The revised fee structure, which affects Nigerians and other foreign nationals, covers key immigration categories including visit visas, student visas, work permits, settlement applications, and naturalisation processes. The changes come as the United Kingdom continues to receive a high volume of applications from Nigeria, one of its largest applicant sources globally.
Under the new pricing, the cost of a short-term visit visa (up to six months) will rise from £127 to £135, while student visa fees will increase from £524 to £558. Applicants seeking indefinite leave to remain will now pay £3,226, up from £3,029, and the fee for naturalisation as a British citizen will increase from £1,605 to £1,709.
Most visa categories have seen upward adjustments. Skilled Worker visas, depending on duration, will now cost between £819 and £1,618, while fees for work routes such as the Innovator Founder, Start-up, and Scale-up visas have also been raised. Similarly, settlement-related applications, including routes to permanent residency, have recorded increases across multiple categories.
However, in a notable exception, the fee for registering a child as a British citizen has been reduced from £1,214 to £1,000, offering some relief to families.
Other categories, such as the High Potential Individual visa and the Tier 1 (Investor) visa, remain unchanged at £880 and £2,000 respectively.
The fee adjustments are part of the UK government’s ongoing review of immigration costs and are expected to impact thousands of Nigerian applicants annually, particularly those seeking opportunities in education, employment, and long-term settlement in the UK.