Those who wish to come to the UK (fresh visa) or remain in the UK (visa extension), ILR, BRP, or Naturalisation will need to pay an application fee as part of the process. The Fee is published on the Home Office website - Fee from 01 July 2025
How much the applicants will need to pay depends on the type of visa, where they are applying from, and whether they are required to pay additional costs (such as the IHSC (immigration healthcare surcharge), BRP (biometric residence permits), and any VAC (Visa Application Centre)) costs.
From 9 April 2025, the Home Office introduced its annual update to most, but not all, UK visa and immigration application fees. The updated fees apply to a wide range of applications, including visas (both for entry clearance and extension of the existing visa), Indefinite Leave to Remain (also known as ‘settlement’), citizenship, and sponsorship costs. While many of the Home Office fee hikes are modest, applicants and sponsors should still take note of the changes when preparing their applications and sponsoring foreign workers.
ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) allows you to live and work in the UK indefinitely. Most UK visa routes lead to ILR. You will need to satisfy various requirements to be eligible to apply for ILR.
Applying for indefinite leave to remain in 2025 requires a significant financial commitment, especially for those applying with dependants.
The Home Office will not process your ILR application if there are issues with your fee. Therefore, you should have the required funds and pay the correct amount.
|
Applicant Group |
Number of Applicants |
Total ILR Fee (£3,029 per applicant) |
|
Single applicant |
1 |
£3,029 |
|
Main Applicant and their partner |
2 |
£6,058 |
|
Family (2 adults, 1 child) |
3 |
£9,087 |
The fee for applying for ILR from 9 April 2025 is 3,029 per applicant. It applies both to the primary applicant and their dependents:
The total fee must be paid before applications will be processed.
The Home Office reviews and updates its UK visa and immigration application fees periodically. Applicants must check the latest fee before applying to ensure they pay the correct amount and hence avoid issues with their application processing.
Importantly, the ILR fee is non-refundable, even if the application is unsuccessful.
Typically, it takes up to six months to receive a decision on an ILR application. However, the Home Office offers priority and super-priority processing services to applicants requiring a faster decision on their ILR applications. These expedited services (priority and super-priority processing services) are optional. They come at an additional cost but significantly reduce the waiting time for a decision.
Importantly, not all types of ILR applications qualify for priority or super-priority processing. It is only when you complete the application form that you will find out if priority services are available to you. To use one of these services, you will need to select the relevant option on the form and pay the additional fee.
With priority processing, you should expect to get a decision within five working days of the enrolment of your biometric information.
The priority processing fee is currently £500 on top of the standard ILR application fee.
With the Super priority processing option, the Home Office commits to providing a decision by the end of the next working day after you have enrolled your biometric information.
The super-priority processing fee is currently £1,000 in addition to the standard ILR application fee.
A BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) was a physical document used to prove immigration status in the UK. However, all BRPs have expired on 31 December 2024 and have been replaced by a digital record of someone’s immigration status known as eVisas.
If you still have a BRP, you will need to update it to an eVisa. This will neither affect your immigration status nor the conditions of your leave to stay and work in the UK.
Importantly, there is no cost for updating a BRP to an eVisa.
British citizenship through naturalisation or registration applications represents the final step for UK residents looking for permanent belonging.
Applying for British Citizenship is one of the most important life decisions an individual can make. In many cases, non-British adults who have held indefinite leave to remain, ‘settled status’ under the EUSS, or ILE (Indefinite Leave to Enter) in the UK for at least one year can apply to naturalise as British citizens. They need to fulfil the other requirements (including the residence requirement, Life in the UK test, and Good Character requirements).
Applicants, upon successful application, attend a citizenship ceremony where they receive a Certificate of Naturalisation and gain the rights and privileges of a British citizen, including the ability to obtain a UK passport.
The Home Office UK naturalisation application fee in 2025 is £1,605 per applicant. You also need to pay £130 in addition to the application fee for the arrangement of a citizenship ceremony.
When you are looking to make UK immigration applications, we are well-positioned to help you navigate the whole process smoothly.
One of the experienced immigration lawyers from our team will work directly with you to explain all the fees for UK visas, ILR, and British citizenship application fees. We will explain exactly what is involved, depending on the complexities of your case and your personal circumstances.
Some of the additional costs on top of the application fee include costs for providing your biometric information (fingerprints and facial photograph), proving your English language levels (where applicable), or the Life in the UK test (where applicable).
We also ensure that your documents are well compiled and accompanied by certified translations (if they are not in English or Welsh) so that you can be confident in meeting the eligibility requirements and submitting your application.
For the accurate and latest fees for your intended application for a UK visa, ILR, or naturalisation, you can contact one of our expert immigration lawyers at +44 (0)20 3411 1261.
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