Full List: Nigerians to Pay More to Travel As UK Announces New Visa Fee

• The UK government has announced it is increasing the cost of some of its visas for students and tourists
• Nigerians and other migrants coming into the UK will have to pay more for some of the underlisted charges
• The visa fees adjustments come as part of the government’s ongoing efforts to manage immigration

Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of business journalism experience with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.

The United Kingdom has reviewed its visa fees for migrants, including Nigerians, which will take effect on April 9, 2025.

These revisions, announced by the UK government is for various visa types including study, visit, sponsorship, and transit visas.

Under the new fee structure, Nigerians planning to travel to the UK as visitors or students will pay more to make the trip.

Breakdown of visa fee changes

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Specifically, a six-month tourist visa will see a nearly 7% rise, climbing from £115 to £127.

Similarly, fees for longer-term visitor visas, like a two-year visitor visa, will now cost £475, up from £432, while five-year and ten-year visitor visas will be priced at £848 and £1,059, respectively.

Students and their dependents will also experience a 10% increase, with fees for their visas rising from £490 to £524.

Transit visa costs have been adjusted as well, with air passengers now paying £39 (previously £35) and land travellers facing a fee of £70 (up from £64).

The fee adjustments extend beyond visitor and student visas to include visa extensions, skilled worker visas, naturalisation applications, and electronic travel authorisations (ETAs).

The Innovator Founder visa fee will rise from £1,191 to £1,274, while the endorsement fee under the Innovator Founder route remains unchanged at £1,000. The fee for the Start-up visa will increase from £435 to £465.

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Global Talent visa fees will also see changes, with the fee for the main applicant requiring an approval letter increasing from £192 to £205, and the fee for those not requiring an approval letter rising from £716 to £766. Dependants under the Global Talent route will also see their fees increase from £716 to £766.

Certificates of Sponsorship for workers are to rise to £525, and there will be an increase to £16 for Electronic Travel Authorisation.

Other visa categories affected include the private medical treatment visa, which will see its fee increase from £200 to £220, and transit visas, with direct airside transit visas rising from £35 to £39. Additionally, the fee for a visa to join a ship or aircraft as a crew member will increase from £64 to £70.

However, premium services such as fast tracks and premium sponsorships remain unaffected by these changes.

A full breakdown of the new fees and the value of the increases can be viewed on the UK government website.

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10 students bring at least 9 dependents to UK

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that out of 34,000 Nigerians granted visas in a 12-month period, a total of 31,898 dependents accompanied them.

This indicates that for every 100 students in the UK, there are approximately 93 dependents.

A similar ratio was observed for work visas, with 8,972 Nigerians being issued such visas in the 12 months leading up to June, along with 8,576 dependents accompanying them.

Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng