UK visa and immigration fees have increased from today, 4 October 2023.

The increases affect a number of UK immigration applications made from this date, including:?

• Skilled Worker visa?
• Student visa?
• Graduate visa?
• Government Authorised Exchange visa?
• Indefinite Leave to Remain (Settlement)?
• Naturalisation as a British Citizen?
• Visitor visa?

The new fees are available via UK visa fees – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

For the Skilled Worker and Government Authorised Exchange visas, hiring/managing departments will also need to be aware that the Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) fees have also increased:?

• Skilled Worker ?239 per COS?
• Government Authorised Exchange ?25 per COS?

In addition to the visa fees, the Home Office announced plans to increase the Immigration Health Surcharge. A date has not been provided for this but it is anticipated this will be introduced later in the Autumn. For further details on the Health Surcharge, please see Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The ability to attract, successfully recruit and retain talented individuals from a global market is important to the achievement of our University Strategy. The University therefore provides assistance with the costs incurred in making visa and immigration applications where this is a requirement of working for the University, including an interest-free loan up to ?10k to support newly appointed staff in meeting these expenses, and reimbursement of certain visa application and Immigration Health Surcharge costs. For further details, please see the ‘Visa and Immigration Costs Assistance’ policy via the HR Immigration and visas webpage.?

If you have any questions on the visa and immigration costs assistance policy, please contact Ask HR:?

• Raise a ticket through?ServiceNow?
• Call Ask HR?on ext 27547 (dial A-S-K-H-R) or 023 8059 7547 if calling from outside the University?
• Email?Ask_HR@soton.ac.uk??