How Much Will Your Visa Outside the UK Cost?
Generally, there are three main components to a successful visa application. The applicants will need to meet the suitability requirements. In other words, the Home Office sometimes refers to them as ‘general grounds for refusal’. I’ve written several articles about this. Feel free to explore the website. However, generally, to meet the suitability requirements, you’ll need to prove to the decision-maker that you are a ‘suitable person to enter the UK’. The suitability requirements are all about criminal convictions, dishonesty in visa applications, failure to do something, which the decision-maker wants the applicant to do, failure to pay Home Office’s litigation costs (if any), debts to the NHS as so on.
The second component is meeting the eligibility requirements. These will be unique, depending on the type of application.
And finally, the 3rd component to a successful application is following the correct procedure.
How Much Will Your Visa Outside the UK Cost?
The Procedure
In the majority of cases, the procedure will consist of 5 elements. So, you’ll need to :
- complete the correct online form;
- pay the fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. If you are applying outside the UK, the payment will be in your local currency.
- submit your ID together with all the supporting documents
- provide your Tuberculosis certificate (if this applies)
- also, attend your Biometrics appointment
How Much Will Your Visa Outside the UK Cost?
The principal behind the visa fee structure is straightforward. Every person pays even if this person is not the main applicant and also if it is a child.
I thought it would be helpful if I insert the table with the most fee for the applications. Please do bear in mind, that this is likely to change from April 2021. Also, I have not included any premium services in the table.
Visas/applications made outside the UK |
From 6th April 2020 |
| Visit visa < 6 months | £95 |
| Visit visa < 2 years | £361 |
| Visit visa < 5 years | £655 |
| Visit visa <10 years | £822 |
| Visiting academic – more than 6 months but no more than 12 months | £190 |
| Private medical treatment visa – more than 6 months but not more than 11 months | £190 |
| Short-term Student visa (up to 6 months) | £97 |
| Short-term Student studying English language for more than 6 months but not more than 11 months | £186 |
| Settlement | £1,523 |
| Settlement – other dependant relative | £3,250 |
| Settlement – refugee dependant relative | £388 |
| Indefinite leave to enter the UK as the dependant of a member of the armed forces under Appendix Armed Forces to the Immigration Rules. | £2,389 |
| Certificate of entitlement – (right of abode) | £388 |
| Other visa | £516 |
| Transit visa – (direct airside transit) | £35 |
| Transit visit visa (landside transit) | £64 |
| Visa for the purpose of joining a ship or aircraft as a member of the crew of that ship or aircraft | £64 |
| Transfer of Conditions (Vignette transfer) | £154 |
| Representative of an overseas business | £610 |
| Call out/ out of hours fee (per hour/part hour) | £142 |
| Single-entry visa to replace a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) | £154 |
| Receiving, preparing and forwarding documents | £141 |
| Electronic Visa Waiver | £30 |
| Innovator [2-stage application process, payment is for each stage separately] | £1,021 |
| Start-Up [2-stage application process, payment is for each stage separately] | £363 |
| Global Talent – initial application [2-stage application process, payment is for each stage separately] | £152 |
| Approval letter in respect of an initial application for Global Talent | £456 |
| Global Talent – subsequent application [[2-stage application process, payment is for each stage separately] | £608 |
| Global Talent – dependant | £608 |
Points based system – applications made outside the UK |
|
| Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) | £1,021 |
| Tier 1 (Investor) | £1,623 |
| Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) – dependants only | £608 |
| Tier 1 (General) – dependant | £1,021 |
| Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) – dependants only | £363 |
| Tier 1 (Post-study Work) – dependant | £604 |
| Tier 2 (General), (Intra-Company Transfer) – Long Term Staff, (Sportsperson) & (Minister of Religion), where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for a period of three years or less | £610 |
| Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) – Graduate Trainee | £482 |
| Tier 2 (General), (Intra-Company Transfer) – Long Term Staff, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for a period of more than three years | £1,220 |
| Tier 2 (General) shortage occupation where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for a period of three years or less | £464 |
| Tier 2 (General) shortage occupation where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued for a period of more than three years | £928 |
| Tier 4 | £348 |
| Tier 5 | £244 |
How Do You Pay the Fees?
You can generally pay the fees online after submitting your form. However, at some Visa Application Centres, these online payments are not mandatory. In these circumstances, you can pay cash when you visit the centre to submit your documents and biometrics.
Because you’ll be paying in the local currency, the fees may vary slightly, depending on the exchange rate on the day when you apply. The Home Office uses THIS WEBSITE for its currency conversation operations.
Are There Any Other Charges?
YES! If you intend to travel to the UK for more than 6 months, you and your loved ones (those who will be going with you) will need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Also, sometimes you’ll need to pay an additional fee to use the application centre. They call them ‘user pays’. Sometime they’ll want you to pay for other facilities which you may wish to use at the Visa Application Centres.
Frequently, additional fees are in relation to premium and/or priority services on offer. These may include appointments outside the application centre opening hours, and passport passback, where the customer pays to retain their passport during the application process.
Finally, for applications handled on behalf of certain Commonwealth / Overseas Territories, you may incur a charge for preparing and forwarding documents to the Commonwealth Country / Overseas Territory in support of an application for a visa, residence permit, identity card or travel document. However, there is no such charge for referrals of applications for entry clearance for the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar.
More Help
You can learn how to make a visa application yourself by attending one of the UKVisaSuccess.com online courses. Get more information HERE.
You can get more information about various UK Immigration Routes HERE.