United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Skilled Worker visa: total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for the common outside-UK Skilled Worker case: 3-year general-rate visa, no priority service, applicant-paid charges separated from the GBP 1,270 maintenance funds you only need to show unless exempt.
What does the Skilled Worker visa actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are £3,924-£4,044. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at £1,270, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Verified against GOV.UK - Skilled Worker visa: money to support yourself on 30 June 2026.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for the common outside-UK Skilled Worker case: 3-year general-rate visa, no priority service, applicant-paid charges separated from the GBP 1,270 maintenance funds you only need to show unless exempt.
Money you don't get back
£3,924-£4,044
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
£1,270
Proof of funds, not a fee. Usually waived if you have held a UK visa for 12 months or your sponsor certifies maintenance on the CoS.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fee (outside UK, up to 3 years, general rate) | £819 | Gov fee | Standard outside-UK fee for a Skilled Worker grant of up to 3 years where the job is not on the Immigration Salary List. GOV.UK - Skilled Worker visa: how much it costs |
| Immigration Health Surcharge (3-year grant) | £3,105 | Insurance | Computed as GBP 1,035 per year for a 3-year Skilled Worker grant; paid upfront with the application. GOV.UK - Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application |
| Maintenance funds for the main applicant | £1,270 | Proof of funds | Proof of funds, not a fee. Usually waived if you have held a UK visa for 12 months or your sponsor certifies maintenance on the CoS. GOV.UK - Skilled Worker visa: money to support yourself |
| Certificate of Sponsorship assignment fee(optional) | £525 | Gov fee | Sponsor-side fee, normally paid by the employer when assigning the CoS; listed here so applicants understand the route economics, but excluded from applicant sunk-cost total. Home Office immigration and nationality fees - 8 April 2026 |
| Priority service (optional)(optional) | £500 | Service | Optional 5-working-day decision service where available; excluded from the baseline total. Home Office immigration and nationality fees - 8 April 2026 |
| Biometrics / visa application centre services· indicative | £0-£120 | Service | Outside-UK appointment and assisted-service fees vary by visa application centre and country. Treat as a country-specific cash-flow item, not a GOV.UK tariff. Indicative VAC service range - verify with the local visa application centre |
| English-language evidence(optional)· indicative | £0-£220 | Service | Conditional: many applicants use a SELT, but some qualify through nationality, UK degree, Ecctis-confirmed degree, or previous proof. Provider prices vary. Indicative English-test or evidence cost |
| Tuberculosis test where required(optional)· indicative | £0-£150 | Service | Conditional on country of residence and stay length; clinic fees vary by country and appointment provider. Indicative TB-test clinic cost - country-specific |
Baseline sunk cost is the application fee plus 3 years of Immigration Health Surcharge and a country-specific biometrics/VAC service range for a single outside-UK applicant on the general up-to-3-year rate, no priority service. The GBP 1,270 maintenance requirement is shown separately because it is proof of funds, not a fee, and may be waived by sponsor certification or 12 months lawful UK residence. Sponsor-side, dependant and conditional service lines are excluded from the baseline total unless the user chooses them. Last checked 30 June 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Skilled Worker visa cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/uk-skilled-worker. Last verified 30 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
FAQs
What does the Skilled Worker visa actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are £3,924-£4,044 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are £1,270. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.