Specialist immigration adviser Five Star International has published a summary of fee increases the Home Office plans to introduce later this year. Although the draft Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2026 is still before Parliament, officials confirmed headline rises in a briefing note circulated to stakeholders on 22 January.
Key changes include:
• Electronic Travel Authorisation fee up from £10 at launch to **£16**.
• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee increased from £239 to **£525**—more than double and payable each time a sponsor assigns a CoS.
• Naturalisation as a British citizen to rise to **£1,605** (currently £1,500).
• Naturalisation as a British Overseas Territories citizen to go to **£1,070**.
Whether you’re an employer needing multiple Certificates of Sponsorship or an individual planning a quick business trip under the ETA scheme, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Its dedicated UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) lets users check real-time fees, submit applications and monitor status updates in one place—helping you stay ahead of sudden price hikes and tight filing windows.
![Home Office flags 2026 fee hikes: ETA to £16 and Certificate of Sponsorship to £525]()
The government says the rises will generate an extra £269 million a year, reducing reliance on general taxation to fund the migration system. Business groups argue the scale of the CoS increase will hit SMEs disproportionately and could undermine efforts to attract skills outside London. Each Skilled Worker application already costs an employer between £5,000 and £9,000 once sponsor fees, the immigration skills charge and the Immigration Health Surcharge are factored in.
Travel managers should expect the higher ETA fee to apply well before **full enforcement on 25 February 2026** and should build it into cost projections for short-term assignments and meetings. HR teams are advised to refresh global-mobility budgets and alert finance departments to the imminent CoS jump—especially where multiple extensions are due in Q2.
Parliamentary approval of the fee order is expected before Easter, giving businesses only a short window to lodge applications at current prices. Immigration lawyers recommend bringing forward CoS assignments and naturalisation filings wherever possible. Once the order is signed, fees typically apply to any application paid for on or after the commencement date, regardless of when sponsorship was initially arranged.
Key changes include:
• Electronic Travel Authorisation fee up from £10 at launch to **£16**.
• Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee increased from £239 to **£525**—more than double and payable each time a sponsor assigns a CoS.
• Naturalisation as a British citizen to rise to **£1,605** (currently £1,500).
• Naturalisation as a British Overseas Territories citizen to go to **£1,070**.
Whether you’re an employer needing multiple Certificates of Sponsorship or an individual planning a quick business trip under the ETA scheme, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Its dedicated UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) lets users check real-time fees, submit applications and monitor status updates in one place—helping you stay ahead of sudden price hikes and tight filing windows.
The government says the rises will generate an extra £269 million a year, reducing reliance on general taxation to fund the migration system. Business groups argue the scale of the CoS increase will hit SMEs disproportionately and could undermine efforts to attract skills outside London. Each Skilled Worker application already costs an employer between £5,000 and £9,000 once sponsor fees, the immigration skills charge and the Immigration Health Surcharge are factored in.
Travel managers should expect the higher ETA fee to apply well before **full enforcement on 25 February 2026** and should build it into cost projections for short-term assignments and meetings. HR teams are advised to refresh global-mobility budgets and alert finance departments to the imminent CoS jump—especially where multiple extensions are due in Q2.
Parliamentary approval of the fee order is expected before Easter, giving businesses only a short window to lodge applications at current prices. Immigration lawyers recommend bringing forward CoS assignments and naturalisation filings wherever possible. Once the order is signed, fees typically apply to any application paid for on or after the commencement date, regardless of when sponsorship was initially arranged.
