Immigration budgets in Whitehall look set to rely far less on taxpayers after the Home Office flagged a package of fee increases published on 28 January 2026. Legal-advisory firm Five Star International, which first spotted the changes in secondary legislation laid before Parliament, says the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) charge would rise for the second time in a year—from the current £10 to £16—while the fee for assigning a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) would more than double, from £239 to £525. Naturalisation costs would also go up: becoming a British citizen would cost £1,605 (up from £1,500) and naturalising as a British Overseas Territories citizen would rise to £1,070.
Although no implementation date has been announced, officials estimate the package could raise an additional £269 million a year. The Home Office argues that higher user-pay charges are preferable to further cuts elsewhere and will help fund the technology needed to digitise border and case-working systems. Business lobby groups are already warning of a ‘stealth tax on skills’, noting that the CoS hike will hit sectors that depend on overseas talent—particularly SMEs that cannot absorb large compliance costs.
For mobility managers, the most immediate concern is budgeting: any CoS issued after the rise takes effect will carry the new price, even if it relates to an extension rather than a new hire. Employers running lean allocations are being urged to audit their sponsorship pipelines now and, where possible, assign CoS ahead of the increase. Travel managers should also update employee-facing guidance to reflect a higher ETA cost for frequent flyers from visa-exempt countries.
![UK government proposes sharp rises to ETA, citizenship and sponsorship fees]()
At this point, many organisations are looking for external support to stay on top of the shifting landscape. VisaHQ’s UK service centre (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) helps both companies and individual travellers calculate the latest Home Office fees, submit ETA requests, monitor Certificate of Sponsorship quotas and receive real-time alerts on rule changes—streamlining compliance and preventing last-minute budget shocks.
Law firms point out that fee uplifts often coincide with procedural tweaks—such as changes to online forms or payment platforms—so HR and global-mobility teams should build in extra lead-time to spot glitches. Individuals who plan to apply for citizenship this spring may save more than £100 by filing before the higher tariff is switched on, provided they already meet residence and good-character requirements.
While ministers insist the UK remains ‘open for business’, the cumulative effect of higher application fees, a doubled Immigration Health Surcharge and steeper salary thresholds risks pricing out mid-income migrants. Multinationals are therefore recalibrating assignment costs and exploring remote-first roles where feasible.
Although no implementation date has been announced, officials estimate the package could raise an additional £269 million a year. The Home Office argues that higher user-pay charges are preferable to further cuts elsewhere and will help fund the technology needed to digitise border and case-working systems. Business lobby groups are already warning of a ‘stealth tax on skills’, noting that the CoS hike will hit sectors that depend on overseas talent—particularly SMEs that cannot absorb large compliance costs.
For mobility managers, the most immediate concern is budgeting: any CoS issued after the rise takes effect will carry the new price, even if it relates to an extension rather than a new hire. Employers running lean allocations are being urged to audit their sponsorship pipelines now and, where possible, assign CoS ahead of the increase. Travel managers should also update employee-facing guidance to reflect a higher ETA cost for frequent flyers from visa-exempt countries.
At this point, many organisations are looking for external support to stay on top of the shifting landscape. VisaHQ’s UK service centre (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) helps both companies and individual travellers calculate the latest Home Office fees, submit ETA requests, monitor Certificate of Sponsorship quotas and receive real-time alerts on rule changes—streamlining compliance and preventing last-minute budget shocks.
Law firms point out that fee uplifts often coincide with procedural tweaks—such as changes to online forms or payment platforms—so HR and global-mobility teams should build in extra lead-time to spot glitches. Individuals who plan to apply for citizenship this spring may save more than £100 by filing before the higher tariff is switched on, provided they already meet residence and good-character requirements.
While ministers insist the UK remains ‘open for business’, the cumulative effect of higher application fees, a doubled Immigration Health Surcharge and steeper salary thresholds risks pricing out mid-income migrants. Multinationals are therefore recalibrating assignment costs and exploring remote-first roles where feasible.
