Law-firm Clark Hill’s 6 April immigration bulletin confirms that almost every government fee—ranging from the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to sponsor-licence charges—will rise on 8 April 2026, typically by 6-7 percent. The cost of an ETA will jump from £16 to £20, while a large-sponsor licence will increase to £1,682.
![UK Immigration Fees and ‘Visa Brake’ Headline April Rule Changes]()
For companies and individual travellers trying to stay ahead of these changes, VisaHQ’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides up-to-date fee information, document checklists and end-to-end application assistance for ETAs, work visas and other permits, helping you avoid delays and unexpected costs as the new rules take effect.
Employers processing Skilled Worker applications after this date should therefore expect higher out-of-pocket costs for both main applicants and dependants. The alert also summarises other Statement-of-Changes provisions taking effect this week. A new “design endorsement” pathway is being added to the Global Talent route, opening sponsorship possibilities for industrial and digital designers—welcome news for creative-sector employers. Separately, the overseas-employment requirement under the Global Business Mobility Secondment Worker sub-category will be halved from twelve to six months, making intra-group secondments easier to arrange. The bulletin reiterates that the government’s new “visa brake” mechanism—already activated against Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan—remains in force. All new Student-route applications from nationals of those four countries made outside the UK are automatically refused, and Afghan nationals are likewise barred from Skilled Worker entry-clearance. Although existing visa holders are unaffected, sponsors must ensure that recruitment processes screen for nationality-based restrictions. In addition, from 8 April sponsors must pay Skilled Workers at least the pro-rata minimum salary **in every pay period**, rather than over an annual average. The change gives the Home Office faster visibility of underpayment and could trigger licence-compliance audits where payroll anomalies appear. Practical take-aways for mobility teams include: (1) submitting applications **before** 8 April to lock in current fees; (2) updating cost projections for post-April transfers; and (3) reviewing payroll scheduling to guarantee that all sponsored workers hit the new per-pay-period threshold.
For companies and individual travellers trying to stay ahead of these changes, VisaHQ’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides up-to-date fee information, document checklists and end-to-end application assistance for ETAs, work visas and other permits, helping you avoid delays and unexpected costs as the new rules take effect.
Employers processing Skilled Worker applications after this date should therefore expect higher out-of-pocket costs for both main applicants and dependants. The alert also summarises other Statement-of-Changes provisions taking effect this week. A new “design endorsement” pathway is being added to the Global Talent route, opening sponsorship possibilities for industrial and digital designers—welcome news for creative-sector employers. Separately, the overseas-employment requirement under the Global Business Mobility Secondment Worker sub-category will be halved from twelve to six months, making intra-group secondments easier to arrange. The bulletin reiterates that the government’s new “visa brake” mechanism—already activated against Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan—remains in force. All new Student-route applications from nationals of those four countries made outside the UK are automatically refused, and Afghan nationals are likewise barred from Skilled Worker entry-clearance. Although existing visa holders are unaffected, sponsors must ensure that recruitment processes screen for nationality-based restrictions. In addition, from 8 April sponsors must pay Skilled Workers at least the pro-rata minimum salary **in every pay period**, rather than over an annual average. The change gives the Home Office faster visibility of underpayment and could trigger licence-compliance audits where payroll anomalies appear. Practical take-aways for mobility teams include: (1) submitting applications **before** 8 April to lock in current fees; (2) updating cost projections for post-April transfers; and (3) reviewing payroll scheduling to guarantee that all sponsored workers hit the new per-pay-period threshold.
