How to Avoid Overpaying For Your UK Skilled Worker Visa
04/09/2025
We’ve received several enquiries recently from Skilled Worker applicants who feel they’ve been overcharged by the Home Office for their 3 year Skilled Worker visa. This is specifically in situations where they have 3 year work dates but have been charged a 5 year visa fee.
This will be because of the dates on your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS); below we’ve explained this in more detail, alongside advice on how you can fix the problem and avoid overpaying in the future.
We’ll go into more detail on this rule below, including a few restrictions to bear in mind before you start studying on a Skilled Worker visa.
How Much Does a UK Skilled Worker Visa Cost?
Application costs for Skilled Worker visas are calculated based on how long your visa is valid for. At the time of writing the standard application fees for UK Skilled Workers are:
- 3 year Skilled Worker visa: £769 per person
- Skilled Worker visa over 3 years: £1,519 per person
Please refer to this gov.uk page for the up-to-date fee. However, this isn’t the total cost of your application. You’ll also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) for every year granted on your visa.
These Skilled Worker fees were also increased on April 9th 2025 alongside all other UK immigration routes, which makes the cost difference between a 3 year and 5 year Skilled Worker visa even more substantial.
These figures mean that the cost difference between a 3 year and a 5 year Skilled Worker visa can add up to hundreds of pounds more. Which is why we’ve had so many enquiries from applicants who’ve been blindsided by a Home Office fee that’s much higher than what they were expecting.
The reason why you might have been overcharged for your visa will likely be because of your CoS dates.
Why Your Certificate of Sponsorship Dates Might Lead to a Higher Application Fee
The length of stay on a Skilled Worker visa is based on the start and end dates provided on your CoS. These are decided by your employer when they issue your CoS.
If you have 3 year work dates but have been charged a 5 year visa fee, it will likely be because your dates end up slightly longer than 3 years when calculated.
For example, your employer may have listed 01/07/2025 as your start date and 01/07/2025 as your end date, thinking that this is a 3 year window. But in cases where your dates are exactly 3 years, or slightly over, you’ll be charged the higher application fee.
What Can I Do if I Have 3 Year Work Dates but Have Been Charged a 5 Year Visa Fee on My Skilled Worker Application?
Thankfully there are a couple of ways to fix this problem and avoid being overcharged for your visa.
You can change the dates issued on your CoS through a process called a Sponsor Note. A Sponsor Note allows your employer to inform the Home Office of any changes to your certificate. Your employer can request a date change through this Sponsor Note, which should then correctly calculate your application cost.
If your employer isn’t willing to add a Sponsor Note, you can complete the form again with the amended dates, which should also result in the correct calculation.
If you’re in this situation and aren’t sure how best to proceed, please contact us directly using the form below.
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