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. 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.
Source: JD Supra / Clark Hill PLC
