The Home Office has released its statutory immigration-fee table for the period starting 8 October 2026. Contrary to speculation of an autumn hike, every headline fee— from the £719 Skilled Worker application to the £1,500 settlement premium—remains unchanged from the April schedule. The department says the table has been re-issued to incorporate four new chargeable services for sponsors: Priority Sponsor Licence Audit (£750), Compliance Correction Plan (£1,250), Digital Status Data Feed (£300 per worker) and Same-Day CoS Validation (£200 per certificate). Although the core fees are static, businesses should factor the new ancillary charges into 2027 mobility budgets. The Digital Status Data Feed product, aimed at large employers, will allow HR systems to receive real-time updates on employees’ eVisa or BRP status and could reduce onboarding delays—but at a cost that could exceed £30,000 a year for a 100-person sponsor population. By republishing the fee table rather than issuing a Statement of Changes, the Home Office avoids parliamentary scrutiny while still bringing the new services into force. Immigration advisers expect the department to review headline fees again in April 2027 once the Economic Price Index figures for 2026-27 are known. Practical tips: mobility managers should ensure that internal recharge models capture the new optional fees; payroll teams should adjust gross-up calculations; and procurement departments may wish to bulk-purchase Same-Day CoS validations before Christmas peak hiring to mitigate delays. The unchanged headline fees are welcome news for workers and sponsors facing higher National Insurance and cost-of-living pressures, but the steady creep of optional paid-for services underscores the importance of rigorous cost-tracking in global-mobility budgets.
