UK announces visa fee hikes from April 9, more stress for international students

**UK Visa Prices Increased Starting April 9, 2025**

The UK will raise visa fees significantly from April 9, 2025. This change affects various categories, including students and workers. It also impacts victims of domestic abuse.

The UK Home Office announced these increases on its government website. There will be separate fee hikes for travelers needing an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The ETA fee will rise from $12 to $20 starting April 2, 2025.

For example, the Standard Visitor Visa will increase by 10%. Its cost will go from £115 to £127. The two-year visa rises from £432 to £475. The five-year visa increases from £771 to £848. Lastly, the ten-year visa goes up from £963 to £1,059.

International students will also see higher fees. The standard student visa fee rises from £490 to £524. Child Student Visa applications will have the same fee increase. Short-term English language course applicants will pay £214 instead of £200.

Work visas are experiencing significant increases as well. The Health and Care Worker Visa will rise by 28.2%, going from £367 to £470. The Skilled Worker Visa for shortage occupations increases by 26.3% to £470.

Premium services like priority processing fees mostly remain unchanged. Employment Law Worldview suggested that increasing premium service fees would have been easier.

The last immigration fee increase occurred on October 4, 2023.

**Increased Financial Requirements for Ghanaian Students**

Ghanaian students studying in the UK face increased financial requirements since January 2025. Students in London must now show savings of £1,483 per month. Previously, this amount was £1,334 for London-based students and £1,023 elsewhere in the UK.

These changes relate to maintenance loans available for domestic students. The Home Office plans regular reviews of financial requirements due to inflation.

Families traveling together must prove they have extra funds for each member they bring.

**Scholarship Students Face Deportation Issues**

Some Ghanaian scholarship students at the University of Birmingham faced deportation in 2024 due to delayed tuition payments. Affected students were on scholarships funded by the Ghanaian government.

A letter from the UK Visa and Immigration Office warned them about potential deportation if payments were not made promptly.