The immigration skills charge is a fee a UK employer pays when it assigns a certificate of sponsorship to a Skilled Worker or a Senior or Specialist Worker. The amount depends on the size of the sponsor and the length of the job. The employer must pay it and cannot pass the cost on to the worker.
Key points
- A medium or large sponsor pays £1,320 for the first 12 months and £660 for each further 6 months.
- A small or charitable sponsor pays £480 for the first 12 months and £240 for each further 6 months.
- It is paid in one go, at the moment the certificate of sponsorship is assigned.
- Some occupation codes are exempt, and so is a worker switching from a visa that allowed them to study.
- A sponsor that asks the worker to pay the charge risks having its licence revoked.
How the immigration skills charge works
An employer pays the charge when it assigns a certificate of sponsorship to someone applying for a Skilled Worker visa or a Senior or Specialist Worker visa.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge It is separate from the fee for the certificate itself.[2]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Certificates of sponsorship
The charge applies when the worker is applying:
- from outside the UK, to work here for 6 months or more
- from inside the UK, for any length of time
It is paid in full, in one payment, for the whole period shown on the certificate.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge
How much it costs
The amount depends on two things: the size of the sponsor and how long the worker will work for it, using the start and end dates on the certificate.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge
| Period | Small or charitable sponsor | Medium or large sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| First 12 months | £480 | £1,320 |
| Each additional 6 months | £240 | £660 |
| Most you can pay (5 years) | £2,400 | £6,600 |
If the worker will be in the UK for more than 6 months but less than a year, the employer still pays for 12 months.
An organisation is usually a small sponsor if at least two of these apply: its annual turnover is £15 million or less, its total assets are worth £7.5 million or less, and it has 50 employees or fewer.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge
When the charge is not payable
No charge is due for a worker in one of these occupation codes: chemical scientists (2111), biological scientists (2112), biochemists and biomedical scientists (2113), physical scientists (2114), social and humanities scientists (2115), natural and social science professionals not elsewhere classified (2119), research and development managers (2161), other researchers (2162) and higher education teaching professionals (2311).[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge
It is also not payable when:
- the worker is switching to a Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker visa from a visa that allowed them to study, including when they later extend the new visa
- the worker is a dependant, such as a partner or child
- certain EU nationals are transferred temporarily to the UK on the Senior or Specialist Worker route for no more than 36 months
A worker who was assigned a certificate before 6 April 2017 may also be outside the charge. The Home Office guidance for sponsors sets out the detail.
Example
An engineering firm with 30 staff and a turnover of £4 million is a small sponsor. It sponsors a worker on a Skilled Worker visa for 3 years.
- First 12 months: £480
- Four further periods of 6 months at £240: £960
The immigration skills charge is £1,440. A medium or large sponsor would pay £1,320 plus four payments of £660, which is £3,960 for the same worker.
What people get wrong
Employers often budget for the visa and forget the charge, then try to recover it from the worker through a deduction or a repayment clause. The guidance is direct on this point: the sponsor must pay the charge itself, and asking the worker to pay can cost the sponsor its licence.
A second point is easy to miss. If a sponsored worker moves to a new job in the same organisation with a different occupation code, the employer must assign a new certificate. If the new certificate gives the worker more time, the employer pays the charge for the extra time.[1]Home Office, UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge
The bottom line
The immigration skills charge is an employer’s cost of sponsoring a Skilled Worker or a Senior or Specialist Worker. It is set by the sponsor’s size and the length of the job, it is paid up front when the certificate of sponsorship is assigned, and it stays with the employer. Check the exemptions before you assign the certificate.
Common questions
The employer. GOV.UK guidance says the sponsor must pay it itself, and that its licence may be revoked if it asks the sponsored worker to pay the charge or any linked costs.
No. The charge applies to the sponsored worker only. The employer does not pay it for the worker's partner or children.
The longest sponsorship is 5 years, so the maximum is £6,600 for a medium or large sponsor and £2,400 for a small or charitable sponsor.
UK Visas and Immigration contacts the employer, which then has 10 working days to pay. If it does not, the worker's visa application is refused.
Sources
We cite the Immigration Rules, legislation and GOV.UK guidance directly. Rules change, so each source shows the date we last checked it.
- Home Office. UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Home Office. UK visa sponsorship for employers: Certificates of sponsorship. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩