The UK authorities has unveiled plans to lift prices for 2 key journey authorisations as a part of wider efforts to fund its border and immigration system.
Beneath a draft proposal printed earlier this week, the payment for a two-year customer visa may rise from £475 (about R10 420) to £506 (about R11 100).
As well as, the price of an Digital Journey Authorisation (ETA), required for residents of visa-exempt international locations, may improve from £16 (about R350) to £20 (about R440).
These adjustments are proposed to be finalised and applied by April 2026, topic to parliamentary approval.
What a visa payment hike may imply for travellers to the UK
If authorized, Journey Information studies, the payment will increase will add to a sequence of adjustments which have already made journey to the UK costlier:
In April 2025, the federal government raised visa and ETA prices throughout many classes as a part of a broader payment overhaul by the Residence Workplace. Normal customer visas of as much as six months elevated to round £127 (round R2 700), with long-stay customer visas additionally rising.
The Residence Workplace has mentioned such will increase are essential to cowl the price of processing immigration purposes and to cut back reliance on common taxation for the border system.
The proposed payment will increase come amid ongoing reforms in UK immigration coverage. Past customer prices, the UK has tightened some work and enterprise routes and expanded enforcement measures in 2026, reflecting broader authorities priorities on immigration management.
The draft proposal will now proceed by parliamentary scrutiny earlier than a closing implementation date is confirmed. If authorized, the brand new charges will probably be among the many newest in a sequence of changes affecting visa candidates and travellers planning visits to Britain.
