UK Visitor Visa Fees 2026: Costs for All Visa Types

Section A: Standard Visitor Visa Overview The Standard Visitor route covers short trips to the UK for tourism, business activity, family visits, private medical treatment, short study (courses up to 6 months, or recreational courses up to 30 days are allowed where not the main purpose of the trip) and a defined set […]
Global Business Mobility Sponsor Licence | How to Apply 2026

Section A: What is the Global Business Mobility Sponsor Licence? Employers often refer to a “Global Business Mobility Sponsor Licence”, but there is no stand-alone licence under that name. The Home Office issues two main types of sponsor licence: the Worker sponsor licence and the Temporary Worker sponsor licence. Global Business Mobility (GBM) […]
UK Self Sponsorship Visa Guide 2026

Section A: What is a Self Sponsorship Visa? ‘Self Sponsorship visa’ in the UK is a general term used to describe an immigration route that allows foreign nationals to sponsor themselves to work through their own business, without needing a traditional employer to sponsor them. This is done by acquiring or setting up […]
Seasonal Worker Visa UK Guide 2026

Section A: What is the UK Seasonal Worker Visa? The UK Seasonal Worker Visa is a temporary visa allowing foreign nationals to work in certain sectors in the UK for a limited period. It is one of a number of temporary work visas currently available to foreign workers and replaced the previous Temporary […]
Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence Guide 2026

Section A: What is a Skilled Worker Sponsor Licence? The Skilled Worker visa (previously known as the Tier 2 General) remains the main route for employing overseas skilled professionals under the UK’s points‑based system. A sponsor licence is required by a UK employer to sponsor non-UK resident workers under the Skilled Worker route. This […]
Sponsorship Visa UK Guide for Employers 2026

Section A: UK Sponsorship Visa Overview A Sponsorship Visa allows foreign nationals to work in the UK for an employer with a valid sponsor licence, where the employer can show a genuine vacancy that meets the required skill and salary thresholds. The wider visa sponsorship system is designed to allow UK employers to […]
CoS Allocation Priority Service UK Guide

Section A: What is the CoS Allocation Priority Service The Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) allocation priority service is a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) facility that allows A-rated sponsor licence holders to obtain additional undefined CoS more quickly than through the standard process. Officially known as the Home Office priority change of circumstances […]
Self Sponsorship Visa UK Cost Guide

Section A: Planning for Self Sponsorship Visa Costs The self sponsorship visa route enables individuals to apply for a Skilled Worker visa by establishing or working within a UK company that holds a sponsor licence. Unlike traditional employer-led sponsorship, the applicant arranges for the sponsoring entity to be set up or controlled by […]
How to Sponsor Someone in the UK | 2026 Licence & Process

Section A: How to Sponsor Someone to Work in the UK Sponsoring a worker in the UK is not as simple as issuing a job offer. Employers must hold Home Office approval in the form of a sponsor licence before they can lawfully recruit most overseas nationals who do not already have permission […]
Defined & Undefined Certificates of Sponsorship Guide

Section A: What is a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)? One of the mandatory requirements of sponsored work routes such as the Skilled Worker visa and Global Business Mobility visas is that the applicant has a valid Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a licensed employer. The CoS is an electronic record with a unique […]