Who pays what
A Skilled Worker visa carries two separate sets of costs: the ones the sponsor must pay to bring the role onto its licence, and the ones the worker pays for their own visa. The law is strict about which is which.
The sponsor has to pay the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Immigration Skills Charge itself. The Home Office can revoke a licence if an employer passes those costs, or any cost linked to its own sponsor application, on to the worker.
What the sponsor pays, up front
On top of those one-off fees sits the normal cost of employing the person, including employer National Insurance at 15 percent of pay above £5,000 for 2026 to 2027.
The skills charge is not due for a worker's partner or children, and not for a short list of science, research and higher education roles.
- Certificate of Sponsorship: £525 for each worker sponsored.
- Immigration Skills Charge: around £1,320 for each year of sponsorship for a medium or large employer, and about a third of that for a small or charitable one. A three year certificate works out at roughly £3,960 for a larger employer.
- A sponsor licence, if the business does not already hold one: about £1,682 for a medium or large employer, or £611 for a small or charitable one.
What the worker pays, up front
A partner or child who joins pays a fee for the same length of time and their own health surcharge, so a whole family can face a large bill before anyone has started work.
- Application fee: £819 to apply from outside the UK for up to three years on the Skilled Worker route.
- Immigration Health Surcharge: £1,035 a year for an adult and £776 a year for each child under 18.
- Proof of savings to support themselves, usually at least £1,270, which the worker keeps.
A worked example
To make the numbers real, take a worker on a salary of £41,700 a year, applying from outside the UK for a three year Skilled Worker visa, employed by a medium or large sponsor. The figures below use the 2026 to 2027 tax rates and the Home Office fees in force from 8 April 2026. The Home Office usually changes its fees each April.
What the worker pays (example: £41,700 salary, 3 year visa, from outside the UK)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salary before tax (a year) | £41,700 |
| Income tax, 2026 to 2027 | minus £5,826 |
| Employee National Insurance | minus £2,330 |
| Take-home pay | £33,544 a year, about £2,795 a month |
| Application fee (3 years) | £819 |
| Health surcharge (3 years at £1,035) | £3,105 |
| Total paid up front | £3,924 |
What the sponsor pays, same example
The skills charge figure ignores the Employment Allowance (£10,500 a year for each employer, not for each worker) and the lower National Insurance rates for some workers under 21, apprentices under 25 and veterans. It also leaves out anything the employer chooses to pay for, such as priority services or legal advice.
What the sponsor pays (example: £41,700 salary, 3 year visa, medium or large employer)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Employer National Insurance (15% of pay above £5,000) | £5,505 |
| Total cost of employing them (salary plus NI) | £47,205 |
| Immigration Skills Charge (3 years, medium or large) | £3,960 |
| Certificate of Sponsorship | £525 |
| Total paid up front | £4,485 |
The Health and Care Worker route is cheaper
Where the role qualifies, the Health and Care Worker visa costs far less. The application fee is lower, £324 for up to three years, and neither the worker nor their dependants pay the health surcharge at all. For care providers this is a significant saving on every hire.
The health surcharge adds up for families
The surcharge is charged for each person. A family of four, two adults and two children, on a five year Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK pays £18,110 in health surcharge alone: £10,350 for the two adults and £7,760 for the two children. Add their application fees and the family pays about £24,582 before anyone starts work. On the Health and Care Worker route the surcharge is nothing.
What a visa holder cannot claim
A work visa comes with the no recourse to public funds condition. The worker cannot claim most state benefits, for example:
- Universal Credit and Pension Credit
- Housing Benefit and social housing
- Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit
- Most disability and carer benefits
- Council Tax Reduction schemes
What they can still use
Benefits built on National Insurance are not public funds, so once the worker has paid or worked enough they can claim them. They can also use the NHS from the day the visa starts, though some things such as prescriptions and dental treatment still carry a charge.
- The NHS, free of charge from the visa start date
- Statutory Sick Pay and the statutory maternity, paternity and adoption payments
- Maternity Allowance
- New Style Jobseeker's Allowance and New Style Employment and Support Allowance
- State Pension and Bereavement Support Payment
What this means for sponsors
Sponsorship is a real budget line, not an afterthought. Before you assign a certificate it pays to know the full up front cost, keep the receipts for the skills charge and the certificate, and never ask the worker to cover them.
You also need to track each visa's end date so a right to work recheck or a renewal is never missed. Empliora keeps the certificate numbers, costs and visa dates in one place and reminds you before anything falls due.