UK Global Talent Visa Costs: What You Actually Pay

The Stage 1 fee, paid to the endorsing body, is £561. It is paid when you submit your endorsement application, before you know whether you will be approved.

This fee is non-refundable. If your application is rejected at Stage 1, you do not get £561 back. If you reapply, you pay £561 again. This is one of the strongest practical reasons to prepare thoroughly before submitting rather than submitting speculatively to see what happens.

The fee covers the cost of having your application reviewed by a panel of assessors. It does not include any assistance with preparing the application. GOV.UK says a digital technology endorsement decision usually takes 5 to 8 weeks from the date a complete application is received. That is a published expectation, not a commitment, and you cannot pay to speed Stage 1 up: priority processing is available for the Stage 2 visa application only.

After endorsement, you apply for the actual visa through the UK government portal. The fee is £205.

It does not change with where you apply from. The statutory fee table lists Global Talent under separate outside-UK and in-UK headings carrying the same amount, so £205 is what you pay whether you are switching from inside the UK or applying from abroad. If you have seen a higher outside-UK figure quoted for this route, it is wrong: no Global Talent row in any current or recent fee table carries one.

What does change with location is the processing time, not the price. See our timeline guide for the two figures.

These fees are per applicant. Each dependant (partner, children under 18) submits a separate application and pays £766.

The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) covers NHS access during your stay in the UK. It is paid upfront at Stage 2, for the full duration of the visa, before you arrive.

The current adult rate is £1,035 per year. Most Global Talent Visas are granted for 5 years, so the upfront IHS for a single adult applicant is £5,175. Each dependant pays the IHS separately. Dependants under 18 pay a lower rate of £776 per year, which is £3,880 over 5 years, so family models that price children at the adult rate overstate the bill.

For a family of four on 5-year visas made up of two adults and two children, the IHS alone comes to £18,110: two adults at £5,175 and two children at £3,880. This is typically the largest single expense in the process and one of the most commonly underestimated when families start planning.

Partners and children under 18 can apply for dependent visas. Dependents get full UK work rights with no employer restrictions.

The visa application fee per dependant is £766, the same inside or outside the UK. Each dependant also pays the IHS for the visa duration: £1,035 per year for an adult partner, £776 per year for a child under 18.

For a family of three (main applicant plus one partner and one child) on 5-year visas: visa application fees total £205 + £766 + £766 = £1,737. IHS totals £5,175 for you, £5,175 for your partner and £3,880 for the child = £14,230. Add the £561 Stage 1 endorsement fee and the government cost before any professional assistance is £16,528.

After submitting the Stage 2 online application, you book a biometrics appointment at a UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) in your country. The standard appointment is included in the visa fee in many locations, but some centres charge a service fee of £50 to £100.

VAC fees vary significantly by country. In some locations there is no additional charge for a standard appointment. In others, particularly in markets with high demand, service fees apply. Check the specific VAC fees for your location when building your total budget.

Many applicants work with an IAA-registered immigration solicitor or use an application preparation service. These costs are separate from the Home Office and endorsing body fees.

Immigration solicitor fees for a Global Talent Visa application typically range from £2,000 to £5,000 depending on the firm and the complexity of your case. Solicitors provide legal advice, document review, and guidance through the process.

getendorsed's pre-submission audit reviews your complete evidence bundle, personal statement, and reference letters specifically against Tech Nation criteria, at a fraction of the cost of a full solicitor engagement.

For a single applicant on a 5-year visa: Stage 1 (£561) + Stage 2 (£205) + IHS (£5,175) = £5,941 in government fees. The Stage 2 fee is the same wherever you apply from, so this figure does not change with your location.

For a family of four on 5-year visas (you, a partner and two children under 18): £561 Stage 1, plus £205 + £766 x 3 = £2,503 in visa fees, plus £18,110 in IHS = £21,174 in government fees before any professional assistance.