Costs involved

The sections below provide an overview of the costs associated with a Skilled Worker visa.

Issuing Sponsorship

When issuing a Skilled Worker Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) the Staff Immigration Team has to pay the following, which are then charged back to the employing department/ faculty/ college:

  • CoS application fee
  • Immigration Skills Charge 

Visa Application

When submitting their visa applications online (after they have been issued a CoS) applicants and their dependants have to pay the following:

  • Visa fee 
  • NHS surcharge 
  • any fees for priority services they decide to use

Reimbursement Policy and Visa Loan Scheme

The University of Oxford reimbursement policy sets out which of these costs can be covered by the employing department/ faculty college.

The University also provides a Visa Loan Scheme to help applicants with the costs of visa, ILR, and citizenship applications. As the Visa Loan Scheme is administered through the University payroll system it is not, unfortunately, available to those with 'college only' appointments.

Expand All

The table below provides a summary of the costs associated with the visa application made overseas.

The cost per applicant, is payable for the main applicant and each dependant (main applicant's partner, spouse or dependant child under 18).

 

Main applicant and each dependant*

*Previously there was a visa fee reduction for applicants from certain countries, including most Europeans, but from 26 February 2022 this concession no longer applies.

£719 (up to 3 year visa)

 OR

£1,420 (over 3 year visa**)

Immigration Health (NHS) Surcharge

£1,035 (per year)

£776 applicant under the age of 18 (per year)

** A Skilled Worker permission to enter application can be granted for a duration of up to 5 years.

 

The table below provides a summary of the costs associated with the visa application made within the UK.

The cost per applicant, is payable for the main applicant and each dependant (main applicant's partner, spouse or dependant child under 18) when submitting the visa application online.

 

Main applicant and each dependant*

*Previously there was a visa fee reduction for applicants from certain countries, including most Europeans, but from 26 February 2022 this concession no longer applies.

£827 (up to 3 year visa)

OR

£1,636 (over 3 year visa**)

Immigration Health (NHS) Surcharge payable per year, for the duration of the visa

£1,035 (per year)***

APPLICANT COSTS: Additional services

Priority Service (receive a decision within 10 working days)

£500

Super Priority Service (receive a decision the next working day)

£1,000

Scanning of documents 

£56

**A Skilled Worker permission to stay application can be granted for a duration of up to 5 years. 
*** reduced fee of £776 per year for applicants under the age of 18 at time of application.

 

Card Payments

If a 'Family group' visa application is being submitted for the main applicant and dependants, the visa application fees and NHS Surcharge will be charged as one combined fee which cannot be split across more than one payment card. Applicants may need to contact their bank before they pay the fee on their card to avoid this being stopped or delayed as an unusually large purchase.

 

 

Cost of Skilled Worker Certificate of Sponsorship

CoS (not required for dependant applications)

£239

 

Previously there was no CoS fee for applicants from certain countries, including most Europeans, but from 26 February 2022 this concession no longer applies.

The employing department, faculty or college incurs the cost of issuing the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). The Staff Immigration Team will pay the cost of the CoS when it is issued and subsequently cross-charge this amount back to departments on a monthly basis.

Departments/Faculty

The CoS application form will ask for details of the 

  • cost centre
  • natural account
  • activity
  • source of funds
  • organisation code

The code must be a general ledger code - project codes are not acceptable) in the to cross-charge the application fee to, e.g. AX0000/85210/00/00000/10). 

Colleges 

SIT is unable to cross-charge the CoS fees to colleges.

Please contact SIT to check the amount to be paid and arrange a bank transfer.
 

The ISC is levied on employers who sponsor applicants under Skilled Worker to take up certain roles, but few University roles are affected.

Please note the ISC does not apply to Research and Lecturer roles, and there are a number of other exemptions. 

The ISC does NOT apply to:

  • Research (SOC code 2119) and Lecturer (SOC code 2311) roles, which fall under the ‘PhD level’ SOC codes;
  • Overseas applicants coming for less than 6 months;
  • Applicants switching from a student, Tier 4 visa into Skilled Worker from within the UK;
  • Existing Tier 2 visa holders, whose Tier 2 CoS were issued before 6 April 2017, who are applying to extend their visa, or for a new Skilled Worker visa with a new employer

The ISC is a cost levied by the Government on Skilled Worker sponsorship for certain roles.

Which types of roles within the collegiate University are affected?

All roles, except those as a researcher or lecturer, are affected by the ISC. These include various IT positions, Engineers, Research Managers, Statisticians, PR professionals, and other support roles. If you are unsure please contact the Staff Immigration Team.

How much is the ISC?

The ISC is £364 per year based on the length of the CoS and is paid upfront, along with the CoS fee, when the Staff Immigration Team is issuing the CoS.

The Skilled Worker CoS Application Form highlights roles where the ISC applies and calculates the amount which will be charged.

This charge is an employer cost and must not be passed on to the individual.

Will the ISC be refunded in any circumstances?

The ISC will be refunded in full where:

  • the Skilled Worker visa application is refused or withdrawn;
  • a visa is granted but the visa holder does not take up the role;
  • no visa application is made.

A partial refund in respect of all whole unused 6 month periods will be paid where:

  • the Skilled Worker visa is granted for less than the period requested on the CoS;
  • the visa holder after their first year, voluntarily changes to another sponsor;
  • the visa holder, after their first year, leaves their post early, due to ill health, redundancy, or being dismissed, for example.

Home Office decisions on refunds are made within 90 days after the above events are reported. Refunded ISC fees will then be credited back to the sponsoring department from SIT by Finance in the following monthly credit card reconciliation. Colleges will be refunded by BACS.

Contact us


Medical Sciences / Humanities / GLAM / UAS / Continuing Education

Angelina Pelova, Email: angelina.pelova@admin.ox.ac.uk 

Paul Deeble, Email: paul.deeble@admin.ox.ac.uk

 

MPLS / Social Sciences / Colleges

Lyn Davis, Email: lyn.davis@admin.ox.ac.uk

Richard Birt, Email: richard.birt@admin.ox.ac.uk

 

 

 

Popular links