ILR fee 2026: £3,029 per applicant, before extra costs
The standard Home Office application fee for indefinite leave to remain is £3,029, with the revised fee table taking effect from 8 April 2026. This charge applies per applicant, so each family member submitting their own application pays it separately. Always confirm the current figure on GOV.UK before you pay, since fee tables can change.
TL;DR:
- The application charge covers the settlement decision and standard biometric handling, but tests, translations, courier costs, faster processing, and naturalization require separate budgets.
- Priority costs £500 per person and targets 5 working days; super priority costs £1,000 and targets the next working day, subject to eligibility and capacity.
- A refused application generally does not qualify for a refund, and missing biometrics or using the wrong form can make an application invalid.
- Children may be exempt from the Life in the UK test and some English requirements, while related applications or transitional cases may still incur the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Table of Contents
- What the ILR fee covers and who pays it
- Extra costs beyond the headline ILR fee
- How and when you pay, and faster-decision options
- Sample cost scenarios: single applicant, couple, family of four
- Fee changes, when they happen and where to check for updates
- Refunds and fee waivers: when fees are refundable or an application is invalid
- Practical budgeting checklist for ILR applicants
- Publisher perspective: how an adviser helps avoid budgeting pitfalls
- How Wesbridge Associates can help with ILR budgeting and applications
- FAQ
- Sources
What the ILR fee covers and who pays it
The fee is charged per applicant, not per household. If you’re applying with a partner or children, each person named on a separate application pays the full amount again; there’s no family discount built into the Home Office fee structure, as confirmed by the long residence guidance.
What the fee typically includes:
- The Home Office’s decision on your settlement application
- Biometric enrolment handling as part of the standard process
- Access to the standard processing route (without priority upgrades)
What it does not include:
- Life in the UK test fees, which you book and pay for separately
- Secure English Language Test (SELT) fees where English language evidence is required
- Document translation or courier costs for supporting evidence
- Priority or super-priority service fees, which are optional add-ons
Naturalisation as a British citizen is a separate process with its own fee, so don’t fold that cost into your ILR budget. The long residence guidance also makes clear that an incomplete or incorrectly submitted application can be treated as invalid, meaning the fee may be at risk if the basics aren’t right.
Extra costs beyond the headline ILR fee
Most applicants need to budget for more than the core application charge. The Life in the UK test may be required for settlement, and the official knowledge of language and life guidance sets out who needs to pass it and who’s exempt by age or circumstance.
Optional faster-decision services have additional fees, according to GOV.UK’s faster-decision guidance, and these are on top of the standard application fee.
Costs to factor in:
- The Life in the UK test, which has its own booking fee set separately from the ILR charge
- A Secure English Language Test (SELT) if you need to prove English language ability and don’t already hold an exempting qualification
- Priority service, with an additional fee, aiming for a decision within 5 working days
- Super-priority service, with an additional fee, aiming for a decision by the end of the next working day
The Immigration Health Surcharge mostly applies to time-limited visas rather than settlement itself, but transitional cases or related applications submitted alongside your ILR claim may still trigger it. Check your specific route before assuming it doesn’t apply to you.
How and when you pay, and faster-decision options
You normally pay the ILR fee online at the point you submit your application, and the charge is per applicant rather than per household. The Home Office doesn’t process your biometric appointment or review your case until payment clears, so timing your payment with your document checklist matters.
If your route supports it, you can add a faster-decision service:
- Priority service has an additional fee and targets a decision within 5 working days, per GOV.UK
- Super-priority service has an additional fee and targets a decision by the end of the next working day
- Both are optional, subject to capacity, and generally non-refundable once paid
Eligibility for these faster services varies by settlement route, so availability isn’t guaranteed even if you’re willing to pay.
Pro Tip: Check priority service availability for your specific route before you submit, since capacity limits mean the option can disappear even if it was listed as available days earlier.
Sample cost scenarios: single applicant, couple, family of four
These figures are illustrative examples to help you picture a total, not a guaranteed quote for your case.
- Single applicant: £3,029 ILR fee, plus a Life in the UK test and possibly one SELT, bringing a rough working total before any priority service.
- Couple applying together: £3,029 per person means £6,058 in ILR fees alone, before tests or optional add-ons for either partner.
- Family of four (two adults, two children): each person pays the ILR fee separately, so four applications mean four times £3,029, plus any tests the adults need and translation costs for supporting documents.
- Adding super-priority for one person: add the applicable additional fee to that individual’s total, since the faster-decision fee is charged per person, not per household.
Children may be exempt from the Life in the UK test and some SELT requirements, which can reduce a family’s test-related costs even though the core ILR fee still applies to each child’s application. Always check your own route and household composition against the current GOV.UK fee table before finalising a budget, since exemptions and fee levels can shift between updates.
Fee changes, when they happen and where to check for updates
Home Office fees are reviewed periodically and the current table took effect from 8 April 2026, replacing the previous schedule. These changes are published formally rather than announced informally, so the safest check is always the official source rather than a figure you’ve seen quoted elsewhere.
Where to confirm fees before you pay:
- GOV.UK’s visa application fees pages, which reflect the latest schedule as soon as it’s live
- The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2026, the statutory instrument that sets the legal fee maxima
Fee orders like this one are the formal mechanism for change, so if you ever see a figure that seems out of date, the order and the GOV.UK table are the two places to settle it.
Refunds and fee waivers: when fees are refundable or an application is invalid
Application fees are generally not refunded if your ILR application is refused, and the long residence guidance sets out the requirements that, if unmet, can make an application invalid rather than simply refused.
Points worth knowing:
- An invalid application, such as one missing required biometrics or submitted on the wrong form, may not get substantive consideration at all
- Where the Immigration Health Surcharge applies to a related application, there are specific payment or waiver windows and missing them can affect the outcome
- If you believe a refund or waiver might apply to your situation, check the relevant GOV.UK guidance for your route before you submit, rather than after
Practical budgeting checklist for ILR applicants
- Confirm the current ILR fee per applicant on the official GOV.UK fee table.
- Count every applicant in your household who needs a separate application and multiply accordingly.
- Add Life in the UK test and SELT fees for anyone who isn’t exempt.
- Decide whether priority or super-priority service fits your route and timeline, and add £500 or £1,000 per person if so.
- Budget for document translation, biometric appointments and any courier costs.
- Keep a contingency for unexpected extras, since fee tables and route requirements can shift.
Pro Tip: Check the GOV.UK fee table on the actual day you submit, not days in advance, since even small timing gaps around an update can mean paying the wrong amount.
If you want a structured way to confirm your qualifying dates before you commit to a fee, our continuous residence calculator checks the 180-day rule against your travel history.
Publisher perspective: how an adviser helps avoid budgeting pitfalls
The most common ILR budgeting mistake we see is applicants forgetting that fees are charged per person, not per application form, which can leave a family short by thousands of pounds at the last minute. A close second is assuming priority service will be available simply because it was last time, when eligibility and capacity vary by route and change without much notice.
Regulated advisers earn their fee partly by catching these details early, checking route-specific eligibility for faster services and reducing the risk of an invalid submission that wastes the fee altogether. Our advisers at Wesbridge Associates are IAA-regulated, which means route-specific accuracy is part of the standard of care we’re required to meet.
— Danish
How Wesbridge Associates can help with ILR budgeting and applications
Getting the fee figure right is only part of the job. Knowing which route-specific extras apply to your case, and submitting an application that doesn’t risk invalidity, is where most of the budgeting pitfalls actually happen.
Our immigration consultations range from a 30 minute initial session at £120 up to a 90 minute strategy consultation at £310, giving you a direct way to confirm which fees apply to your exact circumstances before you pay anything to the Home Office. For readers who’d rather hand the process over, our application support and full application management services start from £500 and from £1,200 respectively, covering document preparation and submission so the risk of an invalid application, and the fee loss that comes with it, is handled by someone who checks this daily.
This article is general information, not a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer. Consult a qualified legal professional about your own circumstances before acting on anything here.
FAQ
What are the current ILR fees in the UK?
The standard indefinite leave to remain fee is £3,029 per applicant, under the fee table effective from 8 April 2026. This is charged separately for each person applying, including children, and doesn’t include optional extras like priority service.
How long does a Tier 2 visa take to process?
Standard processing times vary by route and current Home Office capacity, so there’s no single fixed figure to quote. Applicants who need a faster outcome can check the priority and super-priority services, which target 5 working days or next working day respectively where eligible.
Is ILR still 5 years in the UK?
The qualifying period depends on your visa route rather than being fixed at five years for everyone; some routes require a qualifying period of continuous residence while others, including some long residence cases, require longer. Check the long residence guidance for the requirements that apply to your specific category.
How much does it cost to get a UK visa?
Costs vary widely by visa type, so there’s no single UK visa price. For settlement specifically, the ILR fee is listed in the current fee table from 8 April 2026, with additional costs for tests or priority service depending on your circumstances.