Nigeria to UK: official Skilled Worker visa costs 2026

What this page covers

This page covers the Skilled Worker visa applied for from outside the UK, and only the official per-person items that GOV.UK lists: the application fee, the healthcare surcharge, money to support yourself, and the TB test. Amounts are in pounds, as GOV.UK states them. Your own total depends on the length of the visa, the fee category, how many family members apply and whether you must show savings.

GOV.UK: costs

The visa application fee

The standard fee for a Skilled Worker visa applied for from outside the UK is £819 per person for a stay of up to 3 years and £1,618 per person for a stay of more than 3 years. GOV.UK says the fee is lower if the job is on the immigration salary list: £628 for up to 3 years or £1,235 for more than 3 years. GOV.UK says you are told how much to pay when you apply. A partner or child who applies to join you pays the fee for the same length of time as you, even if they apply after your visa has been granted.

GOV.UK: costs

The healthcare surcharge

The healthcare surcharge is usually £1,035 per year for each person, for example £3,105 for a 3-year visa. It is £776 per year for applicants under 18, and dependants aged 18 or over usually pay the same as the main applicant. GOV.UK gives an example of a person applying from Argentina for 2 years whose job is not on the immigration salary list: £819 plus £1,035 for each year of the stay, a total of £2,889 at application. Health and Care Worker visa applicants and their partner or children do not pay the surcharge. That does not mean every healthcare job uses that visa, so confirm your route before you add or remove this cost.

GOV.UK: costs GOV.UK: Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application — how much you have to pay GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker

Money to support yourself

You must show at least £1,270 in your bank account. The money must have been available for at least 28 days in a row, and day 28 must fall within 31 days of applying. GOV.UK says you do not have to show it if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, or if your employer can cover your costs for your first month, up to £1,270. In the second case the certificate of sponsorship must confirm it. Partners and children must also prove they can support themselves. This money is evidence of funds, not a fee paid to the government.

GOV.UK: costs

The TB test for applicants from Nigeria

GOV.UK says you need a tuberculosis (TB) test if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more, have lived for 6 months or more in a listed country, and were living there within the last 6 months. Nigeria is on that list, and the list does not mark it as a country where you must test elsewhere. The test is usually a chest x-ray at a clinic approved by the Home Office. If it shows you do not have TB, you get a certificate valid for 6 months from the x-ray date, to include with your visa application. The GOV.UK pages read for this article do not give a price for the test, so none is shown here.

GOV.UK: Tuberculosis (TB) tests for visa applicants — check if you need a TB test GOV.UK: Countries where you need a TB test for your UK visa application

What is not included

This page does not cover other visa routes, applications made from inside the UK, flights, housing, deposits, translations, moving possessions, bank or exchange charges, or a total in naira. Recheck GOV.UK when you apply, because the amounts can change.