Last updated: July 2026 · Informational only — not legal or immigration advice. Consult a registered OISC/IAA adviser for your case. Not affiliated with any government or embassy.
A 6-month UK Standard Visitor visa costs £135 from Nigeria — about ₦270,000 at ₦1,996/£ (24 July 2026). A Skilled Worker visa is £819 on a Certificate of Sponsorship of 3 years or less and £1,865 on a longer one, before the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), often the bigger number. UK visa fees vary this widely by route; this page converts every one to ₦ at one dated rate, adds the cost stack the fee tool leaves out, and answers what decides your budget: what comes back if you’re refused.
Cheapest route | Standard Visitor, 6 months — £135 (~₦270,000) |
Where you apply | Online at gov.uk; biometrics at VFS Global Lagos or Abuja |
Who bills you | UKVI, in US dollars — not naira |
Visa fee refundable on refusal? | No |
IHS refundable on refusal? | Yes, automatically |
Official source | visa-fees.homeoffice.gov.uk |
How much are UK visa fees from Nigeria in 2026?
In short: a 6-month UK Standard Visitor visa cost is £135 — about ₦270,000 at ₦1,996/£ — while a Skilled Worker visa is £819 on a Certificate of Sponsorship of 3 years or less and £1,865 on a longer one, before the IHS. Rates effective 8 April 2026. Source: gov.uk, “Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026.”
Fees rose across almost every route on 8 April 2026 — a 6-month visitor visa cost went from £127 to £135. The table below runs the £ to ₦ conversion on each post-increase figure, including the 2/5/10-year visit visa fee bands, at this site’s stated ₦1,996/£ (₦1,540/$ × $1.296/£, the basis used across this site’s UK pages). Rates move weekly — confirm the live £ figure on visa-fees.homeoffice.gov.uk before you pay.
Route | Length | Fee (£) | Fee (≈₦, 24 Jul 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
Standard Visitor | 6 months | £135 | ~₦270,000 |
Standard Visitor (long-term) | 2 years | £506 | ~₦1,010,000 |
Standard Visitor (long-term) | 5 years | £903 | ~₦1,802,000 |
Standard Visitor (long-term) | 10 years | £1,128 | ~₦2,251,000 |
Student | course length | £558 | ~₦1,114,000 |
Skilled Worker (standard) | ≤3 years / over 3 years | £819 / £1,865 | ~₦1,635,000 / ~₦3,723,000 |
Skilled Worker (Immigration Salary List role) | ≤3 years / over 3 years | £628 / £1,235 | ~₦1,253,000 / ~₦2,465,000 |
Health and Care Worker | ≤3 / >3 years | data gap — run the calculator | data gap |
Dependant (partner or child) | matches the main applicant's route and length | same fee as the main applicant | same fee as the main applicant |
IHS, standard rate | per year of leave | £1,035 | ~₦2,066,000/yr |
IHS, student/dependant/Youth Mobility rate | per year of leave | £776 | ~₦1,549,000/yr |
Priority fee / Super Priority (add-on) | — | ~£500 / ~£1,000 | ~₦998,000 / ~₦1,996,000 |
UK ETA | not applicable | N/A — Nigerians need a full visa, not the ETA | N/A |
Source: visa-fees.homeoffice.gov.uk; gov.uk, “Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026.” Checked 24 July 2026. The ₦ column is this site’s own conversion at ₦1,540/$ × $1.296/£ ≈ ₦1,996/£ — not an official naira price.
Two lines catch people out. The UK ETA does not apply to Nigerians — you need the full Standard Visitor visa. And a dependant gets no discount: same fee as the main applicant, plus their own IHS in full.
The total cost stack — not just the headline fee
In short: the visa fee is the first line, not the whole bill. A single applicant on a 3-year Skilled Worker route pays the fee plus 3 years of IHS (£3,105, about ₦6,197,000), plus a TB test and a VFS service charge — pricing only the fee undercounts a work visa by ₦6 million or more. Source: gov.uk IHS calculator; visa-fees.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Cost line | 3-year Skilled Worker (single applicant) | 6-month Visitor |
|---|---|---|
Visa fee | £819 | £135 |
IHS (full term) | £3,105 (3 × £1,035) | £0 — visitors are exempt |
Core total paid to UKVI | £3,924 (~₦7,832,000) | £135 (~₦270,000) |
TB test (IOM clinic, Lagos/Abuja) | ~$130-$150 (~₦200,000-₦231,000), paid locally | Not required under 6 months |
VFS biometric fee | Local ₦ charge, varies by service tier | Local ₦ charge, varies by service tier |
Priority service (optional) | +£500 | +£500 |
On a 3-year Skilled Worker application the IHS alone is close to four times the visa fee — the headline £819 is roughly a fifth of what you actually send to UKVI. The per-dependant multiples, the pay-IHS-first rule, and the mid-application card-decline fix sit on their own page: Immigration Health Surcharge from Nigeria.
Is the UK visa fee refundable if you’re refused?
In short: no — the visa application fee is not refunded on refusal, and reapplying means paying it again in full. The IHS is refunded automatically on refusal or withdrawal, without a separate claim. Source: gov.uk, “Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application.”
Budget for the worse case: a refusal keeps your visa fee with the Home Office — reapplying costs a fresh fee, the same non-refundable pattern the US MRV fee follows.
The IHS runs the opposite way: it comes back automatically once a refusal or withdrawal is processed, no separate claim needed — our sources don’t give a fixed number of days, so allow several weeks. Fuller mechanics: Immigration Health Surcharge from Nigeria.
Paying the fee from Nigeria
In short: UKVI bills Nigerian applicants in US dollars, so a plain naira card usually declines at the gov.uk payment step. On any route carrying an IHS, pay the surcharge first — that payment issues the reference number the visa fee step needs. Source: gov.uk, “Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application.”
A naira card is unreliable at the gov.uk payment step — UKVI bills in US dollars. On any route with an IHS, pay the surcharge first; it generates the reference number the fee payment needs. That ordering, not just the headline number, is why UK visa fees trip up so many applicants at checkout.
Red flag: nobody can get you a cheaper UKVI fee. The amount is fixed by the Home Office and paid on your own gov.uk application. An “agent” quoting one ₦ lump sum with no fee-versus-IHS breakdown, or asking you to send the visa fee to a personal account, is running a visa-agent scam — check the figure against the table above before you pay anyone.
Paying from Nigeria: naira cards decline on gov.uk. Use a dollar card, domiciliary + prepaid, or someone abroad — the full decision tree.
FAQ
Informational only — not legal or immigration advice. Consult a registered OISC/IAA adviser for your case. Sources cited only; expert review pending. Fees and forex rates change — verify the current figure on visa-fees.homeoffice.gov.uk before you pay. Not affiliated with any government or embassy.
No comments yet