Less than a week after Bola Tinubu’s state visit, the United Kingdom (UK) government has announced an increase in application fees for visas, residency and citizenship processes from April 8, 2026, with the hike affecting Nigerians and other foreign nationals seeking to visit, study, work or settle in the country.

The UK government had earlier imposed an ‘emergency brake’ on visas for nationals from four countries following a surge in asylum claims after entering the country through legal routes.

A statement shared on the official website of the UK Home Office noted that asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan increased sharply by over 470% between 2021 and 2025, making them among the most likely nationalities to claim.

In an unprecedented step, the Home Office said it will end sponsored study visas from all four countries and skilled worker visas for Afghan nationals.

However, in a new development, a revised fee schedule published on the official UK Home Office website shows increases across virtually all categories of visa applications made both inside and outside the UK. Affected categories span visit visas, student visas, work visas, settlement applications, and naturalisation fees.

The increases are expected to take effect in less than two weeks, and Nigerians remain one of the largest sources of visa applicants to the UK, with hundreds of thousands migrating through the student and work visa routes.

While most immigration costs are climbing, the government has introduced a specific reduction for children seeking British citizenship. The registration fee will drop by £214, falling from £1,214 to a new rate of £1,000.

Conversely, charges for the High Potential Individual (£880) and Tier 1 Investor (£2,000) visas will be frozen at their current levels, alongside several other categories that remain unaffected by the latest price hikes.