The standard Indefinite Leave to Remain fee is £3,226 per applicant from 8 April 2026. This applies to most people applying for settlement in the UK, including many work, family and long residence applicants. The Home Office fee increased from £3,029 to £3,226, so each applicant now pays £197 more than under the previous listed fee.
That headline figure is important, but it is not always the whole budget. Some applicants also need to pay for the Life in the UK Test, certified translations, document preparation or optional faster processing. On the other hand, the Immigration Health Surcharge is normally not payable when applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain, which is welcome news for anyone who has paid it during previous visa extensions.
Fees can change, so it is sensible to check the official Home Office immigration and nationality fees from 8 April 2026 before submitting an application. If you are unsure which settlement route applies to you, Immigration UK can help you understand the requirements, likely costs and documents before you pay a significant application fee.
ILR Fee 2026: The Main Costs at a Glance
The Home Office charges the ILR application fee per person, not per household. If a partner or child is applying as a dependant, they usually need to pay their own application fee as well. The figures below summarise the main costs applicants commonly ask about in 2026.
- Standard ILR application fee: £3,226 for each applicant.
- Priority service: £500 extra per eligible applicant, where available.
- Super priority service: £1,000 extra per eligible applicant, where available.
- Life in the UK Test: £50 for applicants who need to take it.
- Immigration Health Surcharge: normally not payable for an ILR application.
- Biometric enrolment: no separate mandatory Home Office biometric enrolment fee is usually stated in the relevant GOV.UK settlement guidance, although appointment options may vary and paid appointments may be offered.
The £3,226 application fee covers the Home Office consideration of the ILR application. It does not mean the application will be approved, and it does not include every possible preparation cost. Settlement applications involve a significant fee, so it is worth checking eligibility carefully before pressing the payment button.
Is the £3,226 ILR Fee per Person or per Family?
The ILR fee is charged per applicant. This is one of the most common areas of confusion, especially for families applying together. A partner and child may be included in the same overall family settlement process or application journey, but that does not turn the fee into one shared household fee.
For example, one applicant using the standard service would pay £3,226. An applicant and partner applying together would pay £6,452 in Home Office ILR application fees. An applicant, partner and one child would pay £9,678. These examples are standard fee totals only and do not include optional priority services, Life in the UK Tests, translations or professional fees.
This per person charging is especially important for Skilled Worker dependants, family route applicants and households reaching settlement at the same time. A family should budget for each person individually and should also check that each person meets the relevant eligibility requirements. One person may qualify for ILR before another, depending on residence history, absences, current permission and route-specific rules.
Priority and Super Priority ILR Costs in 2026
Faster decision services are optional, not automatic, and they are only available where UKVI offers them for the relevant application. If available, they are paid in addition to the standard ILR fee. They speed up the decision service standard, but they do not improve the strength of the application or guarantee approval.
The priority service costs £500 extra per applicant. For ILR applications made inside the UK, this usually means a decision within 5 working days after identity verification or a biometric appointment, subject to the official service conditions and any need for further checks. One person applying for ILR with priority service would therefore pay £3,726 in Home Office application and priority fees.
The super priority service costs £1,000 extra per applicant. Where available, settlement applicants normally receive a decision by the end of the next working day after identity verification, again subject to the Home Office conditions. One person using super priority would pay £4,226. Two applicants both using super priority would pay £8,452.
Not every applicant needs a faster service. If your current visa remains valid and you are not facing urgent travel or employment timing issues, the standard service may be enough. If timing is tight, the extra fee may be worth considering, but only after confirming eligibility and document readiness.
Do ILR Applicants Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge?
In most ILR applications, the Immigration Health Surcharge is not payable. The IHS is generally associated with temporary immigration permission, while ILR is an application to remain in the UK permanently. This means the £3,226 ILR fee is not usually followed by a large additional IHS bill.
There is one important caution. If an ILR application is not granted but the Home Office instead grants a period of limited leave, the IHS may become payable before that limited leave is issued. Applicants should not assume that previous surcharge payments will be refunded or offset automatically. The position depends on the application outcome and the Home Office process.
What Other Costs Should You Budget For?
The Home Office fee is usually the largest cost, but it is rarely the only thing applicants need to think about. Some costs are small, some depend on your documents, and some depend on how much support you want before applying.
The Life in the UK Test is listed at £50. Many ILR applicants must pass it unless an exemption applies, but the requirement depends on age, circumstances and immigration route. English language evidence may also be needed for some routes. The required evidence is not identical for every applicant, so it is risky to rely on a friend's checklist unless they applied under the same route and rules.
Documents not in English or Welsh may need certified translations. Applicants may also need replacement documents, employment letters, payslips, bank statements, tenancy evidence or route-specific records. These are not Home Office ILR fees, but they can affect both cost and preparation time.
Professional assistance is also separate from the Home Office fee. It is not compulsory, but it can be useful where there are absences, previous refusals, complex family circumstances, employment changes, criminality concerns or uncertainty about the correct route. Immigration UK provides guidance on settlement applications for applicants who want help checking their eligibility and evidence before submitting.
Are There Any ILR Fee Exemptions?
The £3,226 fee is the standard figure for many ILR applicants, but it is not universal. Some protection-based routes have different treatment. GOV.UK guidance states that applicants with refugee status, humanitarian protection or section 67 leave may have no application fee in the specified circumstances. However, applicants with discretionary leave are listed as paying £3,226 per person for the relevant ILR application.
Because exemptions are route-specific, you should not assume that financial difficulty alone removes the ILR fee unless the official guidance for your exact route confirms that an exemption applies. If you are unsure whether your status is refugee leave, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave or another category, check your grant letter and current immigration records carefully.
Does the ILR Cost Change by Visa Route?
For many applicants, the standard ILR application fee is £3,226 regardless of whether they are applying after a work visa, a family visa, long residence or another settlement route. What changes is not usually the headline application fee, but the eligibility test behind it.
A Skilled Worker applicant may need to show qualifying employment and route-specific salary requirements. A spouse or partner route applicant may need to meet family and financial requirements. A long residence applicant relies on a qualifying period of lawful residence and continuous residence rules. Applicants under ancestry, private life, Global Talent, Innovator Founder, protection and other categories each have their own rules.
This is why the cost question should always be paired with the eligibility question. Paying the correct fee does not fix a weak application. If you want a plain English overview of what settlement means, Immigration UK has a useful guide on what Indefinite Leave to Remain is in the UK.
When Should You Apply and How Long Does It Take?
The earliest date you can apply depends on your immigration route. Some routes require five years, some may allow settlement sooner, and long residence is based on a ten-year qualifying period. There are also rules on absences, current immigration permission, English language, the Life in the UK Test and route-specific evidence.
Standard ILR applications commonly take up to six months, although this depends on the route and whether the Home Office needs more information. Priority and super priority services have shorter service standards where available, but they are not approval guarantees. A complicated application may still take longer if further checks are needed.
Applicants should be very careful about travel while an ILR application is pending. GOV.UK long residence guidance warns that travelling outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man while the application is pending may result in the application being treated as withdrawn. That can be an expensive mistake, particularly where the application fee is not refunded. If timing is uncertain, it may be sensible to plan travel around the application rather than the other way around.
ILR Is Not the Same as British Citizenship
Indefinite Leave to Remain is settlement. It normally allows a person to live, work and study in the UK without a time limit, but it does not make them a British citizen. British citizenship is a separate application with separate residence, absence, good character, language and Life in the UK requirements.
Many people need to hold ILR for 12 months before applying for naturalisation, although different rules can apply where the person is married to a British citizen. Citizenship also has its own Home Office fee, which should not be included in the cost of obtaining ILR. If you are looking beyond settlement, Immigration UK can help with British citizenship applications once you are ready to consider the next stage.
Common Mistakes When Calculating ILR Costs
Most budgeting mistakes happen because applicants mix together different immigration stages. ILR, visa extensions and citizenship are separate applications with separate fees. A clear budget should separate what is mandatory, what is optional and what depends on your personal documents.
- Treating £3,226 as a family fee rather than a per person fee.
- Adding the Immigration Health Surcharge automatically when it is normally not payable for ILR.
- Forgetting the separate Life in the UK Test fee.
- Assuming priority or super priority service is included in the standard fee.
- Using an old ILR fee from before 8 April 2026.
- Ignoring route-specific fee exemptions or special rules.
- Travelling while the application is pending without checking the consequences.
- Paying before checking residence, absence, employment, financial or document requirements.
A good ILR budget is not only about having enough money in the account. It is about knowing what you are paying for, what is optional, and whether the application is ready to be decided on its merits.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is ILR in 2026?
The standard ILR application fee is £3,226 per applicant from 8 April 2026. This is the Home Office application fee and does not include optional faster decision services or other preparation costs.
Is the ILR fee charged per person?
Yes. Each person applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain normally pays their own fee, including partners and children applying as dependants.
Do I pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for ILR?
Normally no. Applicants applying to remain in the UK permanently through ILR are generally not required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for that application.
How much is super priority ILR in 2026?
Super priority costs £1,000 in addition to the £3,226 ILR application fee, where the service is available. For one applicant, that makes the Home Office total £4,226.
Is the Life in the UK Test included in the ILR fee?
No. The Life in the UK Test is a separate cost, listed at £50, and only applicants who need the test have to pay for it.
