Key Overviews
- The indefinite leave to remain fee is £3,226 per person as at 8 April 2026.
- No Immigration Health Surcharge is payable at the ILR stage.
- Priority and super priority processing services are optional extras.
- The Life in the UK test costs £50 for a standard booking.
- An English language test is a separate cost where you are not already exempt.
- A family pays per person. Two adults applying together pay £6,452 in Home Office fees before any optional add-ons.
- The fee is not refunded if the application is refused. Accuracy before submission matters more than speed.
How much does indefinite leave to remain cost in 2026?
Indefinite leave to remain costs £3,226 per person in Home Office fees as at 8 April 2026. This is the application fee for settlement, whether you apply on form SET(M) as a partner, on SET(O) as a worker, or on another settlement route.
The headline fee is only part of the picture. The total you pay depends on whether you add a priority service, whether you still need to sit the Life in the UK test or an English test, and how many family members apply with you. The sections below break each cost down so you can budget accurately.
This page sits within our wider settlement and ILR pages, which explain the requirements for each route. Fees usually change once a year, typically in early April, so the figures here reflect the position from 8 April 2026.
The ILR application fee, and the health surcharge you do not pay
The single largest cost is the application fee of £3,226 per person. It is paid online when you submit the form and covers the Home Office decision on your settlement application.
A common budgeting mistake is to expect another Immigration Health Surcharge bill at this stage. No Immigration Health Surcharge is payable when you apply for indefinite leave to remain. The surcharge applies to limited leave, such as a spouse visa or a Skilled Worker visa, and ends once you settle. Settled status carries full access to the NHS on the same basis as any other resident, so there is no surcharge to pay at ILR.
The fee is not refunded if your application is refused, withdrawn, or rejected as invalid. This is why the cost of getting the application right first time is far lower than the cost of a second attempt.
Priority and super priority service costs
Priority and super priority are optional services that speed up the decision without changing the result. Standard applications are usually decided within 6 months at no extra cost.
The current optional costs, on top of the £3,226 fee, are set out below.
| Cost | Amount (2026) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| ILR application fee | £3,226 per person | The settlement decision, on SET(M), SET(O), or another route |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £0 at ILR | Not payable at settlement |
| Priority service (optional) | £500 | A decision within 5 working days |
| Super priority service (optional) | £1,000 | A decision by the end of the next working day |
| Life in the UK test | £50 | Standard booking, per attempt |
| English language test (where required) | around £150 | Varies by approved provider |
| Biometric enrolment | usually £0 | Premium or on-site appointments cost extra |
Priority places are limited and are not always available, so they cannot be guaranteed at the point of applying. Where a decision is genuinely time-sensitive, for example because of travel or a job offer, the super priority service is the faster option.
The other costs: tests, biometrics, and translations
Beyond the Home Office fee, most applicants meet a small set of additional costs. The Life in the UK test costs £50 for a standard booking, charged each time you sit it. Where you have already passed it for an earlier application, you do not pay or sit it again, because the pass is valid for life, as explained in our guide to the Life in the UK test for ILR.
An English language test is a separate cost, commonly around £150, charged by the approved test provider. You do not need it where you are exempt, for example if you are a national of a majority English-speaking country, hold a degree taught in English, or are aged 65 or over.
Biometric enrolment is usually included at no extra charge at a standard appointment, though premium or on-site appointments are charged separately. Where documents are not in English or Welsh, certified translations are an additional cost. Our ILR documents checklist sets out what you need to gather.
How much does ILR cost for a family?
A family pays the £3,226 fee for each person who applies, as there is no reduced family rate. Two adults applying together therefore pay £6,452 in Home Office fees before any optional services.
Children are charged at the same per-person rate where they are included on the application. A couple settling with one dependent child would pay £9,678 in application fees, and a worked example helps show how quickly the total grows.
For example, a husband and wife on the 5-year Skilled Worker route, applying together with super priority and needing to sit the Life in the UK test, would budget £3,226 plus £3,226 for the two adults, £1,000 each for super priority, and £50 for each test. That is £8,552 in total. Where children are included, our guide to ILR for dependants explains who can be added and on what terms.
Can you get a fee waiver for ILR?
Fee waivers for indefinite leave to remain are limited and route-specific. They are available for certain human rights based applications, such as some long residence and domestic abuse routes, where a person can show they cannot afford the fee.
A fee waiver is not generally available on the standard 5-year partner route or the work routes to settlement. Applicants on those routes should plan to pay the full fee, and should not assume an instalment option exists, because the fee is paid in full at the point of application.
Where affordability is a genuine concern, taking advice early is sensible, because the right route and the right timing can affect both eligibility and cost.
How to avoid paying the fee twice
The most expensive ILR mistake is a refusal that forces a second £3,226 application. Most refusals turn on avoidable points rather than on whether the applicant qualifies.
The recurring causes are absences over the 180-day limit, financial evidence that does not match the strict format the rules require, gaps in the residence or relationship history, and applying more than 28 days before the qualifying date. Our guide to common ILR application mistakes sets out how each one is avoided, and our ILR timeline guide explains when to apply.
Checking the application against the rules before you pay is the single most effective way to protect the fee. Where there is any doubt over absences, finances, or suitability, it is cheaper to resolve it before submission than after a refusal.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The Immigration Health Surcharge is not payable when you apply for indefinite leave to remain. It applies to limited leave, such as a spouse or work visa, and stops once you settle. After a grant of ILR you access the NHS as a settled resident without paying the surcharge.
No. The £3,226 application fee is not refunded if your application is refused, withdrawn, or rejected as invalid.
Yes. Each person included on a settlement application pays the full £3,226 fee, as there is no reduced rate for children or for families applying together.
No. The application fee is paid in full online when you submit the form. There is no instalment option, and the application cannot proceed until the fee is paid or, on the limited routes where one is available, a fee waiver is granted.
Citizenship is a separate cost. Naturalisation as the spouse of a British citizen costs £1,735, including the £130 ceremony fee, and you can apply as soon as you hold ILR. Our guide to British citizenship by marriage explains the next step.
Home Office fees usually change once a year, most often in early April. The £3,226 figure reflects the fee from 8 April 2026. Anyone planning to apply later in the year should budget for the possibility of a further increase and confirm the current fee on GOV.UK before applying.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
The cost of indefinite leave to remain is significant, and a refusal doubles it. The fee alone is £3,226 per person, and the avoidable errors that lead to refusal, such as absences over the limit or financial evidence in the wrong format, have nothing to do with whether you actually qualify.
Our immigration team prepares settlement applications so they are right the first time. We confirm which route and form apply, check your absence record and financial evidence against the rules, and advise on whether a priority service is worth the extra cost in your case. To speak to our settlement team, call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form at whytecroftford.com.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Visa fees (8 April 2026)
- GOV.UK, Indefinite leave to remain if you have family in the UK.
- GOV.UK Immigration Rules Appendix FM
This article provides general information on UK immigration matters as at 26 May 2026 and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration rules, Home Office guidance, processing times, and fees change frequently and sometimes without notice. You should not rely on this content as a substitute for advice on your individual circumstances. Whytecroft Ford is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) at Level 1 and provides advice and representation within the Immigration Rules.
