Home Office Increases Pre-Licence Priority Service Fee to £750 for Sponsor Licence Applications

The Home Office has announced a significant increase in the Pre-Licence Priority Service fee, raising the charge from £500 to £750 per request. This update, effective from 11 November 2025, applies to organisations seeking to fast-track their sponsor licence applications under eligible Worker and Temporary Worker routes.

The revised fee reflects the government’s latest adjustment to immigration sponsorship service charges, aiming to streamline processing while aligning fees with administrative and service costs.

What Is the Pre-Licence Priority Service?

The Pre-Licence Priority Service allows eligible organisations to prioritise their sponsor licence application by paying an additional fee when submitting their online application.

This service ensures that the application will be considered within 10 working days, although it does not guarantee approval of the licence.

For many employers, especially those with urgent recruitment needs under the Skilled Worker or Temporary Worker categories, this service provides a faster decision compared to standard processing times, which can otherwise take several weeks.

Updated Fee: £750 per Request

As of 11 November 2025, the Home Office has increased the Pre-Licence Priority Service fee from £500 to £750.

The updated charge applies to all new sponsor licence applications or to existing applications where the organisation opts to add the priority service after submission, subject to eligibility.

This change represents a 50% increase, marking a substantial rise in the cost of obtaining expedited processing for sponsor licence applications.

Eligibility for the Priority Service

Not all sponsor licence applications qualify for the Pre-Licence Priority Service. According to the latest Home Office guidance, applications under the following routes are not eligible for priority consideration:

• GBM UK Expansion Worker
• GBM Service Supplier
• GBM Secondment Worker
• Scale-up Worker
• Government Authorised Exchange
• International Agreement
• Seasonal Worker

To qualify for the service, organisations must:

• Have completed and submitted the online sponsor licence application form via the Home Office website.
• Have paid both the sponsor licence application fee and the priority service fee.
• Have submitted all mandatory and supporting documents (as listed in Appendix A) to SponsorshipValidations@homeoffice.gov.uk within 5 working days of paying the priority fee.
• Ensure the application is not already in progress if adding the service after submission.

If any of these conditions are not met, the request for priority service may be refused and the fee will not be refunded.

How to Apply

Eligible organisations can request the Pre-Licence Priority Service in one of two ways:

• When submitting a new sponsor licence application:
  Applicants can select the priority option and pay the £750 fee alongside the main sponsor licence fee. Confirmation will appear on the submission sheet.
• After submitting an existing application:
  If an organisation has already paid the standard application fee, it can log back into its sponsor application account and select the “Finish incomplete applications” option to add the priority service and make the payment.

The service operates Monday to Friday, from 9:00am to 11:59pm, excluding public holidays.

However, priority requests may not be available if:

• The application is for an ineligible route.
• The daily limit of requests has been reached.
• The application is submitted outside operating hours.
• The application is already being processed.

Processing Times

Eligible pre-licence priority applications will be considered within 10 working days of payment.

The 10-day countdown starts on the next working day after the priority fee has been paid and excludes weekends and public holidays.

Example:
If the priority service fee is paid on a Monday, the 10-working-day consideration period begins on Tuesday.

However, delays may occur if:

• The organisation fails to submit mandatory documents within 5 working days.
• Further information is requested and not promptly provided.
• Additional verification checks are required.

If the delay results from missing documents or complex issues, no refund will be issued.

Refunds are only available if the delay is due to technical or administrative errors by the Home Office.

What This Means for Employers

The increase from £500 to £750 represents a notable rise in the cost of accessing the fast-track sponsor licence route.

While the 10-working-day turnaround remains valuable for businesses with time-sensitive recruitment needs—particularly within the Skilled Worker category—organisations should now factor in the higher fee when budgeting for sponsorship costs.

Employers are encouraged to:

• Ensure all supporting documents are complete and accurate before applying.
• Monitor Home Office updates for any future changes to sponsorship fees.
• Consider professional immigration legal advice to avoid costly errors or delays.