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Rapid rise in UK Skilled Worker visas expected as US introduces $100,000 fee for H-1B Work Visa  

With the US introducing a $100,000 fee for its H-1B work visa, international employers are expected to look elsewhere to deploy skilled talent. The UK’s Skilled Worker visa, by contrast, offers a more affordable, flexible, and predictable route for global businesses seeking to attract and retain world-class professionals.

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Published 9 October 2025

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Rapid rise in UK Skilled Worker visas expected as US introduces $100,000 fee for H-1B Work Visa  

$100,000.  As of 21 September 2025, that is the fee to request the deployment of a skilled worker in the US under the H-1B visa route.  Previously the fee was just $215.

This enormous overnight increase will have a substantial impact on the ability of US employers and international companies to bring talent to the US.  However, it will likely increase the appeal of the UK’s equivalent of the H-1B, the ‘Skilled Worker visa’, especially for those companies looking to find a new home for their top flight employees and talent.

The UK Skilled Worker visa has always been more predictable than the H-1B Visa, which is subject to frequent rule changes and provides limited job mobility, given that only 85,000 are granted each year.  Now that the increased fee of $100,000 will apply for new H-1B applicants (and must be paid on top of all related application fees), few international companies will be able to afford this, other than for perhaps the most senior and skilled positions.

This makes the UK Skilled Worker visa look attractive by comparison.  The costs for the employer/worker across the 5-year Skilled Worker visa period are as follows:

  • Certificate of sponsorship – £525;
  • Immigration Skills Charge – £1,820 for a small company (£364 per year) and £5,000 for a large company (£1,000 per year);
  • Immigration Health Surcharge – £5,175 (£1,035 per year for an adult) (or £3,880 for a child (£776 per year));
  • Skilled Worker visa application fee – £1,519 if the application is made outside the UK or £1,751 if the application is made inside the UK; and
  • Minimum salary – either £41,700 a year, or the minimum salary for the specific role, whichever is the greater. A lower salary can be accepted (not less than £33,400) in certain circumstances, for example if the applicant has a STEM qualification relevant to their role.

Skilled Workers relocating to the UK can access significant benefits too.  Under the UK’s new ‘Foreign Income and Gains’ regime, qualifying new arrivals can be exempt from UK tax on their overseas income and gains for the first four years of residence in the UK.

Understandably, the new H-1B fee will lead to international companies reconsidering deployment of staff to the US.  We are happy to talk about what the UK has to offer in the alternative.

Even if international companies do not yet have a UK operation, this creates further opportunities.  We can assist in establishing a UK presence by setting up a new UK branch or subsidiary of your overseas company (provided it has been trading for at least three years) and using the very popular Expansion Worker route to relocate senior staff to the UK.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details: Charles.avens@collyerbristow.com or Charlie.fowler@collyerbristow.com.

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Longer Reads

Rapid rise in UK Skilled Worker visas expected as US introduces $100,000 fee for H-1B Work Visa  

With the US introducing a $100,000 fee for its H-1B work visa, international employers are expected to look elsewhere to deploy skilled talent. The UK’s Skilled Worker visa, by contrast, offers a more affordable, flexible, and predictable route for global businesses seeking to attract and retain world-class professionals.

Published 9 October 2025

Associated sectors / services

  • Immigration

Authors

Rapid rise in UK Skilled Worker visas expected as US introduces $100,000 fee for H-1B Work Visa  

$100,000.  As of 21 September 2025, that is the fee to request the deployment of a skilled worker in the US under the H-1B visa route.  Previously the fee was just $215.

This enormous overnight increase will have a substantial impact on the ability of US employers and international companies to bring talent to the US.  However, it will likely increase the appeal of the UK’s equivalent of the H-1B, the ‘Skilled Worker visa’, especially for those companies looking to find a new home for their top flight employees and talent.

The UK Skilled Worker visa has always been more predictable than the H-1B Visa, which is subject to frequent rule changes and provides limited job mobility, given that only 85,000 are granted each year.  Now that the increased fee of $100,000 will apply for new H-1B applicants (and must be paid on top of all related application fees), few international companies will be able to afford this, other than for perhaps the most senior and skilled positions.

This makes the UK Skilled Worker visa look attractive by comparison.  The costs for the employer/worker across the 5-year Skilled Worker visa period are as follows:

  • Certificate of sponsorship – £525;
  • Immigration Skills Charge – £1,820 for a small company (£364 per year) and £5,000 for a large company (£1,000 per year);
  • Immigration Health Surcharge – £5,175 (£1,035 per year for an adult) (or £3,880 for a child (£776 per year));
  • Skilled Worker visa application fee – £1,519 if the application is made outside the UK or £1,751 if the application is made inside the UK; and
  • Minimum salary – either £41,700 a year, or the minimum salary for the specific role, whichever is the greater. A lower salary can be accepted (not less than £33,400) in certain circumstances, for example if the applicant has a STEM qualification relevant to their role.

Skilled Workers relocating to the UK can access significant benefits too.  Under the UK’s new ‘Foreign Income and Gains’ regime, qualifying new arrivals can be exempt from UK tax on their overseas income and gains for the first four years of residence in the UK.

Understandably, the new H-1B fee will lead to international companies reconsidering deployment of staff to the US.  We are happy to talk about what the UK has to offer in the alternative.

Even if international companies do not yet have a UK operation, this creates further opportunities.  We can assist in establishing a UK presence by setting up a new UK branch or subsidiary of your overseas company (provided it has been trading for at least three years) and using the very popular Expansion Worker route to relocate senior staff to the UK.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more details: Charles.avens@collyerbristow.com or Charlie.fowler@collyerbristow.com.

Associated sectors / services

  • Immigration

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