The Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) is a fee that UK employers must pay when sponsoring a worker on a Skilled Worker visa.

✅ The total ISC depends on the length of the visa being sponsored.

The ISC is the sponsor's cost and cannot be shared with or recovered from the worker. Home Office sponsor guidance is explicit: you must not pass on any part of the ISC to a sponsored worker, or attempt to recoup it from them, and where the Home Office finds that you have done so it will normally revoke your sponsor licence.

The same prohibition applies to the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee and its associated administrative costs, for any CoS you assign to a Skilled Worker on or after 31 December 2024.

Other costs are treated differently. A worker may choose to pay their own visa application fee, and in some cases the Immigration Health Surcharge, but you cannot make paying either one a condition of employment. See Salary Requirements and the Immigration Skills Charge for how recovering any immigration cost from a worker affects the salary the Home Office recognises.

Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workers-and-temporary-workers-guidance-for-sponsors-part-2-sponsor-a-worker/workers-and-temporary-workers-guidance-for-sponsors-part-2-sponsor-a-worker-accessible

To get a full breakdown of all potential costs:

🔗 Use our Visa Fees Calculator
🔗 Read this helpful guide to visa fees