Skilled worker dependent extension wrong fee/IHS (Partner ILR)

[apcdev]

I’m applying from inside the UK to extend my Skilled Worker dependant visa.

My partner held a Skilled Worker visa until 1 September 2026 and has now been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) through the 5-year Skilled Worker route.

I entered the UK as a Skilled Worker dependant in February 2022, and my current permission expires on 1 September 2026. I’m applying to extend my permission because I haven’t yet completed the five-year qualifying period required for ILR.

During the online application, the Immigration Health Surcharge was calculated as £517.50 (instead of 3 x £1,035), of which I have paid. However, the application fee was shown as £1,865. We were expecting the application fee to be £943 for an application of up to three years. As a result, we did not proceed with the payment of the £1,865 application fee and stopped the application until we could confirm whether the fee had been calculated correctly. 

I have given partners cos work start date as 18 Aug 2021 and end date as 18 Aug 2026 and current visa end date as Sep 1 2026 and also provided Partners GWF number.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Please advise, Thank you.

[zimba]

There are two issues here:

1. The immigration health surcharge online system is not smart enough to calculate IHS fees correctly for an applicant whose partner has ILR. For such dependants, the extension visa period is always fixed at 3 years, as per the rules. As ILR has no expiry date, you should enter a date that is 3 years in the future to get a correct IHS calculation. Otherwise, the IHS system will charge you less and the caseworker has to request you to pay the remaining IHS fees. This could delay your visa application

2. The applicant fee is determined based on how long your spouse's initial COS was issued for:

Fees category	Current fee
Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued or approval to sponsor under Sponsor a Worker has been given for 3 years or less - main applicant and dependants	£943
-	-
Skilled Worker, where a certificate of sponsorship has been issued or approval to sponsor under Sponsor a Worker has been given for over 3 years - main applicant and dependants	£1,865

The system is charging you a higher fee as per the table, so it is assuming your spouse was issued a COS with a period that was longer than 3 years. If your spouse's initial COS was issued for longer than 3 years (e.g for 5 years), then you must pay a higher fee.

This is VERY clear in the UKVI's fees table: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... april-2026

Note that this does NOT mean you will be getting a 5-year visa. You will be issued a 3-year visa extension as per the rules but the visa will be more expensive

[apcdev]

Thank you for the detailed explanation.

Just to clarify, if the application fee is based on my partner's original CoS being over 3 years, does that also mean the Immigration Health Surcharge should be paid for 5 years, even though the dependant extension will only be granted for 3 years? Or should the IHS still only be for the 3-year grant?

Also, I've come across a few threads where people suggested entering the CoS start date as the work start date and using a date that is 3 years minus 1 day as the end date to get the correct IHS calculation and application fee. Is that an acceptable approach, or is it likely to cause issues with the application?

Given the discrepancy between the IHS calculation and the application fee, would you recommend submitting a fresh application with the assistance of a solicitor, or is this something that can be resolved without professional help?

Thanks again for your guidance.

[zimba]

Just to clarify, if the application fee is based on my partner's original CoS being over 3 years, does that also mean the Immigration Health Surcharge should be paid for 5 years, even though the dependant extension will only be granted for 3 years? Or should the IHS still only be for the 3-year grant?

No. The length of your spouse's initial COS is NOT connected to the length of the visa extension you will be getting at all. The length of the COS ONLY determines application fees for you (NOT visa length). Visa length is determined as per the immigration rules. You pay IHS for the length of the visa, which is issued for 3 years.

Also, I've come across a few threads where people suggested entering the CoS start date as the work start date and using a date that is 3 years minus 1 day as the end date to get the correct IHS calculation and application fee. Is that an acceptable approach, or is it likely to cause issues with the application?

You need to pay IHS fees for a 3-year visa, matching your visa extension length. The trick that you use to get the system to charge you the correct fee is not important at all

Given the discrepancy between the IHS calculation and the application fee, would you recommend submitting a fresh application with the assistance of a solicitor, or is this something that can be resolved without professional help?

No. Just pay the IHS correctly again, for 3 years. The application fee is correct. There is no need for professional help. Solicitors are mostly useless