What is the cheapest skilled-work visa?

Of the 64 skilled-work routes Transita tracks across 16 destinations, the EU Blue Card (Italy) has the lowest official application fee at $54, against a $569 median. The most expensive is the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) at $4,640. Those are government fees only. Legal help, skills assessment, and translation routinely cost more than the visa.

Which visa is processed fastest?

The Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (Business and Work) (Thailand) has the shortest published processing time in our data at 0–1 months. The slowest tracked route is the EB-3 Skilled Worker (Green Card) at 18–60 months. Published times are caseload averages, not a promise, and a fast route you do not qualify for is slower than a slow one you do.

Which visas actually lead to permanent residency?

52 of the 64 tracked skilled-work routes lead to permanent residency. Fee alone is a poor guide to value there, so we also rank them by cost per year to PR: the best value is the EU Blue Card at about $11 per year of the journey, against $1,547 for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491).

How do I compare two specific visas?

Pick them in the tool on this page, or open one of the 72 written comparisons below. Each one puts the two routes side by side on cost, processing time, eligibility, and path to PR, and states which profile each route suits. Every figure comes from the destination country's own register, with the date it was last verified on the page.

Side-by-side

Compare visas head-to-head

Pick any two or three visa pathways and see eligibility, cost, processing time, and path-to-PR side-by-side. Every datum sourced from the official destination-country registers.

The tool covers all 108 routes across 16 destinations. Below it, 72 written comparisons answer the pairings people actually search for, with the decision framed rather than just the numbers stacked.

Across the 64 skilled-work routes we track

Cheapest tracked route

EU Blue Card · $54

Fastest tracked route

Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (Business and Work) · 0–1 months

Median application fee

$569

Verified to 2026-09-20. See the full 2026 Skilled-Visa Cost & Speed Index.

All visa comparisons

Every pairing we have written up, grouped by the first route's destination. Comparing whole countries instead? Start with the destination comparisons.

Common questions

What is the cheapest skilled-work visa?: Of the 64 skilled-work routes Transita tracks across 16 destinations, the EU Blue Card (Italy) has the lowest official application fee at $54, against a $569 median. The most expensive is the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) at $4,640. Those are government fees only. Legal help, skills assessment, and translation routinely cost more than the visa.
Which visa is processed fastest?: The Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (Business and Work) (Thailand) has the shortest published processing time in our data at 0–1 months. The slowest tracked route is the EB-3 Skilled Worker (Green Card) at 18–60 months. Published times are caseload averages, not a promise, and a fast route you do not qualify for is slower than a slow one you do.
Which visas actually lead to permanent residency?: 52 of the 64 tracked skilled-work routes lead to permanent residency. Fee alone is a poor guide to value there, so we also rank them by cost per year to PR: the best value is the EU Blue Card at about $11 per year of the journey, against $1,547 for the Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491).
How do I compare two specific visas?: Pick them in the tool on this page, or open one of the 72 written comparisons below. Each one puts the two routes side by side on cost, processing time, eligibility, and path to PR, and states which profile each route suits. Every figure comes from the destination country's own register, with the date it was last verified on the page.