What the Scale-up visa is
The Scale-up Worker visa is a sponsored work route for people who have a job offer from a UK business that the Home Office has approved as a “scale-up”: a company that is growing quickly and has been given a scale-up sponsor licence. It works like the Skilled Worker route, with an eligible occupation, a certificate of sponsorship, a minimum salary and an English language requirement, but it gives the worker more freedom to change jobs once they have settled in.
Who can apply
- You must have a confirmed job offer of at least six months with an approved scale-up business.
- Your employer must give you a certificate of sponsorship.
- The job must be in an occupation on the eligible occupations list, and pay at least the salary the rules require.
- You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English at the level required.
The first six months and after
For the first six months you must work for the sponsor that gave you your certificate. You cannot change employer without applying to update your visa. After six months you can change jobs, or stop working, without telling the Home Office, although you should keep your own records, because a long period without work can matter for a later extension or settlement application.
Fees, length and settlement
| Item | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Application fee | £937 per applicant |
| Immigration health surcharge | For each year of stay, per applicant. See the Immigration Health Surcharge |
| First visa | Two years |
| Extensions | Up to three years each time |
| Settlement | You may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after five years |
| Decision time | About three weeks from outside the UK, eight weeks from inside |
What you can do
You can study, volunteer, take additional work, be self-employed in certain circumstances and bring a partner and children as dependants. You cannot work as a professional sportsperson or sports coach, and you cannot claim most public benefits.
For the business
A scale-up sponsor licence is granted to businesses that meet the growth test and sponsor workers for a limited time before moving to the standard sponsor route. The sponsor duties are the same as for any licence: records, reporting and right to work checks. See sponsor licences for UK employers and sponsor duties.
How we help
We check that the employer holds, or can obtain, the right licence, test the job against the occupation and salary rules, prepare the application and the evidence, and advise on what happens at the six-month point and on the route to settlement.
