Scale-up Visa

The Scale-up visa is a work visa for skilled workers who have a job offer from a qualifying UK scale-up company. A scale-up is a high-growth business that has had average annualised growth of at least 20% in employees or turnover over a 3-year period, and had at least 10 employees at the start of that period. The unique feature is flexibility after 6 months.

After 6 months working for your sponsoring employer, you gain significant flexibility. You can change jobs without needing a new visa, work for any employer (even non-scale-ups), become self-employed, or start your own business. You don't need to inform the Home Office of job changes. This makes it more flexible than a Skilled Worker visa.

The minimum salary for a Scale-up visa is £36,300 per year or the going rate for the specific occupation, whichever is higher. There are no reduced rates for new entrants or shortage occupations like with the Skilled Worker visa. The salary must be for at least 26 hours of work per week.

Yes, you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement) after 5 years of continuous residence on the Scale-up visa. You'll need to meet the salary threshold (at least £36,300 or going rate), pass the Life in the UK test, and meet the English language requirement at B1 level. The 5 years don't need to all be with the original sponsor.

To qualify, a business must have had at least 10 employees at the start of a 3-year period and have achieved average annualised growth of at least 20% in either employees or turnover over that period. The employer must be registered with the Home Office as a scale-up sponsor, which is a separate process from the standard sponsor licence.