Scale-up Worker Visa UK: Requirements, Costs and Process in 2026
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What is a Scale-up Worker visa?
- Two years of initial permission, with sponsorship for six months.
- Five qualifying years can lead to settlement in the UK.
Who can apply for a Scale-up Worker visa?
You may qualify as a worker if:
- You are aged 18 or over when you make the application.
- Your job appears in the current list of eligible occupations.
- Your guaranteed salary meets the general threshold and going rate.
- You meet the English, financial, validity, and suitability requirements.
The business may qualify as a sponsor if:
- It meets the standard pathway through its employment or turnover growth.
- It had at least ten employees when the three-year growth period began.
- An approved body endorses a younger business with a shorter HMRC history.
- It obtains the correct Scale-up visa sponsor licence before assigning sponsorship.
What are the Scale-up Worker visa requirements?
Timeline
Your total timeline depends on whether the business already holds the correct sponsor permission. A sponsor licence application normally takes up to eight weeks before the worker can complete the next stage. The Scale-up Worker visa usually takes three weeks outside the UK or eight weeks inside the UK.
Financial requirement
Your Scale-up visa salary is separate from the £1,270 usually held for 28 days. However, certification from your sponsor or 12 months' continuous UK permission can replace this need for evidence. A partner needs £285, the first child £315, and each additional child £200.
Age and suitability
You must be at least 18 and meet the route validity rules. Part Suitability also applies to your immigration and conduct history. The remaining Scale-up visa requirements include the separate financial test below.
English language
New applicants usually need English at CEFR B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening. CEFR is the international scale for language ability. Qualifying legacy extensions can continue under the earlier B1 rule.
Salary threshold
The Scale-up visa salary must reach £39,100 and the occupation going rate, whichever is higher. The going rate is the occupation-specific minimum. Only guaranteed basic gross pay counts for this test.
Eligible occupation
Your duties must match an eligible SOC 2020 occupation code. SOC 2020 is the official system used to classify jobs. Check the eligible occupation codes against the role itself.
Genuine six-month job
The vacancy must exist and comply with UK employment law. You must intend and be able to perform the work. The sponsor must expect to employ you for at least six months.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Your employer assigns an electronic Certificate of Sponsorship, known as a CoS. It records your role, salary, and start date. Your job must start within three months of the application date.
How do you apply for a Scale-up Worker visa?
Confirm the business, worker, and role meet the current rules. Check the six-month offer, occupation code, salary, and English position before paying fees. This early check protects both parties from building the sponsor stage around a job that cannot support the intended application.
The business obtains a Scale-up visa sponsor licence through the standard or endorsing body pathway. Existing sponsor permission does not automatically include this route. Choose the pathway from the business records, because speed or confidence cannot replace the evidence the Home Office will assess.
The sponsor assigns the CoS with accurate job, salary, payroll and start-date information. The record must confirm at least six months of sponsored employment. Small mismatches here can follow the worker into the visa form, where they become harder to explain clearly and consistently.
Gather identity, English and financial records, plus any conditional documents. Make sure all your documents tell a consistent story about your job and personal history. If anything needs clarification, provide the context upfront rather than waiting for the Home Office to ask.
Complete the correct online form from outside the UK or from within the UK. In-country applicants must first check the switching restrictions. A switching route that is unavailable cannot be repaired by choosing an in-country form and adding supporting evidence later.
Use the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attend a biometric appointment when instructed. Upload every requested record in the correct format.
Review the grant dates and work conditions before changing employment or travel plans. During the first six months, an employer change requires a visa update.
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Documents you will need
Cost Breakdown
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Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility and pathways
Check Scale-up visa eligibility for both the employer and worker before submitting. You will need to verify salary, role code, and growth records beforehand.
Extension and settlement
Yes. You can qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain after five continuous years, provided you meet the 24-month PAYE earnings requirement.
Extension and settlement
You must earn at least £39,100 per year through UK PAYE during at least half your initial two-year grant.
Extension and settlement
Only UK PAYE employment earnings count toward a Scale-up visa extension. Income from self-employment, dividends, or overseas work does not qualify.
Extension and settlement
Yes. A Scale-up visa extension grants an additional three years of permission without requiring a sponsor licence or a new CoS.
Sponsor duties and costs
No. The Immigration Skills Charge does not apply to this route, saving qualifying employers thousands of pounds per sponsored worker.
Sponsor duties and costs
Sponsorship duties for that specific worker end after six months. Your business must still maintain general compliance records while holding the licence.
Sponsor duties and costs
A Scale-up sponsor licence lasts four years and cannot be renewed. You will need to consider alternative sponsor routes after four years.
Eligibility and pathways
This pathway supports younger businesses with shorter HMRC histories. An approved endorsing body confirms your growth credentials before you apply for your licence.
Eligibility and pathways
The standard pathway checks HMRC records for sustained growth. The business must show 20% annualised growth in turnover or employment over three years.
Eligibility and pathways
A Skilled Worker Visa requires continuous employer sponsorship. The Scale-up Worker visa requires only six months of sponsorship, giving you full career freedom thereafter.
Eligibility and pathways
Most UK visa holders can switch into this route. You will need to check current student course-completion rules before applying in-country.
Working and family
Eligible partners and children can submit dependant applications. Each family member receives permission matching your visa dates and applies on their own form.
Working and family
You can work as self-employed after your first six months. However, you will need UK PAYE earnings for later extension and settlement.
Working and family
Yes. After six months in your sponsored role, you can change employer or become unsponsored without notifying the Home Office.
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