The UK Scale-up visa (2026)

The government will pay the visa fees — until 1 March 2027

The Department for Business and Trade’s Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-ups (announced at London Tech Week 2026) reimburses eligible visa application fees for Skilled Worker, Global Talent and Scale-up hires — including dependants — for fees incurred on or after 9 June 2026. Caps: £5,000 per hire and £25,000 per business per year. The employer applies via the DBT Grants Hub; eligibility requires the scale-up growth definition (20%+ annualised growth over 3 years, 10+ staff), a valid sponsor licence, and operation in Clean Energy, Life Sciences, or Digital & Technologies. It closes on 1 March 2027— or earlier if funding runs out (first come, first served). The published scope is “visa application fees”; check the scheme guidance for whether other charges qualify before budgeting.

The 6-month rule — why this route is different

You must work for your sponsoring scale-up for the first 6 months. After that, the leash comes off: you can change roles, change employers, or take on other work without telling the Home Office, and when your 2-year visa ends you can extend for 3 more years without any sponsor. No other mainstream sponsored route offers this.

The earnings trap most applicants miss

The freedom has a catch, written in Appendix Scale-up (SCU 8.1): to qualify for the unsponsored extension you must have had monthly PAYE earnings equivalent to at least £39,100 per year during at least 50% of your most recent permission. For settlement it tightens further: threshold-level earnings in 24 of the 36 months before you apply (SCU 18.2).

Worked example: on a 2-year visa (24 months), you need at least 12 months in which your payslip shows gross pay of £3,258 or more (£39,100 ÷ 12). Take a 9-month sabbatical or a long stretch of lower-paid freelance work, and the extension fails even though the visa allowed it. Self-employment income does not count — the rule says PAYE earnings.

Salary: lower threshold, lower going rates

Two separate advantages over Skilled Worker. The general threshold is £39,100 vs £41,700. And the per-occupation going rates come from a different, lower table of the Immigration Rules (Appendix Skilled Occupations, Table 2 — the “SCU” column):

• Software developers (SOC 2134): £40,000 on Scale-up vs £54,700 on Skilled Worker
• Civil engineers (SOC 2121): £39,200 vs £50,400
• Threshold history for context: £33,000 → £34,600 (Apr 2023) → £36,300 (Apr 2024) → £39,100 (Jul 2025)

Full Scale-up going-rate table by occupation →

Which employers qualify as scale-ups

Standard pathway: 20%+ annualised growth in staff or turnover over the last 3 years, with 10+ employees at the start — assessed automatically from the company’s HMRC PAYE/VAT data. Young companies without the HMRC history can use the endorsing body pathway(UK Endorsing Services, Innovator International, Envestors) if they’ve raised £1m+ equity in a single round in the last 12 months.

How to apply

1. Find a licensed Scale-up sponsor. Only 91 UK companies hold a Scale-up licence — check the live list on this site, synced daily from the Home Office register.
2. Get a 6-month-plus job offer at the required salary. The role must pay the higher of £39,100 or your occupation's Scale-up going rate, and be a graduate-level occupation code.
3. Prove CEFR B2 English. Via an approved SELT test or a degree taught and assessed in English.
4. Apply online and pay. Application fee £937, Immigration Health Surcharge £1,035/year, and show £1,270 in savings unless exempt. Decisions: ~3 weeks (outside UK) or ~8 weeks (inside).
5. Track your monthly earnings from day one. To extend without a sponsor you must have PAYE earnings equivalent to at least £39,100/year in at least 50% of the months of your stay — keep every payslip.