Scale-up
Scale-up company must be approved by the Home Office.
Requires sponsorship for the first 6 months only; unsponsored thereafter.
The rest of the key points ↓↑
- Increased minimum salary threshold applies.
- Leads to settlement after 5 years.
The Scale-up worker visa allows you to come to the UK to do an eligible job with a fast-growing UK business.
Eligibility Checker
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Rules change, and your circumstances may include facts this tool does not ask about. Always check the official GOV.UK guidance, and take advice before you act. VisaExplain accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this tool.
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Issued by a licensed UK employer
Gross annual salary from your UK sponsor
New entrants have a lower salary threshold
UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and others
Must be confirmed via UK ENIC (formerly NARIC)
Including spent and unspent convictions
7 questions still to answer
- Do you have a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)?
- What is your annual salary (£)?
- Are you a new entrant? (Under 26, studying, or recent graduate)
- Are you from a majority English-speaking country?
- Do you have a UK-recognised degree taught in English?
- What is your proven English level (SELT)?
- Do you have any criminal convictions?
Continuous Residence & Absence Tracker
Calculate your exact ILR eligibility date against the 180-day absence rules.
Scale-up Updates & Policy Breakdown
No published updates for this category yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The Scale-up route requires a sponsored period at the start, after which you are not tied to that employer for the remainder of the permission. That is the feature that distinguishes it from Skilled Worker.
What you do after the sponsored period still affects any extension or settlement application, so check the requirements before changing direction.