• Scale-up Worker Visa

Scale-up Worker Visa

A Scale-up Worker Visa is intended for individuals who want to work in the UK in certain eligible roles for a scale-up or fast-growing British business. In order to be successful, applicants must intend to work in an eligible occupation and have received a certificate of sponsorship from a licenced sponsor with approval to sponsor scale-up workers.

Applicants must also meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • They must have a job offer which lasts for a minimum of six months
  • They must prove they have English language ability to at least a B1 level on the CEFR scale
  • They must be paid at least £34,600 per year, or the ‘going rate’ (as defined by the Home Office) for the type of job they will be doing.
    • Applicants will be expected to earn the highest of these two options
Check your eligibility for this visa

Scale-up Worker Visa process and cost

Applications for a Scale-up Worker Visa can be submitted from inside or outside the UK, depending on if this is an individual’s first UK visa or if they are switching from a different visa. Applications from within the UK usually receive a decision in eight weeks or less; when submitted from outside the UK, applicants are usually notified of the Home Office’s decision in three weeks or less.

The Home Office fee for applying for a Scale-up Worker Visa is £822. In addition, successful applicants will have to pay a healthcare surcharge for each year that their visa will be valid.

Once granted, a Scale-up Worker Visa is valid for two years, and can be extended by an additional three years as many times as needed provided that the applicant remains eligible. After five years, they might qualify to apply for permanent settlement in the UK (Indefinite Leave to Remain).

Scale-up Worker Visa permissions

Holders of a Scale-Up Worker visa are afforded greater freedom to undertake activity outside of the work for which they have been sponsored than with some other UK work visas. They can:

  • study
  • leave their sponsored job after six months, should they so wish
  • become self-employed or take a second job
  • do volunteer work
  • bring their children and/or partner with them to the UK as dependants if they are eligible

Demetris Demetriou

Demetris is a dual-qualified lawyer in the UK (Solicitor) and Cyprus (Advocate) with 10+ years of experience in UK immigration. He completed his legal studies at University College London and City University London. Over the course of his career, he held key roles as Head of Immigration at Legal 500 firms and within the Big4, overseeing teams of 15+ fee earners handling 2000+ applications annually.

Demetris went on to co-establish his firm in London and continues to offer innovative solutions and strategic immigration planning to multinationals, SMEs, and private clients.

He personally represented 1500+ clients in 30+ visa routes including investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, sole representatives, students, family visas, global talent, UK ancestry, administrative reviews and appeals. Demetris has managed corporate relocations, conducted immigration law training and implemented post-Brexit immigration policies for corporate clients.

Demetris has been featured in various events and publications focusing on UK immigration, notably at the Cambridge Network, the Westminster Policy Forum and most recently at DGEMS, a global mobility summit hosted by Forbes India.

If you would like to discuss your UK immigration matter or have any questions about your options for immigrating to the UK, you can book a consultation here.

Tatiani Preifelt

Tatiani has a wealth of expertise in global mobility and corporate immigration. Her ample skills were acquired within leading immigration practices including three out of the Big4 firms in both the UK and Sweden. Tatiani went on to co-establish her firm in London where she continues to advise clients predominantly in corporate, business and skilled work migration.

Having personally relocated to 10 different countries, Tatiani understands the importance of an expedient and successful immigration process and takes pride in delivering a seamless experience to her clients as well.

Over the course of her career, she has assisted over 500 individuals and businesses to obtain the appropriate visa permits in the UK.

Her awarded academic work at The University of Oxford, The London School of Economics, and at The Geneva University is in the fields of Political Science, International Human Rights Law, and Global Migration Governance.

She regularly provides immigration training and has recently participated as a speaker and panellist at DGEMS 2023, a global mobility summit hosted by Forbes India.

If you would like to discuss your UK immigration matter or have any questions about your options for immigrating to the UK, you can book a consultation here.