The Scale-Up Worker visa was launched in August 2022 as a fast-track route into the UK labour market for skilled workers being hired by high-growth UK companies. It distinguishes itself from the Skilled Worker route in one critical respect: the worker is sponsored for only the first six months and then continues independently of any UK employer, with no ongoing sponsor licence tie.
Last reviewed: May 2026
TL;DR: The Scale-Up Worker visa lets a skilled worker join a UK company that qualifies as a scale-up on the HMRC growth criteria. The first six months are sponsored, after which the visa continues for the balance of the initial two-year grant on an unsponsored basis, meaning the holder can change job or employer freely. Settlement is possible after five years on this route. Verify current salary thresholds on GOV.UK.
- The Scale-Up Worker visa is a sub-route of the Global Business Mobility framework, governed by Appendix Scale-up of the Immigration Rules.
- The sponsoring employer must hold a Scale-Up sponsor licence and qualify as a scale-up business by reference to the HMRC growth criteria.
- The growth criteria require annualised growth of at least 20 per cent over the previous three-year period in turnover or staffing, with at least 10 employees at the start of the period.
- The first six months of the visa are sponsored; after that the visa continues unsponsored for the remainder of the initial grant.
- The visa is granted initially for two years, with a three-year extension available, leading to potential settlement after five years of qualifying residence.
- The Scale-Up route does not require the Immigration Skills Charge, which makes it materially cheaper for the sponsoring employer than the Skilled Worker route.
What the Scale-Up visa is
The Scale-Up Worker visa was introduced on 22 August 2022 as part of the Global Business Mobility (GBM) family of routes. Its policy purpose, set out at the time by the Home Office, was to help fast-growing UK businesses access global talent without imposing the long-term sponsorship overhead that the Skilled Worker route requires.
The defining feature of the Scale-Up route is the limited sponsorship window. Unlike Skilled Worker, where the worker remains tied to the sponsoring employer for the duration of the visa and must report any change of role or employer, Scale-Up workers are sponsored only for the first six months of their stay. After six months they continue on the visa without any UK sponsor, can take any job (or none), can be self-employed, and can change employer freely.
This structural choice was made deliberately to suit the recruitment patterns of UK scale-up companies, which often grow and reorganise rapidly. The full rule set is published at GOV.UK: Scale-Up Worker visa, with the role and job criteria at GOV.UK: Scale-Up Worker visa your job.
What counts as a scale-up employer
The sponsoring employer must hold a Scale-Up sponsor licence. To obtain one, the company must qualify as a scale-up business on the HMRC growth criteria, which assess three years of trading performance. The threshold is annualised growth of at least 20 per cent in either annualised turnover or annualised staffing, measured over the preceding three years, starting from a baseline of at least 10 employees.
The Home Office confirms scale-up status by reference to HMRC PAYE data and submitted company accounts. Companies that meet the threshold can apply for the Scale-Up sponsor licence; companies that fall short cannot use the route to bring in workers and must instead use Skilled Worker or another work route. There is no transition mechanism for a company that almost meets the test.
The list of registered Scale-Up sponsors is published on the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors. A prospective applicant can check whether a particular employer is licensed before accepting a job offer. The Home Office reviews scale-up status periodically; a company that falls below the growth threshold at a future assessment can lose its Scale-Up licence and would need to move existing sponsored workers onto Skilled Worker, or those workers would need to switch routes themselves.
Salary and job requirements
The job offered on the Scale-Up route must be at skill level RQF 6 or above (broadly graduate or graduate-equivalent professional roles), the same skill threshold used historically for Skilled Worker before the 2023 reforms. The role must appear on the eligible occupations list for the Scale-Up route.
The salary requirement is the higher of the general Scale-Up salary threshold or the going rate for the specific Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The general threshold has been set above the Skilled Worker general threshold since the route opened, reflecting the policy intent to attract higher-paid roles into UK scale-ups. The current threshold figure is published on the GOV.UK pages for the route and should be verified before any Certificate of Sponsorship is issued. The salary must be paid in the form of gross basic salary; allowances, equity, and one-off bonuses do not count toward the threshold.
The English language requirement is CEFR level B1 in all four components (speaking, listening, reading, writing). The applicant must demonstrate this either through a Secure English Language Test from an approved provider, an academic qualification taught in English from a recognised institution, or by being a national of a majority English-speaking country listed in the rules.
The initial sponsored period (6 months)
The first six months of the Scale-Up visa are sponsored. The worker must be employed by the sponsoring scale-up employer, in the role specified on the Certificate of Sponsorship, at or above the sponsored salary, for the full six-month period. If employment ends within the first six months, the worker must find another scale-up sponsor and obtain a new Certificate of Sponsorship within 60 days, or apply to switch to another work route, or leave the UK.
During the six-month sponsored window the employer has the same sponsor duties as on the Skilled Worker route: maintaining records, reporting absences and changes, and providing required information to the Home Office on request. The employer must continue to pay the sponsored worker at or above the salary threshold for the entire six-month period; reductions trigger reporting and can put the worker's status at risk.
The six-month qualifying period is counted from the date the worker starts work in the sponsored role, not from the date the visa is issued. Pre-employment delays, such as relocation, onboarding, or notice periods at a previous job, do not pause the clock; the count starts when the role commences.
The unsponsored extension
Once the initial six-month sponsored period is complete, the worker continues on the Scale-Up visa for the balance of the initial grant (typically the remaining 18 months of the two-year grant) without any UK sponsor. During this unsponsored period the worker can:
- Stay with the original scale-up employer at the original salary, a lower salary, or in a different role.
- Change job to any UK employer (including a non-scale-up employer), in any sector, at any salary.
- Become self-employed or set up a UK company.
- Work in multiple jobs at the same time.
- Be unemployed for periods without breaching visa conditions.
At the end of the initial two-year grant, the worker can apply for a three-year extension. The extension is unsponsored: there is no need for a Certificate of Sponsorship from any employer, but the worker must demonstrate that during the qualifying period they have earned at least the route's minimum annual earnings threshold across the relevant period. The current earnings threshold is published on GOV.UK and is reviewed periodically.
This unsponsored design is the operational reason the Scale-Up route is attractive to workers. It compresses the high-friction sponsored period into six months, after which the worker has the freedom of movement in the UK labour market that workers on the Skilled Worker route do not enjoy.
The pathway to settlement
Settlement on the Scale-Up route is reached after five years of continuous qualifying residence as a Scale-Up Worker. The Indefinite Leave to Remain application is made on the SET(O) form, paying the standard ILR fee. The qualifying period must be free of long absences from the UK; the standard rule is that absences must not exceed 180 days in any rolling 12-month period during the five-year qualifying window.
To qualify for ILR on this route the applicant must also meet the route-specific earnings threshold for the qualifying period, the Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK requirement (the B1 SELT plus the Life in the UK test), and the good character requirement. The earnings threshold for ILR is published on the GOV.UK Scale-Up pages and is reviewed periodically; verify the current figure before applying.
The five-year clock continues to run during the unsponsored phase. A worker who changes employer, switches sector, or becomes self-employed during the unsponsored years does not lose qualifying time, provided overall earnings meet the route's threshold and absences from the UK do not breach the continuous residence rule.
Scale-Up vs Skilled Worker - which is right
The two routes overlap on the surface but serve different recruitment scenarios. The decision between them turns on three factors: the employer's eligibility, the salary level, and the worker's preference for freedom versus security.
Scale-Up is structurally cheaper for the employer (no Immigration Skills Charge, no ongoing sponsor reporting after six months) and more flexible for the worker (unsponsored after six months). It is, however, only available when the employer qualifies as a scale-up on the HMRC growth criteria and when the role pays the higher Scale-Up salary threshold.
Skilled Worker is more widely available: any eligible UK employer can apply for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence regardless of growth rate, and the salary thresholds (other than for very high earners) tend to be lower. The trade-off is ongoing sponsorship: the Skilled Worker remains tied to the sponsoring employer for the duration of the visa, must remain in the sponsored role at the sponsored salary, and must obtain a new Certificate of Sponsorship from any new employer before changing jobs.
In practice, fast-growing UK technology, life sciences, and clean-energy companies that hire from outside the UK often use Scale-Up for technical and engineering hires where the salary clears the threshold, and Skilled Worker for roles closer to the general salary floor. Both routes count toward settlement, and both routes lead to British citizenship after the standard naturalisation qualifying period. Comparing the full cost stack (visa fees, IHS, sponsor licence fees, ISC, adviser fees) for a given hire usually makes the right choice clear.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Scale-Up Worker visa?
The Scale-Up Worker visa is a UK work route, part of the Global Business Mobility framework, that allows skilled workers to be hired by UK companies qualifying as scale-ups on the HMRC growth criteria. The first six months are sponsored; the rest of the visa runs unsponsored, giving the worker freedom to change role or employer freely.
How does a company qualify as a UK scale-up?
The HMRC growth criteria require annualised growth of at least 20 per cent in either turnover or staffing over the previous three years, measured from a baseline of at least 10 employees at the start of that period. The Home Office verifies the figures against HMRC PAYE data and company accounts before granting the Scale-Up sponsor licence.
What happens after the first six months?
The visa continues for the remainder of the two-year grant on an unsponsored basis. The worker can stay with the original employer, change job, change sector, become self-employed, or hold multiple jobs. There is no requirement to maintain a particular employment relationship after the six-month sponsored window.
What is the salary threshold for the Scale-Up visa?
The salary must meet the higher of the general Scale-Up salary threshold or the going rate for the specific occupation under the relevant SOC code. The threshold is set above the Skilled Worker general threshold and is reviewed periodically. Verify the current figure on the GOV.UK Scale-Up Worker visa pages before any Certificate of Sponsorship is issued.
Does the Scale-Up route lead to ILR?
Yes. After five years of continuous qualifying residence on the Scale-Up route, the applicant can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain on the SET(O) form, subject to meeting the route's earnings threshold over the qualifying period, the Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK requirement, and the absences and good character rules.
Is the Immigration Skills Charge payable on the Scale-Up route?
No. The Immigration Skills Charge does not apply to the Scale-Up route, which makes it materially cheaper for the sponsoring employer than the Skilled Worker route. The Immigration Health Surcharge is, however, payable by the visa applicant for the full duration of the visa.
Can a Scale-Up worker bring dependants?
Yes. A partner and dependent children under 18 can apply as dependants on the Scale-Up route. Each dependant pays the visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge in full and has full work and study rights in the UK. The dependant route runs in parallel with the main applicant's visa for the duration of the leave.
