Scale Up Visa Solicitors

The initial application needs an eligible job with a Home Office-approved, A-rated Scale-up sponsor and a valid CoS. The sponsor must be approved for the Scale-up route: appearing on the sponsor register for another route is not enough.

The CoS must support employment for at least the first six months of permission. The occupation, genuine role and salary must meet the route requirements. A business describing itself as fast-growing does not prove it holds the necessary licence.

Current sponsored applications require at least £39,100 a year or the occupation’s going rate, whichever is higher. Pay and working hours must be assessed under the relevant Rules; do not reuse older £36,300 figures for a new sponsored application.

Use the official register of licensed sponsors: workers to look up the employer and check its permission for the Scale-up route and relevant rating. Sponsorship status can change, so check the current entry rather than relying on an old list. Being listed does not guarantee an available job, an offer of sponsorship or that you meet the visa requirements.

• Scale-up jobs and salary requirements
• Check the official register of licensed worker sponsors

The initial sponsored grant lasts two years. For the first six months of permission, you must work in the sponsored job. Other permitted work, including self-employment, can be undertaken alongside it, but it does not replace the sponsored employment requirement.

Changing employer during those six months requires a new CoS and an application to update permission before starting the new sponsored employment. A notification alone is insufficient. A change in occupation or other circumstances should also be checked against the sponsor guidance.

After six months, you may change or stop the job, take other employment or be self-employed without updating the visa solely for that change. Professional sportsperson work, including coaching, remains prohibited. Flexibility to work does not mean all income counts for the next immigration application.

The usual current English requirement is B2 in all four skills, with permitted evidence and exemptions. B1 treatment remains for qualifying applicants whose most recent Scale-up permission was granted under the earlier requirement. It is not a general exemption for anyone who has held a UK visa.

Unless an exception applies, maintenance is £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days, ending within 31 days before applying. Qualifying in-country residence of at least twelve months or maintenance certified by an eligible sponsor for a sponsored application can satisfy the relevant provision.

In-country switching is not available from every category. Student applicants have course-completion or qualifying course/job-start conditions. Check those dates, the CoS and existing expiry date before submitting.

• Passport, current permission and CoS reference with occupation, salary and PAYE details.
• English-language evidence and maintenance evidence or the applicable exception.
• Any required tuberculosis or ATAS evidence and certified translations.
• Separate relationship, age, care and financial evidence for any dependant applications.

A qualifying unsponsored extension grants three years and does not require a new CoS. You normally need monthly UK PAYE earnings equivalent to at least £39,100 a year during at least half of the most recent Scale-up permission. For an initial two-year grant, that generally means twelve qualifying months.

Transitional thresholds can apply where the most recent permission was based on a CoS issued in earlier periods: £36,300 for 4 April 2024 to 21 July 2025, £34,600 for 12 April 2023 to 3 April 2024, or £33,000 on or before 11 April 2023. The history of the most recent grant matters; a lower threshold is not permanently retained after every extension.

Self-employment income does not count towards this PAYE test. Nor should simultaneous salaries simply be added together: the guidance directs applicants to use the highest qualifying salary for the relevant month. Specified statutory family leave and sick leave can receive special treatment where the earnings conditions before the absence are met.

Keep payslips, bank statements, P60s or P45s as relevant and employer PAYE references. Permission to work flexibly and eligibility for an extension are different questions.

• Scale-up extension and earnings evidence

Eligible partners and children can apply as dependants, subject to their own relationship, age, care, financial and other requirements. Additional family maintenance may be needed unless the relevant exception applies.

Extending the main applicant’s Scale-up permission does not automatically extend a partner’s or child’s visa. Check each person’s expiry date and whether separate applications are needed. A change from sponsored to unsponsored Scale-up permission does not dispense with family eligibility checks.

Settlement can be available after five qualifying years under the current rules, including permitted combinations of immigration routes. At the application date you must be employed in the UK at the required PAYE salary, and normally have met the relevant monthly earnings level for at least 24 months of the preceding three years.

The usual current earnings threshold is £39,100, with specified transitional levels linked to the most recent CoS-based permission. Relevant statutory leave and sick leave provisions, residence, suitability and Life in the UK requirements also need checking. From 26 March 2027 the Rules add a B2 speaking-and-listening requirement unless exempt.

Before enquiring, gather the original CoS date, grant history, employment dates and PAYE records. These help identify whether the question concerns an initial application, a job change, an extension or settlement. The scope and fees for Highfin’s advice must be agreed separately.

• Work visa options
• Indefinite leave to remain