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Last updated: 31 Oct 2026 · Facts checked against official sources on 31 Oct 2026

General information, not legal advice. Rules change often – always confirm on gov.uk. For advice use an OISC-registered adviser or an SRA-regulated solicitor.

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Scale-up Worker

Eligibility

Job offer of at least 6 months from an approved scale-up business, eligible occupation, salary requirement, English. After 6 months you can change employer without a new sponsor.

Key facts (checked 31 Oct 2026)

ItemDetail
Sponsor needed?Yes – CoS from an approved scale-up sponsor (sponsored for the first 6 months only)
Salary threshold£39,100 or the going rate, whichever is higher
Fees + IHS£937 + IHS £1,035 per year
Length of stay2 years; extend by 3 years at a time
ProcessingUsually 3 weeks (outside UK), 8 weeks (inside UK)
Switch in UK?Yes (Student visa holders: course completed, or 24 months of PhD)
Route to ILRAfter 5 years

What you can and cannot do, how long you can stay (official)

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK with a Scale-up Worker visa for 2 years. You’ll need to apply to extend your visa when it expires.

If you want to stay longer in the UK

You can extend your visa as many times as you like by 3 years, as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.

After 5 years, you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’). This gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible.

Source: GOV.UK – Overview

When to apply

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before the day you’re due to start work in the UK. This date is listed on your certificate of sponsorship.

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.

You may need to allow extra time if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.

Source: GOV.UK – Overview

What you can and cannot do

With a Scale-up Worker visa you can:

You cannot:

If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with a Scale-up Worker visa.

During the first 6 months of your stay

You cannot change employer unless you apply to update your visa.

You do not need to update your visa if you start a different, eligible job with the same employer.

After 6 months

You can:

You do not need to update your visa.

You can extend your Scale-up Worker visa without a new sponsor when your current visa expires. You must meet the earnings requirements.

Source: GOV.UK – Overview

Full eligibility criteria (official)

Your job

You must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for a Scale-up Worker visa:

Your employer must make sure your job pays at least the minimum wage and follows the UK rules for how many hours a week you work. If your employer does not do this, your application will be refused.

Check if your job is eligible

You need to know your job’s 4-digit occupation code. You can get this from your employer or your certificate of sponsorship.

When you know your occupation code, check the table of eligible occupations to see if it’s eligible for your visa type.

Salary requirements

You’ll need to be paid whichever is the highest out of the following 2 options:

Each occupation code has its own annual going rate. Check the going rate for your job in the table of eligible occupations.

Example

Your salary is £39,400 per year, but the annual going rate for the job you’ll be doing is £40,000. You do not meet the salary requirement for this visa because you’re earning less than the annual going rate for your job (£40,000).

There are different requirements if you want to extend your visa.

Approved UK employers

You must have a job offer from an approved UK employer before you can apply for this visa. They must be an eligible scale-up business to get approved.

Approved employers are also known as sponsors because they are sponsoring you to come to or stay in the UK.

Check if your UK employer is eligible to sponsor you

Your UK employer will be on the list of approved UK employers if they’re eligible to sponsor you. ‘Scale-up Worker’ must be listed in the ‘Route’ column in the table.

If your UK employer is not eligible to sponsor you on this visa, they may be eligible to sponsor you with another type of work visa.

Eligible scale-up businesses

Your employer must either:

To be an eligible fast-growing business, in the 3 year period immediately before they were approved by the Home Office to sponsor scale-up workers, they must have:

If you already have a job offer from an approved employer

Your employer - also known as your sponsor - will check that you meet the eligibility requirements. They’ll give you a ‘certificate of sponsorship’ to prove this.

The certificate of sponsorship is an electronic record, not a physical document. It will have a reference number, which you’ll need for your visa application.

You must apply for your visa within 3 months of getting your certificate of sponsorship.

Check which documents you’ll need to apply.

Source: GOV.UK – Your job (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Knowledge of English

You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply. You can prove it in one of the following ways, by:

If you have already proved your knowledge of English in a previous successful visa application, you may not have to prove it again.

If you have a UK school qualification

You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a qualification from a UK school that you began when you were under 18. You must have one of the following qualifications:

If you have a degree from a UK institution

You can prove your knowledge of English if you have a degree-level qualification that was both:

If you have a degree from an institution outside the UK

If your degree was taught in English and was not awarded by a UK institution, you’ll need to apply for an assessment from Ecctis.

Ecctis will give you a code to confirm that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher and was taught in English.

Passing an English test

If you do not have any qualifications that prove your knowledge of English, you will need to pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT) with an approved provider.

You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to at least level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

If you’re extending or switching your visa

If you had a Scale-up Worker visa before 8 January 2026 and you’re applying to extend it, you only need level B1 English. You do not need to provide proof again or meet level B2.

If you’re applying to switch from another visa, you need level B2 English.

Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English

You will not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of one of the following countries or territories:

Source: GOV.UK – Knowledge of English (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Documents checklist (official)

Documents you’ll need to apply

When you apply you’ll need to provide:

Ask your employer for a copy of your certificate of sponsorship if you do not have one.

Other documents you might need

Depending on your circumstances, you might be asked to provide:

If your documents are not in English or Welsh you’ll also need to provide a certified translation.

When you’ve got your documents ready

You can apply online once your documents are ready.

How you apply depends on whether you’re:

Source: GOV.UK – Documents you’ll need to apply (checked 31 Oct 2026)

How to apply, step by step (official)

Apply from outside the UK

You must apply online for a Scale-up Worker visa.

Check which documents you’ll need to apply.

Proving your identity and providing supporting documents

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

If you need an appointment:

Apply for a Scale-up Worker visa

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Apply now

Continue your application

You can sign back in to your application if you’ve saved it.

Find out how to sign in to your account.

How long it takes to get a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision.

After you apply

You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

You’ll get an email containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.

Source: GOV.UK – Apply from outside the UK (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Partner and children (official)

Your partner and children

Your partner and children can also apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible.

If your partner or child’s application is successful, their visa will usually end on the same date as yours. If a child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.

A dependant partner or child is any of the following:

You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship to your dependant when you apply.

Your partner

You must be able to prove one of the following:

If you’re not living together, you’ll need to prove that you have an ongoing commitment to each other, for example by providing evidence that you:

Your child

They must:

You’ll need to provide evidence of their address, such as:

Money they need to support themselves

Your partner and children must have a certain amount of money available to support themselves while they’re in the UK.

You - or your partner or child - will need:

Example

You - or your partner or child - would need to have £600 to bring your partner and one child with you to the UK (£285 for your partner and £315 for your child).

You would also need to have £1,270 available to support yourself for your own application.

You - or your partner or child - will need to have had the money available for at least 28 days in a row. Day 28 must be within 31 days of you or them applying for this visa.

You’ll usually need to show proof of this when they apply, unless either:

If your partner or child is applying at a different time to you, they’ll only need to prove they have enough money to support themselves if they have been in the UK for less than 1 year.

Apply from outside the UK

Your partner and children must either:

Each family member will need to complete a separate application and pay the visa fee. They must apply before they travel to the UK.

They’ll also need your application number - you’ll get this when you apply. This number is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN). You’ll find it on emails and letters from the Home Office about your application.

Proving their identity

As part of an application, your partner and children will need to prove their identity.

They’ll either:

They’ll be told what they need to do when they apply.

If they need an appointment:

How long it takes to get a decision

Once they’ve applied online, proved their identity and provided their documents, they’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

They may be able to pay to get a faster decision.

Apply from inside the UK (extend or switch their visa)

If you extend or switch your visa, your partner or child’s current visa will still be valid until its original end date. Your partner or child need to apply to extend or switch their visa, either:

This includes children who have turned 18 during your stay.

Your partner or children cannot apply to switch to your Scale-up Worker visa as your dependants if they are currently in the UK:

Source: GOV.UK – Your partner and children (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Extending, switching and changing job (official)

Update your visa if you change employer in the first 6 months

You’ll need to apply to update your Scale-up Worker visa if you want to change your employer in the first 6 months of your stay in the UK.

Your job with your new employer must still be on the table of eligible occupations.

Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically change if you update yours. If they do not update their visa, it will be valid until its original end date. They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.

You do not need to apply to update your visa if either:

If you change employers after 6 months, you must meet the earnings requirements when you extend your Scale-up Worker visa

Fees

Check how much it costs for your type of visa.

You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken. There’s no fee for this.

Eligibility and documents you’ll need to apply

Your new job must meet the eligibility requirements and you’ll need a new certificate of sponsorship to prove this.

You’ll only need to provide other evidence again if you’ve been in the UK for less than one year.

When to apply to update your visa

You can apply to update your visa up to 3 months before the start date of your new job.

You can continue working in your current job while your new application is being considered, or to work out your notice period.

You should not start your new job until you’ve got confirmation of your new permission.

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

Proving your identity and providing supporting documents

As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply. You’ll also be told how to provide your supporting documents if you need to.

Apply to update your visa

You must apply online.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Apply now

Continue your application

You can sign back in to your application if you’ve saved it.

Find out how to sign in to your account.

How long it takes to get a decision

You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.

You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision.

After you apply

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

You’ll get an email or a letter containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.

Source: GOV.UK – Update your visa if you change employer in the first 6 months (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Extend your visa

You can usually apply to extend your Scale-up Worker visa if both of the following are true:

You do not need to get a new certificate of sponsorship from your employer.

Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically extend if you extend yours. If they do not extend their visa, it will be valid until its original end date.

They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.

Earnings requirements

How much you need to have earned depends on:

You can check when your certificate of sponsorship was issued by asking your sponsor.

You cannot count self-employed earnings towards the minimum earnings requirement. This is because your salary is not paid through PAYE (Pay as You Earn).

If you have already extended your visa or got your last certificate of sponsorship on or after 22 July 2025

You must have earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £39,100 per year during at least half of your most recent stay with a Scale-up Worker visa.

This means that if you’re extending your visa after 2 years, you must have earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £39,100 per year for at least 12 months.

You can include salaries from more than one job if you earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £39,100 per year in each job.

If you had more than one job at the same time, only include the highest earning salary.

If you got your last certificate of sponsorship on or after 4 April 2024 and before 22 July 2025

You must have earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £36,300 per year during at least half of your most recent stay with a Scale-up Worker visa.

This means that if you’re extending your visa after 2 years, you must have earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £36,300 per year for at least 12 months.

You can include salaries from more than one job if you earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least at least £36,300 per year in each job.

If you had more than one job at the same time, only include the highest earning salary.

If you got your last certificate of sponsorship on or after 12 April 2023 and before 4 April 2024

You must have earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £34,600 per year during at least half of your most recent stay with a Scale-up Worker visa.

This means that if you’re extending your visa after 2 years, you must have earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £34,600 per year for at least 12 months.

You can include earnings from more than one job but you must:

If you got your last certificate of sponsorship on or before 11 April 2023

You must have earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £33,000 per year during at least half of your most recent stay with a Scale-up Worker visa.

This means that if you’re extending your visa after 2 years, you must have earned a monthly salary equivalent to at least £33,000 per year for at least 12 months.

You can include earnings from more than one job but you must:

Fees

Check how much it costs.

You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken. There’s no fee for this.

Proving your identity and providing supporting documents

As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport or resident permit you have.

You’ll either:

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

Proving you’ve met the earning requirements

You’ll need to provide documents that prove you met the earnings requirements during at least half of your stay with your most recent visa.

These should show how much you earned and when you earned it. You could provide, for example:

You should also provide bank statements for the account you were paid into, including joint accounts.

You’ll also need to include your employer’s PAYE reference for each job.

Apply to extend your Scale-up Worker visa

You must apply online before your current visa expires.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Apply now

Continue your application

You can sign back in to your application if you’ve saved it.

Find out how to sign in to your account.

How long it takes to get a decision

You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.

You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision.

After you apply

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

Source: GOV.UK – Extend your visa (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Switch to this visa

You might be able to apply to change (‘switch’) to a Scale-up Worker visa if you’re already in the UK on a different type of visa.

Your partner or child’s visa will not automatically switch to this visa if you switch yours. If they do not switch their visa, it will be valid until its original end date. They can either apply at the same time as you, or at any time before their current visa expires.

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

Eligibility

You must meet the following requirements:

If you’re currently in the UK on a Student visa, you must also meet one of the following requirements:

Who cannot apply to switch to this visa

You cannot apply to switch to this visa if you’re currently in the UK:

You must leave the UK and apply for a Scale-up Worker visa from abroad if you’re in one of these categories.

Fees

Each person applying will need to pay:

You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken. There’s no fee for this.

If you’ve been in the UK for less than one year, you’ll also need to prove you have enough money to support yourself.

Proving your identity and providing supporting documents

As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity.

How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

Apply to switch to a Scale-up Worker visa

You must apply online before your current visa expires.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Apply now

Continue your application

You can sign back in to your application if you’ve saved it.

Find out how to sign in to your account.

How long it takes to get a decision

You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks of your application date.

You’ll be contacted if your application will take longer, for example because:

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision.

After you apply

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

You’ll get an email or a letter containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.

Source: GOV.UK – Switch to this visa (checked 31 Oct 2026)

Processing times and faster decisions (official)

Standard: Usually 3 weeks (outside UK), 8 weeks (inside UK) (GOV.UK visa processing times).

Source: GOV.UK – Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application (checked 31 Oct 2026)

How the application works (official)

  1. Check eligibility and gather documents (sections above). Sponsored routes: get your CoS/CAS reference first; endorsed routes: get your endorsement first.
  2. Apply online on GOV.UK and pay the fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (if it applies) – IHS.
  3. Prove your identity: either the UK Immigration: ID Check app (if offered) or an appointment at a visa application centre (outside the UK) or UKVCAS service point (inside the UK) for fingerprints and photo.
  4. Upload documents and wait for the decision. Do not travel or leave the UK before a decision if applying from inside the UK – it can withdraw your application.
  5. Your permission is issued as an eVisa in your UKVI account; physical BRPs are no longer issued. Link your passport to it and use share codes to prove your rights – GOV.UK eVisas.

Path to settlement (ILR) and citizenship

After 5 years.

Citizenship normally needs ILR (or settled status) held for 12 months – or immediately if married to a British citizen – plus the residence, absences, good character, Life in the UK test (£50) and English B1 requirements. See GOV.UK – Settle in the UK and GOV.UK – Citizenship if you have ILR.

Budget 2026 (28 Oct 2026) and earned-settlement proposals are announced, not yet law. The settlement rules above are those on GOV.UK on 31 Oct 2026 (latest Statement of Changes: HC 584, 3 Sep 2026).
Fees and IHS change every year (usually April). Check the linked gov.uk page before you pay.

Sources