U.K. Immigration: New Scale-Up Visa to Launch in Spring 2022

On October 27, 2021 Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak MP, confirmed as part of the U.K. autumn 2021 Budget that a new Scale-Up visa route will launch in the United Kingdom in the spring of 2022.

This new visa route, which was first announced in the spring 2021 Budget, will allow qualifying, fast-growing businesses to hire high-skilled overseas workers. It is part of the government’s endeavor to attract talented professionals to the U.K.

The visa will be open to applicants who:

• Pass the language proficiency requirement.
• Have a high-skilled job offer from an eligible business (a scale-up) with a salary of at least £33,000.

Scale-ups will be able to apply to use the Scale-Up visa route through a fast-track verification process, if they can demonstrate:

• An annual average revenue or employment growth rate over a 3-year period greater than 20%.
• A minimum of 10 employees at the start of this three-year period.

The U.K. government may also explore whether scale-ups who can demonstrate an expectation of strong growth in future years could qualify following a review.

Individuals who obtain a Scale-Up visa will be able to extend their visa and settle in the UK, subject to meeting specific requirements, details of which will be released in 2022.