Citizeo
Pathway

UK Fast-Growth Company Work Visa

United Kingdom Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

The UK Scale-up Worker visa is for people recruited into eligible jobs by approved fast-growing UK businesses. It generally requires a sponsored job offer for at least 6 months, eligible occupation code, salary fit, English ability, and standard checks.

Type
Skilled-worker residence
Job or skills fit
A qualifying job from an approved fast-growing UK business
Core requirements
At least six months of sponsorship, an eligible occupation, required pay, English, and standard checks
What to know
Credentials, skills, or job details drive eligibility
Salary requirement
£41,700 (going rate)
Job offer required?
Yes (scale-up)

Summary

Scale-up Worker begins with a six-month sponsored job at an approved fast-growing UK business, then becomes an unsponsored work route for the rest of the grant. The current job threshold is normally the higher of £39,100 and the occupation going rate, and new applicants need B2 English.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The initial applicant needs an eligible higher-skilled occupation, certificate of sponsorship, at least six months' sponsored employment, the current salary and going rate, and normally £1,270 maintenance unless exempt or certified by the sponsor. A person granted Scale-up before 8 January 2026 under B1 can extend without upgrading to B2; someone switching from another route must meet B2.

Policy watch 2 developments we’re tracking
Scale-up Worker settlement applications will require B2 English
Enacted — not yet in effect

Scale-up Worker settlement applications will require B2 English

Current official stage: Immigration Rules laid with a deferred commencement date

From 26 March 2027, Scale-up Workers must meet B2 English at settlement unless exempt. The rule applies to people already on the route and is separate from the route's earnings and continuous-residence requirements.

Timing: The B2 settlement requirement takes effect on 26 March 2027. Applications made before that date remain subject to the rules then in force; applicants planning to file on or after it should prepare for B2 unless an exemption applies.

Current pathway rules still apply.

Last checked UK Home Office — explanatory memorandum to HC 1691UK Home Office — Statement of Changes HC 1691
Read the full briefing
The current five-year route to settlement may change
Consultation — not currently law

The current five-year route to settlement may change

Current official stage: Consultation closed; government analyzing feedback

The Scale-up Worker route currently has a five-year settlement path. The proposal would generally use a 10-year baseline with earned adjustments, but final rules and treatment of people already accruing residence have not been published.

Timing: The consultation ran from 20 November 2025 to 12 February 2026. GOV.UK currently says the government is analyzing feedback. No general implementation date has been announced, and current settlement rules remain in force unless and until Immigration Rules changes take effect.

Current pathway rules still apply.

Last checked UK Home Office — Earned settlement consultation and current statusUK Home Office — A Fairer Pathway to Settlement consultation paper
Read the full briefing

What This Route Allows

Initial permission lasts two years. After the first six months, the worker may change or stop the job, take other employment or be self-employed without updating UKVI. Eligible partners and children can join and generally work. The current application fee is £937 per person; public funds are barred and IHS applies.

An extension lasts three years and does not need sponsorship. The applicant must show qualifying UK PAYE earnings at the applicable annual threshold for the required part of the preceding permission; self-employed income does not count. For a recent post-22 July 2025 grant, settlement requires current PAYE employment at £39,100 and earnings equivalent to that amount for at least 24 months of the preceding three years. Earlier grants retain date-specific lower thresholds. Current rules allow settlement after five qualifying years on Scale-up and certain other work routes, with continuous residence and Life in the UK. The main worker has no separate settlement English test before 26 March 2027; enacted rules require B2 from that date. Adult dependents normally need B1 before then and B2 from that date. The earned-settlement consultation had not changed the five-year route by 15 August 2026.

What This Route Is Not

The first six months are not open work permission. Losing or changing the sponsored job early can trigger sponsor reporting and curtailment. Later freedom does not remove PAYE evidence requirements for extension and settlement.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm the employer is licensed specifically for Scale-up and the occupation and salary meet both tests.
  2. Keep the certificate, contract and first six months' payroll evidence.
  3. After sponsorship ends, preserve monthly PAYE records even across job changes; do not rely on self-employment for the earnings test.
  4. Audit the date-specific threshold, qualifying routes and absences before extension or settlement.
Compare your options

Similar skilled worker pathways in other destinations.

Sources