UK Scale Up

What is a UK Scale Up Visa and How to Get It?

With the UK scale-up application, companies operating in the UK and meeting the scale-up qualifications have the opportunity to recruit qualified workers from abroad and grow their companies. The UK scale-up application covers a 5-year period. At the beginning of the 5-year period of the UK scale-up application, a sponsor supports the person and then this sponsor support is removed. It is possible for the spouses and children of those traveling to the UK with a scale-up visa to travel to the UK with their visa holders. The UK scale-up visa application will be implemented in a simplified and accelerated manner by the UK government in August 2022, with the aim of making the UK an innovation center by 2035.

According to the migration statistics published in March 2022, skilled worker visa types, which constitute 63% of work-based visas, have been seen to be the visa type that has increased the most between 2019 and 2021. The fact that UK visas no longer grant free entry to the European Union and that investments in start-up and scale-up companies have decreased after the pandemic has led to the introduction of the scale-up visa, which is an easy and fast application for qualified workers to develop in the UK for work purposes.

What is Scale-Up?

Scale up is a term used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for companies that have had an average annual profit of 20% for the last 3 years. A company that meets the scale up characteristics indicates that the company is developing. Scale up companies are important for the economies of countries.

When Will the UK Scale-Up Visa Come Into Force?

The UK scale up visa is planned to come into force on 22 August 2022, according to the latest announcement made by the British government on 15 March 2022. The UK scale up visa, which will come into force, aims to recruit qualified workers to companies located in the UK and suitable for scale up features.

What are the UK Scale Up Visa Application Requirements?

UK scale up visa application requirements are listed below.

  • The applicant must have received a job offer from an employer in the UK who meets the scale up criteria.
  • The applicant must be 18 years of age or older
  • The person must have a sponsorship certificate issued by a sponsor in the UK for the work they plan to do in the UK.
  • The person will earn at least £33,000 per year and £10.58 per hour from the job they will do in the UK, and the salary they will receive is appropriate for the job sector.
  • The person must have at least B1 level English language skills within the framework of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​(CEFR).
  • Be able to meet the costs of living in the UK without receiving any government assistance

In order to apply for a scale up visa in the UK without a sponsor, you must have previously worked as a scale up employee.

What conditions must a UK sponsor meet for a Scale Up Visa?

For the scale up visa, the employer’s company that will be the UK sponsor must have shown an annual growth rate of 20% in the last 3 years. For the scale up visa, the employer’s company that will be the UK sponsor must have at least 10 employees at the beginning of the last 3-year period to be examined in the visa assessment process.

For the scale up visa, the person who will sponsor the UK must be registered at level A in the UK Home Office Licensed Sponsors Register. Employers who are registered at level A in the UK Home Office Licensed Sponsors Register have the right to issue UK sponsorship certificates to individuals and sponsor their employees for a period of 6 months.

What conditions must a UK based business meet for a Scale Up Visa?

For the scale up visa, the job in the UK must meet the requirement of being at RQF level 6 or above. During the period when the scale up visa will be implemented, the UK Home Office publishes a list of jobs that meet the scale up features, including the codes of the appropriate jobs, job types and job titles.

In cases where there are suspicions that the job submitted for the scale up visa does not exist in reality, is fake or was created so that the person can apply for a scale up visa, the person’s scale up visa application will be rejected.

How Much Should the Salary Be in the UK for a Scale Up Visa?

For a scale up visa, the salary to be received in the UK must be at least 33,000 British pounds per year and at least 10.58 British pounds per hour. The salary that applicants will receive in the UK for a scale up visa must be at a level appropriate for the relevant field of work and job code. The salary levels determined for the fields of work in the UK are determined by taking into account the gross wages paid for up to 48 hours per week. In the period when the scale up visa will be implemented, the UK Home Office publishes the salary levels appropriate to the job codes.

What are the Required Documents for the UK Scale Up Visa?

The documents required for the UK scale up visa are listed below.

  • Passport: A passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the end date of your planned trip to the UK and with at least 1 blank page, along with photocopies of the passport’s photo page and pages containing previous visas must be submitted within the visa application file.
  • Biometric photo: Two biometric photos, 35 mm wide and 45 mm long, taken in accordance with biometric standards within the last 6 months, must be submitted in the UK scale up visa application file.
  • UK online visa application form: In order to complete the application process, the visa application form must be filled out online via the Gov.uk website with accurate information, completely and in English by the visa applicant.
  • UK COS document: The UK sponsorship certificate, which can be obtained by the employer, must be presented for visa application procedures.
  • Documents related to financial adequacy: Bank statements or sponsorship documents must be submitted in the visa application file to prove that the visa applicant has sufficient financial means to cover the expenses incurred during the trip to the UK.
  • Documents related to English language proficiency status: Academic education documents or language exam results showing that the person has at least B1 level English language skills must be submitted for visa procedures.
  • Full-fledged population registration copy: A full-fledged population registration copy showing the visa applicant’s relationship with the persons he/she is applying with, which can be obtained through the e-government system and includes information about all family members, must be added to the visa application file with a barcode.
  • Criminal record document: The criminal record document containing the criminal record information of the person must be submitted within the visa application file after being obtained from the e-government system or from the relevant institutions.

The documents listed above are the standard documents requested for all UK visa applications, however, additional documents may be requested from individuals for UK scale up visa applications which will come into effect from August 2022. For UK sponsored work visa applications; additional documents may be requested depending on the job the applicant will work in the UK and whether they will travel to the UK with their family members.

What should the UK Scale Up COS Certificate be like?

The UK scale up COS document must be obtained at most 3 months before the UK scale up visa application date.

The UK scale up COS document must include the applicant’s name and surname, information about the job to be started in the UK, salary information, confirmation that the applicant will work with the person who will sponsor the applicant for at least 6 months, and information about the start date of the job, which must be within 3 months at most after the visa application process. The UK COS document presented in the visa application file must not have been used in another visa application, whether approved or rejected.

How to Apply for a UK Scale Up Visa?

UK scale up visa application is made online to the UK government website after receiving a valid job offer from an employer with a sponsorship license in the UK, obtaining a sponsorship certificate and preparing the necessary visa documents.

Visa applicants who have completed their online application process for the UK scale up visa application must complete the document delivery and biometric data recording procedures at the intermediary institution’s visa application center.

During the online application process for the UK scale up visa, those who have uploaded their documents to the system do not need to submit their documents at the visa application center. After the UK scale up visa evaluation process is completed, individuals must apply to the visa center and receive their passports. In cases where the family members of the UK scale up visa applicant will go to the UK, the application procedures must be done separately for the spouse and children of those who will work in the UK.

For UK applications to be made under the consultancy of rsscanadaimmigration.com, firstly the personal conditions of the applicant and the necessary visa documents are examined by expert country consultants, and if the application is found suitable, the process is started with document upload and visa appointment procedures.

How Much Is The UK Scale Up Visa Fee?

There is no information yet regarding the UK scale up visa fee.

How Long Does It Take to Grant a UK Sponsored Scale Up Visa?

The UK sponsored scale up visa is granted for a period of 5 years, divided into two periods. The first part of the 5 year period of the UK sponsored scale up visa covers the 2 year period during which the visa applicant receives a job offer from a sponsor in the UK who meets the scale up qualifications and the person meets the criteria for sponsorship status.

The second part of the 5-year period of the UK sponsored scale up visa covers the 3-year period during which people who have travelled to the UK with a scale up visa can continue to live in the country without receiving sponsor support.

When can I get permanent residence in the UK with a Scale Up Visa?

Permanent residence in the UK with a scale up visa can be obtained after staying in the UK for 5 years without interruption. People who want to apply for permanent residence in the UK with a scale up visa must have basic knowledge about life in the UK, be working for a company in the UK with a salary of at least 33,000 GBP per year and have earned an annual income of at least 33,000 GBP for a period of at least 24 months in the last 3 years before the application date.

Can I Change Jobs with a UK Scale Up Visa?

With a UK scale up visa, it is possible to change jobs, but applicants must work with the sponsor specified in the application for the first 6 months. People traveling to the UK with a UK scale up visa are no longer required to work with the person who sponsored them after the first 6 months and have the right to change jobs.

Can Family Members of a UK Scale Up Visa Holder Travel to the UK?

Family members of a UK scale up visa holder can travel to the UK. Spouses and children under the age of 18 of a UK scale up visa holder have the right to travel to the UK with the visa holder.

What are the differences between the UK Scale Up Visa and the Skilled Worker Visa?

While the UK scale up visa is issued with an expedited and simplified process, there is no such application for the UK skilled worker visa.

The immigration skills fee required for UK skilled worker visa applications does not have to be paid for UK scale up visa applications.

How Many Scale-up Companies Are There In The UK?

In the UK, there are 33,445 scale-up companies and approximately 3.2 million employees in these companies, according to the UK Scale-Up Institute’s 2021 annual report.

What are the Top 5 Scale-Up Companies in the UK?

The UK’s top 5 scale-up companies are listed below.

  • DirectlyApply: DirectlyApply is a job search company founded in London in 2018. DirectlyApply, which enables people to find jobs by connecting actively hiring companies with job seekers, has experienced a 1,400% increase in revenue in the last year.
  • Etch Community: Etch Community is a new initiative launched by Etch, a company with offices in London, Southampton and Cape Town. Etch Community aims to bring together people working in the digital environment under a common platform.
  • GoStudent: GoStudent is a company that was founded in 2016 and produces educational videos for children. GoStudent has grown from a start-up company to a scale-up company in 5 years. Valued at 1.4 billion euros, GoStudent operates in many different areas other than education.
  • Residently: Founded in London in 2017, Residently is a company that offers many services and home buying processes that people who want to own a home may need, all in one place, through a digital environment.
  • Fitbakes: Fitbakes is a cake production company founded in the Cotswolds in 2018. Fitbakes produces sugar-free and high-protein cakes and their products are among the best-selling products in many supermarkets.

Where to Post Scale-up Jobs in the UK?

Institutions and sites that post scale-up jobs in the UK are listed below.

  • Scaleup Institute UK
  • Totaljobs.com
  • UK.indeed.com
  • Reed.co.uk
  • Jooble.org

It is recommended that people who want to work in a company that has scale-up features in the UK should research UK job postings regularly through various sources.