Citizenship Areas
Join a qualifying high-growth UK business through a route that combines an initial period of sponsorship with greater flexibility as your career develops.
The initial application requires an eligible job with a business authorised to sponsor Scale-up Workers. We assess the proposed role, sponsorship and your individual circumstances.
Initial permission is normally granted for two years, with an initial six-month sponsored employment commitment. Qualifying extensions are granted for three years at a time.
The flexibility available later in the route does not remove the conditions for renewing your visa or settling in the UK. We review the proposed employment and your wider plans from the outset.
We assist with overseas applications and eligible switches from within the UK, coordinating the sponsored job and immigration application.
Review the employer’s Scale-up authorisation, proposed job, immigration history and any family applications.
Check the sponsorship arrangements and prepare the application with the relevant supporting information.
We assist with submission and the instructed identity-check process or biometric appointment.
Review the decision and visa conditions, plan the initial sponsored period and consider later work, renewal and family arrangements.
Switching depends on your current UK immigration status and the applicable conditions. We assess the appropriate application and timing before you change routes.
Visa, healthcare, professional and document costs should be considered together. The available services and decision timing depend on the application.
A move to a different employer during the initial sponsored period normally requires a new sponsored application. We review the new role, sponsor and timing before you start.
Once the required six-month period has been completed, you can normally change employer without a Scale-up update application. Your continuing visa conditions and future renewal position still need to be considered.
Scale-up permission can permit additional employment and self-employment, subject to the conditions of the grant. However, self-employed income does not count towards the route’s qualifying earnings tests for extension or settlement.
A qualifying spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner may apply to join you or remain with you in the UK, subject to the applicable relationship conditions.
Eligible dependent children can apply, including certain older children who already hold dependant permission. Each child’s circumstances need individual review.
A qualifying Scale-up extension does not require a new Certificate of Sponsorship. The assessment instead considers your earlier sponsored employment and qualifying earnings during the relevant period.
Further permission is normally granted for three years. There is no fixed limit on extensions while the conditions continue to be met.
We review the relevant PAYE earnings, any permitted absences from work and the rules linked to earlier sponsorship dates. Self-employment and other non-qualifying income cannot simply replace the required employment earnings.
We can assess the extension alongside dependant renewals and your potential settlement timeline, identifying any issues before the current permission expires.
A potential settlement application can arise after five qualifying years, subject to continuous residence, the current employment and earnings tests, and the other applicable conditions.
Some earlier work routes may count towards the qualifying period. Time as a dependant is treated differently, and each family member’s own settlement eligibility must be reviewed.
Completing five years alone is not enough. Settlement includes an assessment of qualifying employment and earnings history, as well as residence and the other relevant conditions. We review the full position before advising on an application.
Naturalisation has its own residence, absence, language, good-character and other conditions. Neither a Scale-up visa nor settlement guarantees citizenship.