UK Scale-up Visa Explained: £39,100 Salary, 6-Month Sponsorship and Flexibility

The UK Scale-up visa lets you work for a fast-growing UK company that holds a scale-up sponsor licence. You need a job offer of at least 6 months paying the higher of £39,100 a year or the going rate. After those 6 months you can stay, change jobs or become self-employed without a sponsor, and extend by meeting an earnings test. Under current rules it leads to settlement after 5 years.

Key points

• You need a certificate of sponsorship from an approved scale-up sponsor and a job lasting at least 6 months.
• Salary must be at least £39,100 a year or the going rate, whichever is higher.
• After 6 months you are free to change or leave your job, or become self-employed.
• The initial visa lasts 2 years. Extensions are 3 years each, with no sponsor needed.
• The fee is £937, plus the £1,035 a year health surcharge.

What makes Scale-up different

Most UK work visas tie you to one sponsor for the whole visa. The Scale-up visa ties you to a sponsor only for the first 6 months. After that, you have flexibility closer to an unsponsored visa. According to GOV.UK, after your first 6 months you can:

• stay in your job
• change jobs, or leave your job
• be self-employed

and you do not need to tell the Home Office or update your visa for these changes.

Eligibility

You need:

1. A confirmed job offer from a company approved as a scale-up sponsor.
2. A certificate of sponsorship (CoS) from that company.
3. A job on the list of eligible occupations.
4. A job offer lasting at least 6 months.
5. A salary that meets the minimum.
6. B2 English.
7. £1,270 in savings, unless exempt.

Job skill level

The job must have an eligible occupation code. GOV.UK publishes a table of eligible occupations and their going rates for the Scale-up route. Your employer chooses the code that best matches the duties of the role, and that code sets the going rate you need to meet.

Switching into Scale-up from inside the UK

GOV.UK says you can switch to the Scale-up visa from inside the UK. This is a common move for people on a Graduate or High Potential Individual visa who are hired by a fast-growing company, because it offers a sponsored start without tying them to one employer for the whole visa. Some visas, such as the visitor visa, do not allow switching, so check the rules for your current visa first.

Who counts as a scale-up sponsor

Scale-up sponsorship is a specific licence type. In general, it is for companies with high growth in turnover or staff over a sustained period. Check the GOV.UK register of licensed sponsors to confirm that your employer holds a scale-up licence, not just a standard Skilled Worker licence.

Salary requirement

According to the GOV.UK your job page, you must be paid the higher of:

• £39,100 a year, or
• the going rate for your occupation code.

GOV.UK gives the example that a salary of £39,400 does not qualify if the going rate is £40,000.

The Scale-up threshold is lower than the Skilled Worker general threshold of £41,700. For more detail on how going rates work, see Skilled Worker salary thresholds and going rates.

English

The knowledge of English page sets the level at B2 for new applicants and anyone switching in. If you are extending a Scale-up visa granted before 8 January 2026, B1 applies and you do not need to prove it again. Nationals of listed countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA are exempt.

Costs

According to the how much it costs page:

Cost	Amount (October 2026)
Application fee (per person)	£937
Immigration Health Surcharge	£1,035 per person per year
Savings	£1,270, held for 28 days in a row

You do not need to show savings if you have held a valid UK visa for at least 12 months, or if your employer certifies maintenance on your CoS for your first month (up to £1,270).

Example: one person on a 2-year visa pays £937 + £2,070 IHS = £3,007.

Extending your visa

You can extend by 3 years at a time, as many times as you qualify. You do not need a new CoS. According to the extend your visa page, you must:

• have worked in the job on your CoS for at least 6 months, and
• have met the earnings requirement for at least half of your most recent stay.

Earnings requirement

When your last CoS was issued	Minimum annual salary
On or after 22 July 2025, or if you have already extended	£39,100
4 April 2024 to 21 July 2025	£36,300
12 April 2023 to 3 April 2024	£34,600
On or before 11 April 2023	£33,000

Important points:

• Earnings must be paid through PAYE. Self-employed income does not count.
• For a 2-year stay, you need at least 12 months at the required level.
• Each job you count must meet the threshold on its own. If you held two jobs at the same time, only the higher salary counts.
• You will need payslips, P60s or P45s, bank statements and the PAYE reference for each employer.

This is the catch with the “freedom” after 6 months. If you become fully self-employed, that income will not help you extend. Plan your work history so you meet the PAYE earnings test.

How to apply

1. Get a job offer from an approved scale-up sponsor, for at least 6 months, at the required salary.
2. Receive your CoS with the job details and occupation code.
3. Prepare English and savings evidence, unless exempt or your sponsor certifies maintenance.
4. Apply online from outside the UK, or switch from inside the UK if your current visa allows it. Pay the £937 fee and the health surcharge.
5. Verify your identity with the UK Immigration: ID Check app or at a visa application centre.
6. Start work and keep records of your pay from day one.

Changing employer in the first 6 months

If you want to leave your sponsor within the first 6 months, GOV.UK says you must apply to update your visa. In practice that means finding another approved scale-up sponsor willing to issue a new CoS. After the 6-month point, this restriction no longer applies.

Settlement

Under the rules in force in October 2026, you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after 5 years. The ILR fee is £3,226. The government’s earned settlement proposals could change qualifying periods. They had not become law as of 11 October 2026, so check the updates page.

Scale-up compared with Skilled Worker and Innovator Founder

	Scale-up	Skilled Worker	Innovator Founder
Sponsor needed	First 6 months only	Throughout	No (endorsement instead)
Salary	£39,100 or going rate	£41,700 or going rate	None
Change job freely	After 6 months	No, must update visa	Can run businesses and take RQF 3+ jobs
Visa fee (outside UK)	£937	From £819	£1,357
Settlement	5 years	5 years	3 years

If you want to build your own company rather than join one, read about the Innovator Founder visa. For the standard sponsored route, see the UK Skilled Worker visa guide.

What to do next

• Confirm your employer holds a scale-up sponsor licence.
• Check the going rate for your occupation code against your offer.
• Keep every payslip and P60 from day one, since you will need them to extend.
• See the UK country hub for related guides.
• If you plan to go self-employed after 6 months, speak to an OISC/IAA-regulated adviser or solicitor about how that affects extension. This article is general information, not legal advice.