UK Scale-up Worker Visa
6 months sponsored.
Then work anywhere.
The Scale-up route is the only UK work visa that lets you change employer, go freelance, or move roles after 6 months — without a new Certificate of Sponsorship. MigraIQ checks your employer's qualification, verifies your SOC code against the Level 6 list, and plans your post-6-month transition.
Free 70-point eligibility check · Employer qualification assessment · Post-6-month transition planner
How the route works
Two phases, one visa
The Scale-up route is a hybrid — employer-sponsored for the first 6 months, then fully flexible. Most UK work visas tie you to one employer for the entire duration. Scale-up does not.
First 6 months — employer-sponsored
- Must work for your sponsoring scale-up employer
- Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) required from your employer
- Role must be at RQF Level 6 and salary must meet thresholds
- Standard visa compliance rules apply
After 6 months — no sponsor needed
- Work for any employer — no new Certificate of Sponsorship
- Change employer or go freelance without re-sponsoring
- Still must earn £36,300+ at RQF Level 6 in your role
- Must notify the Home Office when you change employer
Home Office notification required: If you change employer after 6 months, you must report this through the UKVI online service. No new CoS is needed, but notification is a visa condition — failure is a breach, not an oversight.
Points system
70 points required
The first three criteria are mandatory — you must score all 50 points. The salary criterion is tradeable but in practice almost always required to reach 70.
Offer from a qualifying scale-up employer
MandatoryYour employer must hold a Scale-up Worker sponsor licence (not a standard Skilled Worker licence) and must have grown at 20%+ average annualised rate over 3 years with at least 10 employees at the start of that period.
Role at RQF Level 6 or above (degree level)
MandatoryOnly SOC major groups 1 (managers & directors) and 2 (professionals) qualify — this is a higher bar than the Skilled Worker route's RQF Level 3. Support and associate roles (SOC group 3) do not qualify.
English language at B1 or above
MandatoryVia nationality exemption, a degree taught in English, or a UKVI-approved test (IELTS for UKVI, Trinity SELT, or PTE Academic for UKVI). Standard IELTS Academic is not accepted.
Salary meets the tradeable threshold
£36,300 or the going rate for your SOC code — whichever is higher. There is no new-entrant discount on the Scale-up route. For most professional and management roles, the going rate exceeds £36,300.
Total required
70 ptsNo new-entrant discount exists on the Scale-up route — salary thresholds apply in full regardless of career stage.
How MigraIQ helps
Built for what makes Scale-up different
Scale-up has three failure points no generic checklist covers: employer qualification, Level 6 SOC verification, and post-6-month compliance. MigraIQ addresses all three.
Employer qualification assessment — no other tool covers this
The Scale-up route fails at the first hurdle when the employer doesn't actually hold a Scale-up Worker licence. We assess your employer's signals (headcount, growth evidence, licence confirmation) and tell you where to verify before you apply — saving time and fees on an ineligible application.
Level 6 SOC filter — not the Skilled Worker list
Scale-up eligibility requires SOC major group 1 or 2 — degree-level roles only. We check your SOC code against the Scale-up-specific eligible list and flag if your code doesn't qualify, before you discover it at the application stage.
Going rate calculation with no new-entrant loophole
Unlike Skilled Worker, there is no new-entrant rate on Scale-up. We calculate your effective minimum as the higher of £36,300 and the going rate for your SOC code — exactly as the Home Office does.
Post-6-month transition planner
No competitor covers this. We explain exactly what changes after 6 months, what you must notify the Home Office about, what salary and skill level you must maintain, and how the transition period counts toward your ILR 5-year residency.
Free points check before you commit
Know your 70-point score from intake answers before spending money on a visa application fee (£827) or an immigration lawyer. Most applicants can self-assess their eligibility in under 10 minutes with MigraIQ.
How it works
Four steps to application-ready
- 01
Complete your Scale-up intake
Answer questions about your employer, SOC code, salary, English language, and post-6-month plans. The intake takes about 10 minutes and covers every variable that affects your points score.
- 02
Get your free eligibility assessment
Instantly see your 70-point score breakdown, your employer's qualification status, whether your SOC code is on the Level 6 list, and your salary position against the going rate for your occupation.
- 03
Prepare your tailored document checklist
Generate a personalised checklist — nationality-adjusted for TB test and English exemption, conditioned on your employer's licence status, and including the post-6-month notification guide unique to this route.
- 04
Build your Strength Report
Get a full section-by-section analysis of your application, employer qualification verification guide, salary gap analysis with negotiation context, and a post-6-month transition roadmap for your specific plan.
Common mistakes
Where Scale-up applications go wrong
Scale-up refusals follow predictable patterns. These are the most common — and most avoidable.
Confusing Skilled Worker and Scale-up licences
A standard Skilled Worker sponsor licence does not qualify your employer for the Scale-up route. Your employer must specifically hold a Scale-up Worker licence — a separate approval. Always ask HR to confirm the exact licence type before applying.
Using a SOC code from the Skilled Worker list
The Skilled Worker route covers RQF Level 3+, which includes associate and technical roles (SOC group 3). Scale-up only covers Level 6+ (SOC groups 1 and 2). SOC 3131 (IT support) qualifies for Skilled Worker but not for Scale-up.
Expecting a new-entrant discount
There is no new-entrant salary reduction on the Scale-up route. The salary must meet both the £36,300 general threshold and the going rate for your SOC code — whichever is higher — with no exceptions for graduates or career changers.
Not notifying the Home Office when changing employer
After the 6-month sponsored period, you do not need a new CoS to change employer — but you are still required to notify the Home Office through the UKVI online service. Failure to notify is a visa condition breach, not an oversight.
Assuming the sponsored period CoS covers the full visa duration
The CoS covers the initial 6-month sponsored period only. Your visa is typically granted for up to 5 years, but from month 7 you are on unsponsored status — which requires its own salary and skill level compliance, monitored by the Home Office.
Questions
Frequently asked
Check your Scale-up eligibility — free
Know your 70-point score, your employer's qualification status, and your post-6-month transition plan before you spend anything on a visa application or a lawyer.
MigraIQ is an application preparation and assessment tool — not regulated immigration advice. For complex cases (prior refusals, immigration violations), consult an OISC-regulated immigration adviser.