Sponsor Licence for UK Scale-up Visas

Sponsor Licence for a Fast-Growing UK Business

What is Scale-up Route and its Sponsor Licence?

The Scale-up visa is a points-based immigration route for migrant workers who have been hired by a UK Scale-up sponsor and possess the necessary skills to help the sponsor's business expand. This visa is intended to provide a fast-track and more flexible option for international workers with a qualifying job offer from an approved UK Scale-up company at the required skill level.

To obtain a Sponsor Licence for Scale-up route, there are two pathways the employers can take, the standard pathway and endorsing body pathway.

The Standard Pathway:

To qualify under the standard pathway, the companies must:

• have an annualised growth of at least 20% for the 3-year period before your application based on either employment (your staff count) or your turnover; and
• žhave had a minimum of 10 employees at the start of the 3-year period

The Endorsing Body Pathway:

The endorsing body pathway is for organisations who are unable to qualify under the standard pathway because their HMRC history is not long enough. To be eligible, the companies must first obtain an endorsement from a Home Office-approved endorsing body.

List of Endorsing Bodies

• UK Endorsing Services
• žInnovator International
• žEnvestors Limited (Envestors Visa Endorsement) 
• žThe Global Entrepreneurs Programme (GEP)

To qualify for an endorsement, the companies must satisfy the approved endorsing body that they meet the each of the following requirements:

• have a minimum of 10 employees who pay income tax and national insurance through a PAYE scheme operated by the company
• žbe registered for VAT
• žbe solvent and trading in the UK
• žhave an HMRC footprint of less than 4 years
• be able to demonstrate a potential growth rate consistent with the requirements of the Scale-up route and be reasonably expected to meet the Home Office definition of a qualifying Scale-up sponsor under the standard pathway within the next 4 years
• žhave sufficient finance to offer appropriate salaries to individuals working in roles that meet the skill level of this route
• žhave a UK-registered corporate bank account

In addition to the requirements above, the companies must also meet at least three out of the following 5 criteria:

• žGrowth: be able to show more than 20% growth in turnover or employment per year over a 2-year period
• žParticipation in a relevant Government programme or receipt of relevant Government funding: have participated in a recognised scale-up programme, such as Innovate UK EDGE or DCMS Creative Scale-up; received an Innovate UK loan or grant; or participated in the Small Business Research Initiative
• žFinance: have raised a minimum of £1 million in equity finance in a single round in the 12 months immediately before the date of application to the endorsing body
• žInternational: have global offices or operations and be generating a minimum threshold of 10% of turnover from exports
• žResearch and development expenditure: the company’s expenditure on research, development or innovation must be either 10% of the overall operating costs per year for 3 years; or 15% in one of the last 3 years

What Passportia Can Offer

Passportia can assess the business, prepare and apply for endorsing letter to the approved endorsing body, or submit an application for Scale-up Sponsor Licence directly if the company meets the requirement. This includes all necessary steps, such as completing the online application form, drafting a letter of representation that addresses the relevant points, and reviewing all supporting documents.

Once the Sponsor Licence is granted, Passportia can then provide additional support in the following areas:

• Assigning CoS to the Scale-up Worker
• žHandling Scale-up Worker initial and extension visa applications.
• žOffering training and advice on using the Sponsor Management System (SMS).
• žConducting annual reviews of employee documentation
• žAdding other routes to the Sponsor Licence if necessary
• žProviding guidance on other UK immigration matters.

To enquire about quotations - please fill in the form below or call a number on the right. No-win no fee arrangements may be available in certain circumstances. We look forward to hearing from you.

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