While presenting his Autumn budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced new visa routes to retain and attract the brightest and most promising talent from all across the world to the UK. The Government has made these changes to address the challenges innovative UK businesses have to face while trying to access the skills they need to grow.
One of the highlights of this initiative is the new Scale-up Visa. The new visa route will be launched in spring 2022. The aim behind launching this visa route is to connect the fastest-growing businesses in the UK to the right overseas talent.
What is the Scale-Up route to the UK?
With this visa route, the UK government is hoping to modernise immigration. The new policy aims to attract global talent in technology, research, science, and academia. The Global Talent visa reform will enable international prizes holder and scholarships holders to easily qualify for a UK visa.
The new visa route will enable global talent with a high-skilled job offer from an innovative business to enter the UK at the required salary level. With the launch of this visa route, qualifying scale-ups will access their desired talent beyond borders.
Applicants who pass the language proficiency requirement will be eligible to apply for the scale-up visa. They also require a high-skilled job offer from a UK-based business and a salary of at least £33,000 per annum. With these requirements met, applicants will be entitled to a fast-track visa.
These new reforms will make it easier for applicants to apply for fast-track immigration processes. It will also provide them more flexibility to work in the United Kingdom, eligibility to apply for settled status, and to make a lateral career move in the UK.
The new visa route doesn’t require the employer to hold a sponsor license or the applicant to be sponsored by the scale-up. This makes the Scale-up Visa category more flexible than the Skilled Worker visa route.
The difference between UK’s Scale-up visa and the Skilled Worker route:
Individuals from all across (except Britain and Ireland) can obtain a Skilled Worker Visa if they have an eligible skilled job offer from a Home Office-approved sponsor in the United Kingdom. This immigration route allows the applicants to bring their partners and children to settle in the UK. As far as the Skilled Worker route is concerned, there is no cap on the number of individuals who can enter the United Kingdom.
The business doesn’t need to hold a sponsor licence for the applicant to obtain a visa via the Scale-Up immigration route. He only needs a job offer from a qualifying business and meets the minimum salary requirements.
It has not yet been confirmed whether Scale-Up visa holders will be able to bring their partners and children to the UK. The government might announce a route to settlement (visa extension followed by settlement). However, the details have not yet been released.
Getting permanently settled in the UK opens a plethora of opportunities for you. Get in touch with one of our immigration consultants to discuss options to enter the UK. Call us at (+44) 7898641255 for more details.