UK Scale-Up Visa: Apply from Ireland

You need to meet the salary requirements when applying for a scale-up visa. The applicant’s sponsored job must pay at least as much as all of the following:

• An annual salary of £33,000
• £10.58 per hour
• The going rate for the occupation code

Only guaranteed basic gross pay is included in salary (before income tax and including employee pension and national insurance contributions). When determining whether an application meets the pay requirements outlined in SCU 7.1(a), only the first 48 hours of the applicant’s weekly schedule will be considered. For instance, a candidate who works 60 hours per week at the rate of £12.50 will be seen as earning £31,200 (£12.50 x 48 x 52) per year rather than £39,000 (£12.50 x 60 x 52).

However, the salary scale-up worker requirement for this visa is higher at £33,000 compared to £25,600 for the Skilled Worker visa.

Existing scale-up workers must have made at least £33,000 in annual PAYE wages in the UK during at least 50% of their time as a Scale-up Worker (for instance, an applicant with a two-year Scale-up Worker permit must have made this amount of money during at least 12 months of that permit).

To fulfil the criterion in times of absence from employment, any of the following reasons shall be regarded as periods during which the applicant was paid the equivalent of at least £33,000 per year:

• Statutory maternity, paternity, parental, or shared parental leave
• Statutory adoption leave
• Sick leave.

An applicant with a two-year permit who spent six months on the types mentioned above of leave while working as a scale-up worker during that permit’s first year would need to have earned PAYE wages in the UK equal to at least £33,000 annually for at least six of the permit’s remaining 18 months.

Before travelling to the UK, a person who wishes to join their partner or child of a Scale-up Worker must apply and acquire entry clearance in that capacity.

When applying for entry clearance as a partner or child via the Scale-up method, the applicant must show a current medical certificate attesting to the fact that they have completed testing for active pulmonary tuberculosis and are free of the disease.

Dependants of the scale-up visa holder do not need to provide proof of funds if they have been living in the UK for at least a year and are seeking permission to stay. However, the financial requirements for partner or child of scale-up visa holders or applicants include:

• At least £285 for a partner in the UK or applying for entry clearance
• At least £315 for the first child in the UK or applying for entry clearance
• At least £200 for each additional child in the UK or entry clearance.

The applicant must meet the UK visa and immigration eligibility criteria and apply for entry clearance. When applying for a scale-up visa, you must take certain procedures and actions for a successful application.

To avoid errors that could result in a visa being refused, you must read the Home Office’s application guidelines before beginning the application process. You must carry out these actions to apply for this visa.

Step 1: Apply online through the Gov.uk website under the “Settle in the UK in various immigration categories: form SET(O)”.

Step 2: Submit all your supporting documents

Step 3: Fill in all the requested information, provide answers as instructed, and submit your application.

If your application for the scale-up visa is approved and it was awarded 50 points for meeting the sponsorship application requirements, you will be granted entry clearance or permission to stay for 2 years. However, the grant will be subject to all the following conditions:

•  You are not permitted to access public funds.
• The applicant must be employed in the job for which the applicant is being sponsored for the first 6 months of their permission.
• Work (including self-employment and voluntary work) is permitted, excluding professional sportspeople and sports coaches.
• The study is permitted, subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS

If the applicant was awarded 50 points for meeting the Unsponsored Application requirements, they would be granted entry clearance or permission to stay for 3 years. The grant will be subject to all the following conditions:

• You must not access public funds
• Work (including self-employment and voluntary work) is permitted, excluding work as a professional sportsperson and sports coach
• The study is permitted, subject to the ATAS condition in Appendix ATAS

Total Law’s excellent immigration lawyers are vastly experienced in dealing with the UK scale-up visa application and provide advice and support to make your application process smooth.

Our professional immigration lawyers will help you determine that you meet the eligibility criteria for a UK scale-up visa. They will advise you detailedly on which supporting documentation you should have. In addition, years of experience with this process have made us aware of the common mistakes that applicant make that causes application refusal. Therefore, we will help you avoid these errors to ensure that your application is consistent and readily accepted.

If you’ve had a previous refusal, Total Law can help you file an appeal or walk you through the re-application process to ensure you get accepted. So contact us today at +353 (0) 61 518 025 to start your journey toward a successful UK visa application.