Generally speaking, if an international student wants to work in the UK once they have graduated, they need to apply to the Home Office for a skilled worker visa. They also need to be sponsored for 5 years until they can apply for permanent residence.
Now there is another type of work visa for international students – known as a scale-up visa.
The Scale-up visa was launched in August 2022, which aims to help UK companies with growth potential to recruit high-skilled workers to work in the UK.
The benefits of a scale up visa
Everyone knows that a skilled worker visa needs to be sponsored by the employer, but the scale-up visa is more flexible. The scale-up visa does not require the employee to be tied up to the sponsor for 5 years.
You only need to be sponsored for 6 months, the main difference being the scale-up visa allows you to change jobs after 6 months. You can leave your sponsoring employer and be free to seek employment without another sponsorship.
If you do change jobs or an employer after 6 months, you don’t need to apply for a new visa again. You are allowed to freely seek a new job or even be self-employed. The new job has to be on the list of eligible occupations.
The minimum salary is higher than a skilled worker visa
The minimum annual salary requirement for a scale-up visa is £33,000, which is higher than a skilled worker visa (£25,600). This means that international students who have graduated will be paid more if they apply for a scale-up visa.
Lots of occupations available
There are a lot of occupations that international students can apply for. Finance, engineering, programming, R&D, science research and investment consultants are all listed in the qualified occupation list on the Home Office website.
For those who want to live in the UK for a longer period of time, this visa is undoubtedly a great news, and there is more freedom in job choice.
How to find a Scale-up Sponsor?
According to the Scaleup Institute, there are currently more than 30,000 scale-up UK companies that meet the requirements. There are 1,000 companies in London, and this number will continue to increase.
First, you need to find a scale-up company in the UK. The Scale Up Institute website – www.scaleupinstitute.org.uk/scaleups/, shows all the scale-up companies in the United Kingdom.
Once you have found a scale-up company that you would like to work for, simply go to the gov.uk website to make sure they are on the sponsorship list.
How can Work Permit Cloud help?
The Scale-up Visa is a newly published visa route from the Home Office. It is important to clearly understand the requirements and whether it is suitable for you. WorkPermitCloud is regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) and we stay on top of immigration news. Our professional immigration advisers can assist you throughout your journey to maximise the probability of success on your scale-up visa application. We make sure your immigration and visa applications are processed correctly and your journey is seamless. Contact us via email on: sales@workpermitcloud.co.uk .