Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for UK Scale-Ups

On 9 June 2026, the UK government announced a package of measures aimed at the businesses driving the country’s growth ambitions. Introduced by the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury, it includes a new concierge service for high-growth companies and a Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme that helps eligible scale-ups recover the cost of hiring international talent. Together, the measures are designed to make it easier and cheaper to bring world-leading talent on board.

For employers in clean energy, life sciences, digital and technology, the announcement is more than political signalling. It carries direct, practical consequences for recruitment budgets, sponsorship strategy and the speed at which international talent can be brought on board. The detail, however, matters, and several eligibility conditions will determine which firms can benefit.

The Strategic Backdrop: Closing the Scale-Up Gap

The reforms form part of a wider ambition to nurture the UK’s first trillion-dollar firm and to retain more of the country’s high-growth success stories rather than seeing them mature overseas. High-growth firms occupy an outsized place in the economy: in 2023 they generated £2.2 trillion in turnover and employed 3.9 million people, despite representing just 0.8% of all UK businesses.

The Government has been explicit that it intends to replicate the approaches taken by France, Singapore, and the United States in actively backing their most promising companies. The new update builds on existing commitments under the Industrial Strategy, the Plan for SMEs, and the Autumn Budget, alongside investment activity through the British Business Bank and Innovate UK’s Velocity programme.

A Concierge Service Built Around High-Growth Firms

At the centre of the announcement is a new concierge service offering tiered, hands-on support to companies positioned to scale rapidly. The stated ambition is bold: to create the conditions for a British company to reach a trillion-dollar valuation for the first time.

Rather than directing businesses through a maze of separate government schemes, the concierge model is intended to act as a single, joined-up route to government support. Its purpose is to identify and remove the practical barriers that slow growth, whether those relate to regulation, access to finance, public procurement, or access to global talent. Where government can act to unlock a deal or clear a delay, the service is designed to make that happen quickly. Where government is better off stepping aside, it is designed to do that too.

The service will be developed iteratively, shaped by input from entrepreneurs and investors, and will build on existing growth initiatives within the Industrial Strategy. To champion the sector, the government has appointed Penny Verbe as Scale-Up Adviser, working alongside Entrepreneurship Adviser Alex Depledge.

The economic rationale is straightforward. High-growth firms make up a small fraction of UK businesses but contribute disproportionately to turnover and employment. Retaining more of these companies, rather than seeing them relocate or sell abroad, sits at the heart of the policy.

The Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups

The element of greatest practical interest to employers is the Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups (VFRS4SU). This is a targeted grant scheme that reimburses eligible visa application fees for specialist international hires and their dependants, directly reducing one of the most tangible cost barriers to recruiting from abroad.

The headline terms are as follows:

• Businesses can claim up to £25,000 per year, with a maximum award of £5,000 per international hire and their dependants.
• Eligible visa fees can be reimbursed only where they are incurred on or after 9 June 2026 and on or after the date the business submits its application. Fees paid before an application is submitted cannot be claimed.
• The scheme opened on 9 June 2026 and is scheduled to close on 1 March 2027.
• Funding is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until the budget is exhausted.

Crucially, the scheme is not open to individuals. Only qualifying businesses may apply, and applications are made through the Department for Business and Trade’s Grants Hub portal. Applicants are notified of the outcome within 30 working days of submission, with payment following a successful decision.

Which Employers and Routes Qualify

The scheme is deliberately focused on three priority sectors aligned with the Industrial Strategy: Clean Energy, Life Sciences, and Digital and Technologies. To be eligible, a business must satisfy every one of the following conditions:

• Qualify as a UK-based scale-up:  defined as an enterprise achieving average annualised growth above 20% in either employment or turnover over a continuous three-year period, beginning with at least 10 employees.
• Operate in at least one of the three priority sectors.
• Hold a valid UK sponsor licence.
• Have an established UK presence, either incorporated and registered with Companies House, or registered as an overseas company with a UK establishment.
• Recruit through an eligible immigration route:  the Skilled Worker, Global Talent, or Scale-Up visa.
• Pass the Department’s standard due diligence and assurance checks before any grant is awarded.
• Hold a valid UK bank account to receive reimbursement.

Successful applicants become designated Grant Partners and must enter into a grant funding agreement with the Department. Decisions on eligibility and funding are final and, save where the scheme guidance states otherwise, are not subject to appeal.

Faster Sponsor Licensing for Expanding Businesses

Alongside the reimbursement scheme, the Government has introduced an Office for Investment fast-track referral for the UK Expansion Worker sponsor licence. This is intended to help high-potential international businesses establish themselves in the UK more quickly by accelerating the licensing step that precedes overseas senior staff being sent to set up a UK branch.

Taken together with the Global Talent Taskforce, these measures complement wider visa reforms and are positioned to strengthen the UK’s overall offer to international talent and investors in key innovation sectors.

What This Means for Sponsor Licence Holders

For HR teams and business leaders, the new measures present a genuine opportunity but one that rewards preparation. The reimbursement scheme has a fixed budget and a first-come, first-served structure, so firms intending to apply should not delay. Because a valid sponsor licence is a condition of eligibility, the schemes also reinforce the importance of maintaining compliant sponsorship arrangements.

Employers should review whether their growth profile and sector place them within scope, ensure their sponsor licence is in good standing, and keep clear records of visa fees and the roles they relate to. Firms that are not yet licensed, or that are uncertain whether their compliance systems would withstand scrutiny, may wish to take advice before committing to the application process.

Conclusion

The concierge service and Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme mark a deliberate effort to keep Britain’s most promising companies growing on home soil. For employers in clean energy, life sciences, and digital and technologies, the schemes offer real financial relief on the cost of international recruitment and a more responsive relationship with government during periods of rapid growth.

The benefits, however, are conditional. Eligibility turns on growth metrics, sector definitions, an existing UK presence and, critically, a valid sponsor licence. Businesses that meet these conditions and act before the funding is allocated stand to gain the most. Those still building their compliance foundations would be well advised to address them first, so that they are ready to take advantage when the opportunity arises.

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