Government unveils scale-up concierge service and immigration incentives for high-growth businesses

The Government has recently announced a new package of measures aimed at helping high-growth businesses start, scale and remain in the UK, and at attracting global talent. In this article we examine the new concierge service for scale-up enterprises, the visa fee reimbursement scheme, the Office for Investment fast-track referral route, and the practical implications for businesses and individuals.

Background

As part of London Tech Week, the Business Secretary, Peter Kyle launched a bespoke concierge service for Britain's fastest-growing firms, as well as two targeted immigration support schemes. The package forms part of a broader cross-government effort to close the 'scale-up gap', building on the Industrial Strategy, the Plan for SMEs, and the 2025 Autumn Budget.

The announcements cover:

A concierge service providing tiered, cross-government support for scale-up enterprises to overcome barriers to growth;
A Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups ("VFRS4SU"), reimbursing up to £5,000 per eligible international hire (capped at £25,000 per year) for businesses in Clean Energy, Life Sciences, or Digital and Technologies; and
An Office for Investment fast-track referral route for UK Expansion Worker sponsor licence applications, targeting faster processing times of around ten working days.

We examine each measure and what it means for your business below.

Concierge service for scale-up businesses

A central proposal is a new bespoke concierge service for promising scale-up enterprises. The service will not be limited to Scale-Up Worker sponsor licence holders and is intended to provide rapid, targeted and joined-up government support to firms with significant growth potential. It will operate on a tiered basis and help businesses overcome barriers such as regulation, access to finance, procurement challenges and access to international talent.

It will work in coordination with the Global Talent Taskforce and be developed with input from entrepreneurs and investors. Its role will be to ensure government acts quickly and decisively to back the highest potential firms and, where necessary and appropriate, remove some red tape.

As part of this announcement, the Business Secretary has appointed Penny Verbe as Scale-Up Adviser, to help ensure government support reflects what businesses need and to champion the sector. The service will develop and be built as it progresses with input from entrepreneurs and investors.

Visa fee reimbursement scheme

As part of the announcement, the Government has launched the Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups ("VFRS4SU"), a targeted grant scheme designed to reduce the cost of hiring international talent and strengthen the UK's attractiveness to skilled workers and investors.

How much visa fee reimbursement funding is available?

Eligible businesses may claim up to £5,000 per eligible international hire and their dependants, with total funding of up to £25,000 per year. Funding is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications are processed in the order they are received, and grants are awarded until the total budget is fully allocated.

Who can apply for visa fee reimbursement?

To qualify, a business must meet the following criteria:

Be a UK-based scale-up business, defined as an enterprise that has achieved an average annualised growth rate above 20% in either employment or turnover over a continuous three-year period, starting with at least 10 employees at the beginning of that period;
Operate in at least one of the three eligible priority sectors: Clean Energy, Life Sciences, or Digital and Technologies, as defined in the Industrial Strategy sector definitions list;
Have already established a presence in the UK (either incorporated in the UK and registered with Companies House, or be an overseas company registered with Companies House as having a UK establishment);
Hold a valid sponsor licence for a UK immigration route;
Recruit eligible hires under one of three designated immigration routes: Skilled Worker, Global Talent, or Scale-Up;
Pass Department for Business and Trade standard due diligence and assurance checks prior to grant award; and
Have a valid UK bank account to receive reimbursements.

Office for Investment fast-track referral route for UK expansion worker route participants

Finally, the Government has also launched an Office for Investment ("OfI") fast-track referral route for UK Expansion Worker sponsor licence applications. This is intended to assist high-potential overseas businesses seeking to establish a UK presence more quickly by deploying senior or specialist personnel to support their UK expansion.

What is the UK Expansion Worker route?

The UK Expansion Worker route provides an initial route of up to 2 years in total (12 months initially, followed by an extension of up to 12 months) for senior managers and specialist employees of multinational businesses setting up a subsidiary or branch office in the UK. An alternative route such as Skilled Worker or Senior or Specialist Worker is required for stays beyond this, and time spent on the route does not lead to settlement.

How does the fast-track referral work?

The scheme is available now for eligible businesses already receiving ongoing Office for Investment support. If accepted for referral, processing times will be around ten working days, compared with the standard processing time of up to eight weeks. However, this is not an automatic priority service. Complex applications may revert to standard processing times.

What are the eligibility criteria for referral?

To be eligible, businesses must:

Receive ongoing Office for Investment support;
Operate in one of the eight sectors identified as priorities under the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy;
Meet at least one of the following growth criteria:
- Receiving at least £1 million in venture capital or institutional investment;
- Committing at least £2 million in capital investment for UK expansion; or
- Participating in a government-recognised high-growth programme (e.g. the Global Entrepreneur Programme).

Analysis

The fee reimbursement measures will assist in minimising costs for eligible businesses already using the immigration routes. They form part of a larger package from the Government to boost businesses wishing to establish and scale in the UK and recognise the part that international talent has to play in building them.

Those intending to use the VFRS4SU funding should act early, as the scheme is currently due to close on 1 March 2027, or earlier if funding is exhausted before that.

There is, however a question around whether the UK Expansion Worker route fast track referral will result in improved processing times in practice. These applications are in most cases deemed complex, and for this reason the route currently doesn't have access to the Home Office's pre-licence priority service or post-licence priority change of circumstances service.

Need more information?

If you have any queries about this development or need assistance with a sponsor licence or immigration application, please contact a member of our Immigration team.