UK Introduces Visa Fee Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups Hiring Overseas Talent
The United Kingdom has launched the Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale Ups, a grant program intended to reduce immigration cost barriers for high-growth businesses hiring specialist workers from overseas. According to Fragomen, the initiative reimburses eligible visa application fees for hires under selected immigration routes and their dependants.
Fragomen reports that qualifying businesses may apply for up to £25,000 per year, capped at £5,000 for each international hire and their dependants. Reimbursable costs must relate to recruitment under the Skilled Worker, Global Talent, or Scale-up visa routes and must have been incurred on or after June 9, 2026. Costs incurred before an application is submitted are not eligible for reimbursement under the published scheme terms cited by Fragomen.
To participate, a business must meet several criteria outlined in Fragomen's summary of the program. The employer must be a UK-based scale-up demonstrating average annualised growth exceeding 20% in employment or turnover over a continuous three-year period, starting with at least 10 employees at the beginning of that period. The business must operate in at least one of three designated sectors: Clean Energy, Life Sciences, or Digital and Technologies.
Fragomen states that applicants must also hold a valid UK visa sponsor licence, maintain an established UK presence such as registration with Companies House, pass Department for Business and Trade due diligence checks, and maintain a UK bank account to receive reimbursements. The sponsoring employer submits the grant application; individual workers cannot apply directly under the scheme description provided by Fragomen.
Registration opened on June 9, 2026, with applications accepted from June 16, 2026, through the Department for Business and Trade Grants Hub. Fragomen notes that funding is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The scheme is currently listed as closing on March 1, 2027, at 21:59 local time, subject to fund availability.
The Guardian reported in January 2026 that Chancellor Rachel Reeves planned visa fee refund measures aimed at encouraging global businesses to bring highly skilled staff to the UK as part of broader growth and investment messaging. The scale-up reimbursement scheme operationalizes that policy direction for eligible employers in designated sectors.
What's Next / Context
UK immigration costs—including visa application fees, immigration health surcharges where applicable, and sponsorship compliance expenses—can represent a meaningful share of hiring budgets for growing companies. The reimbursement scheme is designed to offset a portion of those upfront visa fees for scale-ups in sectors the government identifies as central to innovation and economic growth.
Employers considering the program should confirm current eligibility criteria, sector definitions, and application instructions on the official grants portal before incurring costs they expect to recover. Because reimbursement is capped per hire and per year, businesses planning multiple overseas recruitments may need to prioritize which cases to include in grant applications.
The first-come, first-served funding model means available resources may be exhausted before the published closing date. Fragomen advises employers to review eligibility and prepare applications promptly if they intend to participate. Successful applicants are generally notified within 30 working days of submission under the published process described in scheme materials summarized by Fragomen.
The scheme covers only specified visa routes and reimbursable fee categories defined in program guidance. It does not replace sponsor-licence obligations, compliance duties, or salary and skill requirements attached to the underlying work visas. Employers should therefore treat reimbursement as a partial cost-offset rather than a separate immigration pathway.
