Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle and chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled a Visa Fee Reimbursement Scheme on 12 June aimed at helping high-growth ‘scale-up’ firms attract global talent. Under the pilot, fast-growing companies in tech, life sciences and clean energy will be able to claim back the Home Office application fees paid for hires on the Skilled Worker, Scale-up and Global Talent routes. To qualify, firms must demonstrate average annualised growth of at least 20 per cent in turnover or headcount over three consecutive years and have a minimum of 10 employees at the start of the period. Eligible businesses will apply through a new ‘concierge service’ that promises case-owner support on immigration, procurement and access to finance.
![Government to reimburse visa fees for high-growth UK scale-ups]()
For companies unfamiliar with the UK immigration landscape, specialist facilitators such as VisaHQ can streamline the process even further. VisaHQ’s dedicated UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers real-time guidance on visa categories, document requirements and fee structures, helping scale-ups ensure that every application is accurate before submitting it for reimbursement.
For employers the rebate could offset up to £5,000 per senior hire, easing the burden of the Immigration Health Surcharge increase introduced in January. The move complements the 2025 Scale-up Worker visa, which allows sponsored staff to switch jobs freely after six months—a flexibility that some employers feared would dilute retention. Officials believe the refund will persuade firms to continue sponsoring talent rather than relying solely on contractors. Immigration lawyers caution that details on how reimbursements interact with claw-back clauses in employee contracts are still to be published. Companies will also need to maintain rigorous record-keeping to satisfy both HMRC and Home Office audits. Nevertheless, the announcement signals a broader shift toward talent-friendly industrial policy in the wake of fierce competition from Germany’s Chancenkarte and Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy. A formal policy statement is expected in the summer Finance Bill, with the pilot set to run for two years before review.
For companies unfamiliar with the UK immigration landscape, specialist facilitators such as VisaHQ can streamline the process even further. VisaHQ’s dedicated UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers real-time guidance on visa categories, document requirements and fee structures, helping scale-ups ensure that every application is accurate before submitting it for reimbursement.
For employers the rebate could offset up to £5,000 per senior hire, easing the burden of the Immigration Health Surcharge increase introduced in January. The move complements the 2025 Scale-up Worker visa, which allows sponsored staff to switch jobs freely after six months—a flexibility that some employers feared would dilute retention. Officials believe the refund will persuade firms to continue sponsoring talent rather than relying solely on contractors. Immigration lawyers caution that details on how reimbursements interact with claw-back clauses in employee contracts are still to be published. Companies will also need to maintain rigorous record-keeping to satisfy both HMRC and Home Office audits. Nevertheless, the announcement signals a broader shift toward talent-friendly industrial policy in the wake of fierce competition from Germany’s Chancenkarte and Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy. A formal policy statement is expected in the summer Finance Bill, with the pilot set to run for two years before review.
