Business incentives to attract global talent

The UK Government offers a range of measures to encourage overseas investment and help high-growth businesses establish and expand their operations in the UK. One such measure is reduced processing times for certain sponsor licence applications, enabling eligible businesses to recruit international talent more quickly.

What businesses are eligible?

Businesses receiving ongoing support from the Office for Investment (OfI) may be eligible for accelerated processing of their UK Expansion Worker sponsor licence application by the Home Office.

Where eligible, applications can be processed in around 10 working days, compared with the standard processing time of up to 8 weeks. However, where the Home Office determines that an application is complex, it will not be processed within the 10-working-day timeframe and will instead be subject to the standard processing timeline.

In addition to receiving ongoing support from the OfI, businesses must also operate in one of the eight priority sectors identified in the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy:

• Advanced manufacturing

• Clean energy industries

• Defence

• Digital & technologies

• Financial services

• Life sciences

• Professional and business services

Businesses must also meet at least one of the following growth criteria:

• Have received at least £1 million in venture capital or institutional investment.

• Have committed at least £2 million in capital investment for UK expansion.

• Be participating in a government-recognised high-growth programme, such as the Global Entrepreneur Programme.

Businesses and individuals seeking support through the OfI will also be subject to due diligence checks, including assessment against the UK's existing sanctions regime.

What else do I need to do?

You will also need to provide a:

• Breakdown of UK setup costs that is genuine, well planned and plausible.

• Month-by-month breakdown covering the first 12 months of operational

• Forecast and rationale for future revenue in the UK.

These documents will be assessed against the business's previous performance and relevant market benchmarks to ensure the proposed UK expansion is credible before a referral is made to the Home Office.

Visa fees reimbursement scheme for scale-ups

As part of its wider strategy to attract global talent, the UK Government has also introduced the Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale-Ups. The scheme provides eligible UK scale-up businesses with reimbursement of visa application fees for specialist international hires and their dependants, helping businesses in key growth sectors recruit overseas talent.

Who can apply?

To qualify, a business must meet the criteria below:

• Be a UK scale-up business operating in at least one eligible sector (Clean energy, life sciences, or digital & technology)

• Hold a valid UK Sponsor Licence

• Have already established a presence in the UK

• Recruit eligible hire(s) under an immigration route designated as eligible for the Scheme which are the Skilled Worker, Global Talent, and Scale-Up visa routes

• Pass Department for Business and Trade (DBT)’s standard due diligence and assurance checks prior to grant award

• Have a valid UK bank account to receive reimbursements