Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale Ups

Key facts

About this grant

Summary from the official listing on Find a Grant (GOV.UK):

The visa fees reimbursement scheme for scale ups provides financial support to UK-based scale-ups operating in the Clean Energy, Life Sciences, and Digital and Technologies sectors.

The scheme aims to reduce cost barriers to hire internationally, improving recruitment speed and certainty in sectors central to the UK’s growth and innovation ambitions by reimbursing visa fees for eligible hires and their dependants.

Qualifying businesses can apply for funding up to £25,000.00/year, with a maximum award of £5,000.00 for each international hire and their dependants. Any costs incurred before the date the application was submitted will not be eligible.

To apply for the visa fees reimbursemnet scheme for scale ups grant, you must register and submit your application through the Grants Hub portal: Available grants - Department for Business and Trade

Please note: Individuals cannot apply directly for the Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale Ups (VFRS4SU).

Eligibility

The Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale Ups is open to UK-based scale ups operating in the Clean Energy, Life Sciences, and Digital and Technologies sectors. To qualify, a business must meet all the following criteria:

• Be a UK-based Scale-Up: an enterprise that achieves an average annualised growth rate exceeding 20 per cent in either employment or turnover over a continuous three-year period (the observation period), starting with at least 10 employees at the beginning of this period
• Operate in at least one of the three priority sectors in the scope, as defined in the Industrial Strategy IS-8 Sectors list definitions below:
• Clean Energy

The Clean Energy Industries are the industries which directly contribute to the clean power transition. These are the companies that are part of the supply chain, manufacturing and services relating to the deployment, construction, and maintenance of clean energy assets and products

• Life Sciences

Businesses involved in developing and/or producing their own pharmaceutical products and all businesses whose primary business involves developing and producing medical technology products, ranging from single-use consumables to complex hospital equipment, including digital health products

• Digital and Technologies

The Digital and Technologies sector develops and applies advanced technologies and digital tools to drive transformative changes in our economy and society. These technologies are foundational, enabling other innovations and transformation across other sectors. Many are emerging, novel, and untested, and will therefore take some time to be fully developed and realise their potential for high economic growth.

Technologies related to Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Defence, and Life Sciences are excluded as they are covered in separate Sector Plans

• Hold a valid UK visa sponsor licence
• Have already established a presence in the UK, meaning the applicant either (i) is incorporated in the UK and registered with Companies House; or  (ii) is an overseas company registered with Companies House as having a UK establishment (a place of business or branch in the UK). For the purposes of criterion (d), a UK establishment is a place of business or branch of an overseas company in the UK and requires some degree of physical presence in the UK through which business is carried on. An independent agent acting for the company, or an occasional location (e.g. a hotel used during periodic visits), does n

Details are copied from the official source and can change. Check the official listing before you apply. Grant Writing Company is not affiliated with this funder.