GrantRadar

Sovereign AI Fund (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

Sovereign AI Visa Reimbursement Scheme

Reimburses visa-related fees when AI companies backed by the government's Sovereign AI Fund hire international talent into UK-based R&D roles. It is only for companies that already have Sovereign AI support: portfolio companies with completed equity investment can claim for up to 10 hires, and a small allocation lets companies with Sovereign AI compute, Strategic Assets grants or R&D procurement contracts claim for up to 5 hires if they pass a strategic fit assessment. It covers Certificate of Sponsorship, visa application, Immigration Health Surcharge, Immigration Skills Charge and priority processing fees, paid in arrears once the hire has started, with claims accepted until 31 March 2030.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£500 – £151,650
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Only AI companies that already have support from the Sovereign AI Fund; companies without Sovereign AI support are not eligible (they can apply to its Strategic Assets, Compute or R&D Procurement schemes instead, or may qualify for the separate Visa Fees Reimbursement Scheme for Scale Ups, but cannot claim from both at once)
  • Portfolio route: companies whose Sovereign AI equity investment has been legally executed; hires must start in post on or after that date and before 31 March 2030
  • Non-portfolio route (a small allocation): companies with Sovereign AI compute access, a Strategic Assets grant or an R&D procurement contract, which must score at least 4 out of 5 on each of four criteria: an active or imminent UK R&D programme the hires would materially advance; strong alignment with a current Sovereign AI focus area; being strongly anchored in the UK (domicile, headquarters, founders and leadership, UK R&D headcount and activity, tax contribution); and strategic potential to become a significant global player
  • Hires must stay in an eligible UK R&D role for 12 months or repayment may be required
  • The grant is Minimal Financial Assistance, so a company that would exceed £315,000 of MFA over three financial years cannot claim

What it funds

Reimbursement of visa-related fees for international hires into eligible UK-based R&D roles:

  • Certificate of Sponsorship fee
  • Visa application fee on eligible routes (Skilled Worker, Scale-up Worker, Global Talent, Graduate, High Potential Individual, Innovator Founder)
  • Immigration Health Surcharge
  • Immigration Skills Charge
  • Priority and super priority processing fees (if used)

Eligible roles are specialist technical or R&D roles (engineering, research, scientific, technical architecture, safety research or similar) based primarily in the UK that directly support the company's UK R&D. Portfolio companies can claim for up to 10 hires and non-portfolio companies for up to 5.

What it will not fund

  • Sponsor licence fees
  • Dependant visa fees and other related dependant costs
  • Fees relating to non-R&D roles
  • Immigration adviser fees
  • Legal fees
  • Recruitment fees
  • Relocation costs
  • Salary, bonus, pension, national insurance or other employment costs
  • Travel or accommodation costs
  • Costs of unsuccessful visa applications
  • Costs not incurred by the grant claimant
  • Costs reimbursed or funded by another public authority or third party
  • Costs incurred outside the Funding Period
  • Input VAT reclaimable from HMRC
  • Capital expenditure
  • Acquisition, improvement, depreciation, amortisation or impairment of assets

How to apply

  1. Read the Sovereign AI Visa Reimbursement Scheme guidance
  2. Portfolio companies: once the equity investment is legally executed, confirm your status and consent to the scheme conditions via the online form on the Sovereign AI website
  3. Non-portfolio companies: submit the initial online application giving the extra information needed to assess the four eligibility criteria; applications are assessed on a rolling basis, aiming for a decision within 5 working days
  4. Once eligible and a Grant Funding Agreement is signed, submit reimbursement claims through FlexiGrant, each after the visa has been granted, the fees paid and the hire has started in the eligible UK R&D role

The final date for claim submission is 31 March 2030. Recipients must tell the Fund if a hire does not start, leaves, moves abroad, loses their visa or moves to a non-qualifying role within 12 months, which may trigger repayment. Recipients' names and amounts are published.

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