Innovator Founder Visa is specially designed for people with innovative, viable, scalable business ideas endorsed by UK approved body. The UK no longer offers the Entrepreneur Visa.
The Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa, which previously allowed eligible applicants to establish or take over a business in the UK, has been closed to new applicants for several years. Moreover, the UK Home Office closed the Start-up Visa that was once introduced to facilitate the early-stage entrepreneurs. The Innovator founder visa may be suitable for entrepreneurs who want to establish and run an endorsed, innovative business in the UK and who meet the route’s immigration requirements.
There is no fixed minimum investment amount for an initial Innovator Founder Visa application. However, an applicant establishing a new business must show the endorsing body that sufficient funding is available for the proposed venture and explain the source of those funds. They must have, or be actively developing, the skills, knowledge, experience and market awareness required to run the business successfully.
The Innovator Founder route replaced the former Innovator route and was introduced as the Start-up route closed to new applicants. It enables eligible entrepreneurs from overseas to establish and develop innovative businesses in the UK. Important changes include the removal of the fixed £50,000 minimum investment requirement for an initial application and permission to undertake employment outside the endorsed business in a role requiring at least RQF Level 3 skills.
Are You Eligible for the Innovator Founder Visa?
Applicants must meet several mandatory eligibility and application requirements under the Innovator Founder route. The requirements are set out in Appendix Innovator Founder of the UK Immigration Rules. A key requirement is obtaining an endorsement letter from a Home Office-approved endorsing body. The letter must normally have been issued no more than three months before the visa application. The current list of Home Office-approved endorsing bodies is published on the GOV.UK website.
Endorsement Criteria
Under the new business criteria, the applicant must prove that their business idea is:
- Innovative: The applicant must present an original business plan that addresses either new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage.
- Viable: The applicant must submit a business plan that is practical and achievable as per resources available. The applicant should have relevant skills, experience and knowledge to run and manage the business in the UK.
- Scalable: The applicant must provide evidence of structured planning and demonstrate the business’s potential for job creation. The business must also demonstrate potential for growth into national and international markets.
English Language
Under the UK Immigration Rules, an applicant must demonstrate English-language ability in reading, writing, speaking and listening to at least Level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Applicants can provide their English Level by: · Pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT) at Level B2 from an approved provider.
- Hold a GCSE, A Level, Scottish National Qualification Level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher, or Advanced Higher in English from a UK school, provided the applicant began studying for the qualification while under the age of 18.
- Hold a degree-level qualification that was taught in English and awarded by a UK institution, even if the applicant studied outside the UK.
- Hold a degree taught in English and awarded by an institution outside the UK, supported by an Ecctis assessment confirming that it is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree or higher and was taught in English.
An applicant may not need to prove their knowledge of English again if they satisfied the relevant English-language requirement in a previous successful UK visa application.
Exemption to prove their knowledge of English
Applicant of following countries; Australia, Canada, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Jamica, Malta and Barbados are not required to prove their knowledge of English language. Nationals of countries like Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Overseas Territories, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, USA are also exempted from knowledge of English language.
Financial Requirement
In addition to meeting the English-language requirement, applicants must satisfy the financial requirement unless an exemption applies.
An applicant must hold at least £1,270 if applying for entry clearance or applying from inside the UK after holding valid UK permission for less than 12 months. The funds must normally be held for at least 28 consecutive days before the application for entry clearance, an extension or permission to switch to the Innovator Founder route.
The most recent financial evidence must normally be dated within 31 days before the application date. The funds must be held in an acceptable personal bank or building society account and must be immediately accessible.
Overdraft facilities cannot be counted towards the maintenance requirement. Applicants also cannot rely on money allocated as investment funds for their business or money earned through illegal work in the UK to satisfy the £1,270 requirement.
An applicant applying from inside the UK does not need to show the £1,270 maintenance funds if they have been in the UK with valid permission for at least 12 months on the application date.
Getting Endorsed for Your Innovator Founder Visa
Before applying for an Innovator Founder Visa, an applicant must obtain an endorsement from a Home Office-approved endorsing body for their proposed or existing business venture.
- The Innovator Founder Visa is for eligible entrepreneurs seeking to establish and develop an innovative, viable and scalable business in the UK while taking a key role in its day-to-day management.
- An applicant relying on the new-business criteria must present a detailed business plan to an appropriate endorsing body. The applicant must have generated or significantly contributed to the ideas in the plan and intend to take a day-to-day role in implementing it.
The business plan must be genuine and original and must demonstrate that the proposed venture is:
- Innovative
- Viable
- Scalable
The endorsing body will assess whether the proposed business meets these criteria and whether the applicant is a genuine founder capable of playing a key role in its development.
Sunrise Solicitors can support applicants by:
- Reviewing and strengthening the business plan.
- Presenting the business’s market potential clearly.
- Highlighting the applicant’s relevant skills and experience.
- Helping identify a suitable Home Office-approved endorsing body.
The final endorsement decision is made independently by the endorsing body.
How to Apply for the Innovator Founder Visa
The applicants must apply online for an innovator founder visa. Innovator Founder Visa applications are submitted to UK Visas and Immigration, which forms part of the Home Office and decides whether the Immigration Rules are met. The home office is the main authority that makes decisions on the applications. Entry clearance applications are made from outside the UK. An applicant may be able to switch to the Innovator Founder route from inside the UK, provided their current immigration category permits switching and they meet all relevant eligibility requirements. Partner of applicant or dependent children can also apply, if they are eligible for this.
The applicant must provide necessary documents with the visa applications. The documents include:
- A valid passport or another document confirming the applicant’s identity and nationality
- A valid endorsement letter issued by a Home Office-approved endorsing body
- Evidence that they meet the English-language requirement.
- Bank statements showing the required maintenance funds, unless an exemption applies.
- Tuberculosis test results, where required.
- Certified translations of documents that are not in English or Welsh.
Depending on their nationality and passport, applicants may also need to verify their identity through the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attend a visa application centre to provide their fingerprints and photograph.
Innovator Founder Visa Costs and Processing Times
The application fee is £1,357 per person for an Innovator Founder Visa application made outside the UK. The fee is £1,693 per person when switching to or extending the visa from inside the UK.
Applicants must also normally pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. The current rate is £1,035 per year for adults and £776 per year for applicants under 18. As the Innovator Founder Visa is normally granted for 3 years, the estimated IHS charges are:
|
Applicant |
Total IHS charge for 3-year visa |
| 1 Adult | £3105 |
| 1 Child | £2328 |
| 2 Adults | £6210 |
| 2 Adults & 1 children | £8538 |
| 2 Adults & 2 children | £10,866 |
Applicants must also pay £1,000 for endorsement and £500 for each required contact-point meeting directly to the endorsing body.
A decision is usually made within 3 weeks for applications submitted outside the UK and 8 weeks for applications submitted inside the UK. Processing may take longer if the Home Office requires further information or additional checks.
Bringing Your Family to the UK as an Entrepreneur
The Partner and children of the main applicant can also apply and join them in the UK, only if they are eligible. If the partner or children visa application is successful, the visa will end on the same date as the main applicants. If the child’s parents have visas with different expiry dates, the child’s visa will end on the earlier date.
An eligible dependant partner or child may include:
- A husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried partner.
- A child under 18 – including if they were born in the UK during your stay.
- A child over 18 if they currently have permission (‘leave to enter’ or ‘leave to remain’) to be in the UK as your dependent.
The applicant needs to provide proof of the relationship of their dependent when applying
Dependent Partner
The applicant must provide evidence that their dependant partner meets the relevant relationship requirements.
The applicant must show one of the following:
- They are married or in a civil partnership that is legally recognised.
- They have been in an unmarried relationship similar to a marriage or civil partnership for at least 2 years before the application date.
- They have been in a relationship for at least 2 years but cannot live together because they work or study in different places, or because living together is not accepted in their culture.
If the couple do not live together, they must provide evidence of an ongoing and genuine commitment to each other. This may include evidence that they:
- communicate regularly;
- support each other financially;
- care for any children they have together; and
- spend time together as a couple, including on holidays or at events.
Both partners must also be aged 18 or over, have met in person and be in a genuine and subsisting relationship.
Dependent Child
A dependant child must:
- Live with the main applicant, unless they are living away from home in full-time education, such as at boarding school or university.
- Not be married or in a civil partnership.
The applicant must provide evidence of the child’s address, such as:
- A bank statement.
- Credit card bills.
- A driving licence.
- An NHS registration document.
- An official letter from the child’s university or college.
A child aged 18 or over may only qualify if they already have permission to stay in the UK as the main applicant’s dependant and continue to meet the relevant dependency requirements.
Financial Requirement
The dependent partner and children need certain sum of money available to support themselves while they are in the UK.
The applicant must need £1270 to support him/her.
· For the partner £285
· And £315 for one child
· £200 for every additional child
What Can You Do on the Innovator Founder Visa?
On innovator founder visa, you can do following things;
- Establish one or several other businesses within the UK.
- Work as director, self-employed for your business.
- Work outside your business in a job requiring skills at RQF Level 3 or above.
- Bring your eligible dependent children and partner to the UK
- Travel abroad and return to the UK.
- Study in the UK, subject to the Academic Technology Approval Scheme requirement where applicable.
- Apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after completing the required 3-year qualifying period, provided all settlement and endorsement requirements are met.
What can’t you do?
- Work as a professional sportsperson, including as a sports coach.
- Access most benefits or public funds.
Extending and Settling with the Innovator Founder Visa
The Innovator Founder Visa is normally granted for up to 3 years, whether the applicant applies from outside the UK or switches from an eligible immigration route within the UK.
During the visa period, the applicant must normally meet their endorsing body after 12 months and 24 months. These meetings allow the endorsing body to assess the applicant’s progress and continued involvement in the endorsed business. The applicant’s permission may be shortened if the endorsing body withdraws the endorsement.
An applicant who wishes to remain in the UK beyond the initial 3-year period must submit an online extension application before their current visa expires. The application must be supported by a new endorsement letter. The current Home Office extension fee is £1,693 per person, and the endorsement fee is £1,000, paid directly to the endorsing body. Applicants may extend the visa for a further 3 years, and there is no limit on the number of extensions.
An applicant may qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 3 qualifying years if they obtain a settlement endorsement and meet all other requirements. Their business must be active, trading and sustainable, and it must satisfy at least 2 of the specified business-achievement criteria.
Indefinite Leave to Remain
An Innovator Founder Visa holder may apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after spending at least 3 years in the UK with permission under this route, provided they meet all settlement requirements.
The applicant must meet the continuous residence requirement and must normally have spent no more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period during the qualifying period. They must also meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK and suitability requirements.
A settlement application must be supported by a new endorsement letter. The endorsing body must confirm that the business is active, trading and sustainable, that the applicant continues to play an active key role in its management and development, and that the business has met at least 2 specified achievement criteria.
These criteria include investing and actively spending at least £50,000 in the business, doubling the customer base within the most recent 3 years while exceeding the average for comparable UK businesses, undertaking significant research and development with an application for UK intellectual property protection, generating qualifying revenue, or creating the required number of jobs for settled workers.
The current Home Office fee for an Innovator Founder settlement application is £3,226 per person. A successful application grants the entrepreneur settlement in the UK without a time limit on their stay.
Switching to the Innovator Founder Visa
An applicant may be able to switch to the Innovator Founder Visa from inside the UK if their current immigration category permits switching and they meet all relevant requirements.
The applicant’s partner or child will not automatically switch to the Innovator Founder route when the main applicant switches. Eligible dependants can apply at the same time as the main applicant or at any time before their current visa expires. If they do not switch, their existing visa will remain valid until its original expiry date.
An applicant cannot switch from inside the UK if they have, or were last granted, a Visit Visa, Short-term Student Visa, Parent of a Child Student Visa, Seasonal Worker Visa, Domestic Worker in a Private Household Visa, permission outside the Immigration Rules, or immigration bail.
If the applicant currently holds a Student Visa, one of the following conditions must apply:
- They have completed the course for which their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was assigned; or
- They are studying a full-time PhD and have completed at least 24 months of study on that course.
Alternative Visa Options for Entrepreneurs
The Innovator Founder Visa may be a suitable option for entrepreneurs seeking to establish and develop an innovative, viable and scalable business in the UK. Unlike the former Tier 1 Entrepreneur route, it has no fixed minimum investment requirement for an initial application. However, sufficient funding must be available to establish and develop the proposed business.
The UK Expansion Worker Visa may be suitable for a senior manager or specialist employee who is being assigned to establish a UK branch or subsidiary of an overseas business that has not yet started trading in the UK. This is a temporary route and does not provide a direct route to settlement.
Some entrepreneurs may also consider establishing or acquiring a genuine UK business that obtains a sponsor licence and sponsors them for an eligible role under the Skilled Worker route. “Self-sponsorship” is not a separate visa category. The business must satisfy the sponsor licence requirements, and the sponsored role must be genuine and meet the applicable skill and salary requirements. The Skilled Worker route may lead to settlement if all relevant requirements are met.
Overcoming Innovator Founder Visa Challenges
The Innovator Founder Visa provides eligible entrepreneurs with an opportunity to establish and develop an innovative business in the UK. However, applicants may face several challenges during the endorsement and visa application process, including:
- Securing an endorsement.
- Demonstrating sufficient personal and business funds.
- Adapting the proposal to the UK market.
- Managing time and available resources.
- Demonstrating progress against the endorsed business plan.
- Attending mandatory contact-point meetings.
- Maintaining an active day-to-day role in the business.\
- Complying with relevant UK legal and regulatory requirements.
Consult a UK immigration specialist for free immigration advice about the Innovator Founder Visa requirements and application process. The immigration solicitors at Sunrise Solicitors can help entrepreneurs identify and address potential issues in their endorsement and visa applications.
| Challenge | Description | Impact | Solution by Sunrise Solicitors |
| Weak Business Plan | insufficient detail or innovation in the business plan | Refusal of endorsement or the visa application. | Redefine & strengthen the business plan |
| Insufficient funds | Insufficient funds to start business | Refusal of endorsement or the visa application, depending on the missing requirement. | Guide to get additional funds/investors |
| Regulatory non-compliance | Fail to comply UK legal requirements | Regulatory penalties, withdrawal of endorsement or possible shortening of immigration permission. | Regularly review regulations and comply |
| Endorsement refusal | idea not meeting endorsement criteria | Delay or inability to submit a valid visa application. | Revise and resubmit business plan |
Why Choose Our UK Solicitors for Your Business Visa?
The expert at Sunrise Solicitors is specialized in providing the best legal support to entrepreneurs. Our team of expert solicitors provide tailored solutions to those looking to innovate and expand in the UK. From initial application to final settlement, we ensure quick
process. Whether the business is an established one or a startup, Sunrise Solicitors helps you to succeed in the UK. For a smooth application process contact us today!
FAQs
What Is the Innovator Founder Visa UK?
Innovator Founder Visa is specially designed for people with innovative, viable, scalable business ideas endorsed by UK approved body.
How Much Does It Cost to Apply?
The current application fee is £1,357 per person for an application made outside the UK and £1,693 per person for an application made inside the UK. Applicants must also normally pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and separate endorsing-body fees.
How Long Does It Take to Get Approved?
The applicant once applied online and provided all the documents. The decision is made with
- 3 weeks, if you’re outside the UK
- 8 weeks, if you’re inside the UK
What If I Can’t Get an Endorsement?
Without a valid endorsement, an applicant cannot proceed with an Innovator Founder Visa application. They may consider addressing the reasons for refusal, approaching another suitable endorsing body where permitted, or exploring an alternative immigration route.
Do I Need an English Language Test?
Applicants must demonstrate English-language ability in reading, writing, speaking and listening to at least CEFR Level B2. An approved English test is one way to meet the requirement, but exemptions and other accepted forms of evidence may apply.
Can My Family Join Me in the UK?
The Partner and children of the main applicant can also apply and join them in the UK, only if they are eligible.
Can I Switch from Another Visa to Innovator?
An applicant may be able to switch to the Innovator Founder Visa from inside the UK if their current immigration category permits switching and they meet all relevant requirements.
What Are the Alternatives to an Innovator Visa?
Depending on the applicant’s circumstances, possible alternatives may include the UK Expansion Worker Visa or the Skilled Worker route through a genuine UK business that holds a sponsor licence. “Self-sponsorship” is not a separate UK visa category.
How Do I Qualify for ILR in 3 Years?
An applicant may qualify for ILR after completing 3 qualifying years under the Innovator Founder route. They must normally have spent no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period, obtain a settlement endorsement and meet all other settlement requirements.
Why Use Solicitors for My Visa Application?
Consult with UK immigration specialist for free advice on innovator visa founder challenges. The experts at Sunrise Solicitors help the entrepreneurs to overcome the challenges faced in visa applications. The help applicants to avoid delays and rejections.
