The Innovator Founder visa route replaced the Start-up and Innovator routes in 2023. It is essentially a hybrid of the two visa types, and is now the only route for foreign entrepreneurs to enter the UK to establish a new business. It is also available to those who have significantly contributed to an existing business.
Importantly, this route requires no minimum financial investment, but the individual will have to secure endorsement from an approved organisation before an application can be made to the Home Office.
The Innovator Founder visa is a renewable immigration route for entrepreneurs aiming to establish an innovative and scalable business in the UK, it leads to indefinite leave to remain after 3 years.
This visa type requires endorsement from an approved body, although unlike the previous innovator visa, it does not have a minimum investment requirement.
Latitude Law can provide ongoing support with your Innovator Founder visa application, helping you to ensure you meet the criteria for this visa type.
To be eligible for an Innovator Founder visa, your business venture must be deemed innovative, viable and scalable. This is assessed as follows:
It is permissible for an individual seeking this visa to have joined a business after it was registered with Companies House, providing the business had not already commenced trading.
However, this necessitates additional scrutiny to show the applicant made a significant contribution to the business plan, and has not simply been added to an existing business for the purpose of facilitating investment.
In short, with any application the applicant must either be the sole founder, or an instrumental member of the founding team.
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The Home Office provides guidance for endorsing bodies to follow when assessing a business for innovation, viability and scalability, but the exact endorsement process and assessment of each application differs between bodies.
Relevant details are set out on each body’s website; all require a detailed business plan, including financial projections, and at least one interview.
In relation to the innovation requirement:
In relation to the viability requirement, endorsing bodies are required to consider:
In relation to the scalability requirement, endorsing bodies are required to consider:
Applicants are required to have at least two “checkpoint meetings” before the 12 and 24-month anniversaries of their grant of permission, to demonstrate to the endorsing body that they are making progress towards their business plan. It is open to the endorsing body to withdraw endorsement at any time.
To be granted leave under the Innovator Founder route, applicants must be endorsed by government-approved bodies. There are four endorsing bodies:
These bodies will analyse your business plan for innovation, viability and scalability. They will also ensure that you play a key role in the business and therefore are eligible for the visa.
To get an Innovator Founder visa in the UK, you need to make a valid application with an innovative, viable and scalable business plan as approved by an endorsing body. You must also be at least 18 years old, meet the English language requirement and meet sufficient personal savings of £1,270 in your bank account for 28 consecutive days.
The application process for the Innovator Founder visa has been simplified to make it easier; these are the current changes:
Nevertheless, the Home Office retains ultimate discretion. Even with a valid endorsement, an application can still be refused if the Home Office deems the business lacks innovation, viability or scalability, or they doubt the genuineness of the applicant. Apply for the visa online, but make sure your application is properly supported with sufficient evidence and checked by an immigration expert.
From outside the UK, the innovator founder visa costs £1,357 to apply for, whilst switching to this visa type or extending from within the UK is £1,693.
On top of this, you’ll need to pay the £1,000 endorsement fee and £1,035 yearly for the immigration health surcharge.
Given that an application for this visa is expensive, it’s important that you succeed the first time so that you don’t waste money on re-applications. Latitude Law can support you with understanding and gathering the required documents and evidence for your initial application and your endorsement review. Get in touch today.
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You are eligible to switch to an Innovator Founder visa unless you are currently in the UK in one of the following categories:
There is a job creation requirement for the Innovator Founder category which is measured at settlement stage and can be either:
There are alternative ways to measure business success, including:
No, applicants are able to supplement their income by working in other employment as well as for the business they have established, provided that the other employment is sufficiently skilled at RQF level 3 or higher.
You can apply for settlement/indefinite leave to remain after 3 years' continuous residence in the Innovator category. You will also need to pass a Life in the UK test at the point of applying for residence.
Global Business Mobility (GBM) visas provide overseas businesses with various routes to operate in the UK. If your company transfers workers from the EU and other countries to the UK, or wishes to establish a presence here, it is important that you understand what is required of you and how to apply. Failure to make use of the correct visa routes could result in delays to business productivity, costing you time and money.
Sponsor licences are available for new hires, intra-company transfers and certain visa routes. To employ skilled workers from overseas, UK employers must hold a valid sponsor licence.
The Expansion Worker visa allows senior or specialist employees to temporarily work in, and expand a business’s presence to the UK. A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from a licensed sponsor is required to permit overseas workers to enter the UK as an expansion worker.
