Manchester: 0161 234 6800 London: 0203 752 6620
Graduate Entrepreneur visa category was closed to new applicants on 29 March 2019. It was for UK graduates who have been identified by their university as having genuine and credible business ideas; or for graduates from outside the UK who have been identified by the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) as elite global graduate entrepreneurs. It has been replaced by the Start-Up visa category.
This category was closed to new applicants on 29 March 2019.
You can apply for an extension if you have already been granted leave as a Graduate Entrepreneur, up to a maximum of 24 months.
To be endorsed you must have at least a British bachelor’s degree (or UK NARIC certified equivalent) and a “genuine, credible and innovative business idea”. A list of the authorised endorsing bodies can be found here. Alternatively, you can be endorsed by DIT as part of the elite programme known as Sirius.
You will need to provide proof of your current immigration status (if you are in the UK) and your immigration history. Your letter from the authorised endorsing body will be needed along with evidence of your degree. If your degree is from outside the UK you will need a certificate from UK NARIC to confirm that it is an equivalent qualification. You will also need to provide evidence of DIT support, or bank statements showing that you have sufficient maintenance funds of your own.
The Graduate Entrepreneur visa is granted for an initial 12 months. It is possible to extend once, for a further 12 months, up to the maximum 24 months in this category.
Moving beyond this category, the most common next step would be to consider the Innovator category. You will need to show that you have £50,000 to invest in your business or that you have already invested £50,000 while you were a Graduate Entrepreneur.
It is not possible to switch to the Graduate Entrepreneur category, since it was closed on 29 March 2019.
Latitude Law is a specialist immigration firm dealing exclusively with inbound UK immigration. We have the largest business immigration team in the northwest and offer full service immigration advice. We are able to help you with this, and any other, immigration matter.
We will work with you to ensure that the necessary forms are completed correctly. We will assist you in gathering the required documents and we will present them as clearly as possible to the Home Office. We will provide the Home Office decision maker with a detailed covering letter setting exactly why the application should succeed.
Graduate Entrepreneur applications can be fairly straightforward, but it is important that you position yourself, and your business, for the future applications you will need to make. Latitude Law can help you with the initial application and then help you prepare for the future. We are able to advise you on how changes to your business could affect your immigration position and also keep you updated on any developments on the law.
If you need help securing a visa through the entrepreneur route, the immigration solicitors at Latitude Law are here to help. We can help you through the application process and provide legal advice and guidance on complex matters, such as appeals.
If you need help extending your Entrepreneur visa, Latitude Law's immigration solicitors can guide you through the strict eligibility and specified evidence requirements.
Whether you represent a business employing migrant workers, or an educational institution looking for help with a sponsor licence, the lawyers at Latitude Law will be happy to guide you through the requirements of the PBS sponsorship schemes.
I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to Joel Reiss for his amazing service in relation to my visa application.
Reiss was outstanding as a consultant and adviser and my family and I highly value the efforts he took; we are deeply appriciative of his work and knowledge in the legal matters, processes and proceedings. He prepared our application including a covering letter from scratch, which he refined through discussion before making it an impeccable one to refuse. There were a few complicated elements surrounding our application and we believe had it not been for Mr.Reiss and his flawless services together with the expertise of Latitude Law, we would not have recieved our visa.
He was quick in clarifying our queries and made it a point to reply as soon as possible. Even when we had to be away from work, Reiss made sure our application was not interrupted and it could be filed on time. The constant communication and the replies continued even after the application was submitted and the services were paid for all the way till we recieved the decision. We have even been informed of the travel guidelines and quarantine regulations, and I honestly believe the fee we paid did not include these supplementary services.
I would also like to extend my upmost appreciation to Gary McIndoe, the Director, Latitude Law and everybody else at the firm including Jessica Lee for their service and cooperation.
I would not think twice in recommending Joel Reiss and Latitude Law for visa application and allied services.
Mr Vineesh
I am writing this on behalf of the whole family, we would like to say thank you. These two words are such small words for the gratitude and high regard we all hold you in.
Your firm and especially you have been with us throughout the difficult years we have had and you have always been there when we needed picking up, our shoulder to cry on that saw us through with honesty and realistic advice.
I cannot recommend your firm and you enough to people who find themselves at the mercy of a system that at best can be described as confusing.
You have given us back our lives and for that you will always be a cherished member of our family and never forgotten
Many many thanks to you and your team for everything
The Bouameur Family
I shall have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Latitude Law, which is clearly an extremely proficient unit, exemplified by helping clients with patience, attention to detail and sensitivity in equal measure.
Particular mention is merited to Ms Gemma Wylie, whose professionalism is par excellence. I couldn’t thank her enough.
Dr LG
All content on this page was reviewed by Latitude Law and is accurate as of 11/02/2019