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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 It has been replaced by the Start-Up visa category.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.
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All content on this page was reviewed by Latitude Law and is accurate as of 11/02/2019