You can apply for a UK Innovator Founder Visa if you want to set up an innovative, viable and innovative business in the UK. Learn about the eligibility and application process for the innovator founder visa. Contact our experts at Visa and Migration and initiate your application process.
The Innovator Founder route, formerly known as the Innovator Visa, is for a foreign national seeking to establish a business in the UK on the basis of an innovative, viable, and scalable business idea they have generated or to which they have made a significant contribution. The applicant must show they play a key role in the everyday management and development of the business.
The application for this route must be supported by an approved body, also known as an endorsing body.
A partner and dependent children of the Innovator Founder can apply for this route.
The Innovator Founder visa is a route to Indefinite Leave To Remain or settlement in the UK.
The applicant’s business idea must be:
new – the applicant cannot join a business that is already trading
innovative – different from anything else on the market
viable, with potential for growth
scalable – the applicant must provide evidence of planning that includes creating jobs and growing into national markets and international markets
An endorsement body will assess a business/business idea to confirm if it meets the requirements.
The applicant applying for new initial Innovator Founder applications must have an endorsement from an organisation listed on the ‘Business Endorsing Bodies’.
On the other hand, organisations included on the ‘Legacy Innovator Endorsing Bodies’ may only provide further endorsements for Innovator Founder applications where they have already previously endorsed the applicant under either the UK Innovator or UK Start- up visa routes before 13 April 2023.
The applicant applying to obtain entry clearance to the UK or permission to stay here on the Innovator Founder route must apply online on gov.uk using the specified application form.
EEA (European Economic Area) nationals with a chipped passport (also called an e-passport or biometric passport) will have to apply using the "UK Immigration: ID Check” app or the “Innovator Visa” form, if they apply from outside the UK, or the “Innovator Permission to Stay’ form, if they apply from inside the UK.
Other applicants applying from outside the UK will have to apply using the “Innovator Visa” form, and applicants applying from inside the UK will have to apply using the form “Innovator Permission to Stay”.
An application for obtaining entry clearance to the UK or permission to stay here on the Innovator Founder route must fulfil all the following requirements:
The applicant must be 18 or over at the time of their application.
Any visa application fee and IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge) must have been paid;
The applicant must have enrolled their biometric information when required.
The applicant must have given a valid passport/other travel document to establish their nationality and identity.
The applicant must have been provided with an endorsement letter by an endorsing body up to 3 months prior to the date of application, and that endorsement must not have been withdrawn.
If the applicant for this route has, in the last 12 months prior to the date of their application, received an award from an International Scholarship agency or Government covering their fees as well as living costs for study in the UK, they must submit written consent to the application from that agency or Government.
The person applying for permission to stay as an Innovator Founder must, on the date of application, be in the UK.
A person cannot apply to switch to the Innovator Founder visa if they are currently in the UK on:
A UK visitor visa
A UK short-term student visa
A UK Parent of a Child Student visa
A UK Seasonal Worker visa
A UK domestic worker in a private household visa
Outside the Immigration Rules.
Anyone in the UK with one of the above visas must leave the UK and apply for a UK Innovator Founder visa from abroad.
The person who is applying for permission to stay and currently has, or last had, permission as a student, must satisfy one of the conditions below when they apply:
(a) They must have completed the course of study for which they were assigned CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) or a course to which Appendix Student – Paragraph ST 27.3 applies; or
(b) They must have completed at least 24 months of study on their full-time course with a HEP (Higher Education Provider) if the course was leading to a PhD award
Any application that does not satisfy all the validity criteria as an Innovator Founder may be rejected as invalid and not considered.
The applicant must not fall for refusal under the Immigration Rules - Part Suitability.
Those applying for permission to stay must not be:
(a) in breach of UK immigration laws, except that where the section called “Exceptions for overstayers” under the Immigration Rules - Part Suitability applies; or
(b) on immigration bail.
Before applying as an Innovator Founder, the applicant will need to have their business/business idea assessed by an endorsing body, which will provide the applicant with an endorsement letter if the business is eligible.
If the applicant wants to set up a new business, they will need to prove to their endorsing body that they have enough funding and where it is from.
Those whose business is already established and has been endorsed for an earlier visa, or who have changed their business and have already agreed it with their endorsing body, do not need any investment funds.
The applicant must be a genuine applicant for the Innovator Founder route and must be awarded 70 points.
The applicant must also meet the English language and ability to support themselves while in the UK requirements.
Unless exempt, the applicant must show their English language proficiency on the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) for Languages in all 4 components (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) of at least B2 level (intermediate).
Before applying to obtain entry clearance or permission to stay on the Innovator Founder route, the applicant must have £1,270 or more held for 28 consecutive days (unless they have been residing in the UK with a valid UK visa for 12 months or more).
The applicant cannot use either money from their investment funds or money they have earned while working in the UK illegally to meet the fund requirement.
The applicant will be required to provide:
An ‘endorsement letter’ to show that an endorsement body has assessed their business/business idea
Their valid passport (with a blank page in it) or other travel document showing their identity and nationality
Proof of their knowledge of English
Evidence such as bank statements that show the applicant has sufficient savings to support themselves in the UK
Proof of their TB (Tuberculosis) test results if they are from a country where they have to take this test
The UKVI may ask the applicant to give additional documents.
Any documents that are not in English or Welsh must be submitted with a certified translation.
The applicant needs to pay £1,000 directly to the endorsing body to apply for endorsement, which is mandatory for the Innovator Founder visa.
If the applicant’s application for an Innovator Founder visa is successful, they must meet with their endorsing body for a mandatory contact point meeting at least twice during the length of their permission to be in the UK. Each contact point meeting costs £500 and must be paid directly to the endorsing body.
The applicant must apply online.
They will have to prove their identity as part of their Innovator Founder visa application. Depending on where they are from and what type of passport they hold they will have their biometric information (fingerprints and facial photograph) taken at a VAC (Visa Application Centre) or they can use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan their identity document – they will also create their UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account or sign into their existing UKVI account.
On the appointment date, the applicant will need to carry their passport to the VAC. They will be able to collect it the same day.
The applicant will need to pay the visa application fee of £1,274 and an immigration health charge, which is usually £1,035 per year.
The applicant can upload their documents along with their online application or have them scanned at the VAC (if attending an appointment to enrol their biometrics).
The applicant must apply online from within the UK before their current UK visa expires.
They will have to prove their identity as part of their visa application. Depending on where they are from and what type of passport they hold they will have their biometric information (fingerprints and facial photograph) taken at a UKVCAS (UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service) service point or they can use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan their identity document – they will also create their UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account or sign into their existing UKVI account.
On the appointment date, if applicable, the applicant will need to carry their passport to the UKVCAS. They will be able to collect it the same day.
The applicant will need to pay the visa application fee of £1,590 and an immigration health charge, which is usually £1,035 per year.
The applicant can upload their documents along with their online application or have them scanned at the UKVCAS (if attending an appointment to enrol their biometrics).
After having applied online, proving identity, and providing the documents, the applicant will normally get a decision on their application for entry clearance within 3 weeks, and those who have applied for the Innovator Founder visa extension will normally get a decision within 8 weeks.
If the application is complex and will take longer, they will be contacted, for example, because:
The applicant is applying with a family member who needs an appointment, but the applicant does not
UKVI needs to verify the documents of the applicant
The applicant is required to attend an interview
Of the applicant’s personal circumstances (for example, if they have a criminal conviction)
If the decision maker is completely satisfied that the applicant has fulfilled all the suitability and eligibility criteria for the Innovator Founder route, the application will be approved; otherwise, the application will be refused.
The applicant can stay for 3 years if they come to the UK on an Innovator Founder visa or switch to this route from another UK visa while in the UK.
The applicant can stay for another 3 years if their application for permission to stay (extension) on the Innovator Founder route is approved. As long as the applicant has ongoing endorsement, they can apply to extend permission on this route as many times as they wish.
If eligible, the UK Innovator Founder visa applicant’s or holder’s partner (husband/wife or civil partner) and children (aged under 18 - including if they were born in the UK during the worker’s stay in the UK or children aged over 18 if they currently have permission (‘leave to enter’ or ‘remain’) to be in the UK as the lead applicant’s dependant), can apply to join them (entry clearance) or stay (permission to stay) in the UK as their ‘dependants’.
The lead applicant must give documentary evidence of their relationship with their dependent partner and dependent children. For example, a marriage/civil partnership certificate for the partner and a birth certificate for a child.
Upon approval of the visa application as a dependent partner and dependent child, their visa will usually end on the same date as the primary applicant. A child’s visa will end on the earlier date if their parents' visa expiry dates are different.
The partner and children applying as dependents must also have a required amount of money to support themselves in the UK.
The applicant - or their partner or child - will need:
£285 for their partner
£315 for one child
£200 for each additional child
Our immigration lawyers have expertise and experience in assisting foreign nationals looking to come to the UK or stay here on the UK Innovator Founder route.
We help you assess whether your business/business idea is new, innovative, viable, and scalable within the framework of this route. We help you apply for an endorsement to the appropriate endorsing body and get an endorsement letter from them to ensure your business idea is fit for this route.
After that, we help you in assessing and ensuring you fulfill the eligibility and suitability requirements for this visa, make a valid application, provide the necessary documents, and ensure that any visa refusal is handled appropriately.
For expert advice and queries, you can call us at +44 (0)20 3411 1261 or write to info@visaandmigration.com
This is a UK visa for overseas nationals who want to set up and run an innovative, viable, and scalable business in the UK.
Entrepreneurs aged 18 or over with a business idea endorsed by an approved UK endorsing body.
Although there is no investment threshold required for the visa itself, your endorsing body may expect evidence of sufficient business funding.
These are organisations that assess and endorse your business idea against the innovation, viability, and scalability criteria.
No. You must have an endorsement letter before making your visa application.
Up to 3 years.
Yes, you can extend your visa multiple times as long as you have an ongoing endorsement.
Unless exempt, yes, at the CEFR level B2 level in speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills.
Yes, you can bring your partner and/or children on this route.
Usually, it takes about 3 weeks after the application submission from outside the UK and 8 weeks after the submission from within the UK.
Yes, you may get a faster decision by using ‘priority’ or ‘super priority’ service.
No, you must not travel outside of the UK before you get a decision. Doing so will result in your application being refused.
You can apply for an administrative review.
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