UK Innovator Founder visa

What the Innovator Founder visa is

The Innovator Founder visa lets entrepreneurs come to (or stay in) the UK to build a genuinely new business. It replaced the earlier Innovator visa and, importantly, removed the old £50,000 minimum investment rule. You can set up and run one business or several.

The defining feature of this route is endorsement. An independent, Home Office-approved endorsing body must first assess your business idea and confirm it is credible, then continue to check on your progress through mandatory review meetings during your stay. If your endorsement is withdrawn, your visa can be cut short.

• Formerly known as the Innovator visa
• No fixed minimum investment amount is set in the immigration rules
• You must have an endorsement from an approved body before you apply
• You can be a director of your business or self-employed as a member of a business partnership

Who it is for

This route is aimed at people who want to run their own innovative business in the UK, not those coming to take a job with an existing employer or to join a business that is already trading. Your business idea must be your own.

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old
• Applicants must want to set up and run an innovative business in the UK
• The idea must be new - you cannot join a business that is already trading
• The idea must be innovative, viable and scalable, with evidence of planning to create jobs and grow

Eligibility requirements

To be granted the visa, applicants must meet all of the following core requirements.

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have a business idea that has been assessed and endorsed by an approved endorsing body
• Meet the English language requirement at CEFR level B2
• Have at least £1,270 in personal savings to support yourself (see costs below)
• Show any funding needed for the business, and its source, to the endorsing body's satisfaction

Your business idea and endorsement

Endorsement is the heart of this route. You apply to an approved endorsing body, which judges your idea against three tests before writing your endorsement letter. That letter is a required document for your visa application.

The endorsing body does not just approve you once. You must attend checkpoint meetings so it can confirm you are making reasonable progress. Endorsing bodies set their own fees for assessment and these ongoing meetings, which are paid directly to them and are separate from the Home Office visa fee.

• New - the business must be a genuinely new idea, not one already trading
• Innovative - an original idea that is different from anything else on the market
• Viable - realistic and achievable based on your available resources
• Scalable - evidence of planning to create jobs and grow into national and international markets
• Contact-point meetings with the endorsing body are required during your stay to keep your endorsement

English language requirement

Applicants must prove knowledge of English to CEFR level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening. You can meet this in several ways.

• Passing an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) at B2 level
• Holding a degree taught in English (a non-UK degree needs Ecctis confirmation of its level and that it was taught in English)
• Holding certain UK school qualifications in English gained before age 18 (such as GCSE, A level or Scottish equivalents)
• Being a national of an exempt majority English-speaking country
• You do not usually need to prove it again if you met it in a previous successful application

Costs

Budget for three separate types of cost: the Home Office application fee, the immigration health surcharge, and the endorsing body's own charges. On top of these you must show personal savings to support yourself.

Fees and the health surcharge change regularly. Confirm the current figures on gov.uk before applying.

• Application fee: around £1,357 to apply from outside the UK, and around £1,693 to apply from inside the UK (to extend or switch) - confirm current fees on gov.uk
• Immigration health surcharge (IHS): payable for each year of your stay - the standard rate is £1,035 per year per person (confirm before applying)
• Personal savings: at least £1,270 held for 28 consecutive days in a row (unless you are exempt)
• Endorsing body charges: set by each body and paid directly to it, separate from the visa fee
• You cannot use business investment funds, or money earned illegally in the UK, towards the £1,270 maintenance requirement

Documents you will need

Exact documents depend on your circumstances, but applicants generally need to provide the following. Check the gov.uk documents page for the full, current list.

• Your endorsement letter from the approved endorsing body
• A valid passport or other travel document
• Proof you have held the required personal savings (£1,270) for 28 consecutive days
• Proof you meet the English language requirement
• Your tuberculosis test results, if you are from a listed country
• If applying with a non-UK degree for English, an Ecctis reference number

How to apply

You apply online. The route you use depends on where you are and your current status: applying from outside the UK, extending an existing visa from inside the UK, or switching to this visa from another eligible route inside the UK.

As part of the application you must prove your identity and provide biometric information (fingerprints and a photo), either at a visa application centre or using the UK Immigration: ID Check app, depending on your circumstances.

• Get your endorsement first - you cannot apply without an endorsement letter
• Apply online through the correct gov.uk service for your situation
• Prove your identity and provide biometrics as instructed
• A faster decision may be available for an extra fee

How long a decision takes

• Applying from outside the UK: usually within 3 weeks of your appointment
• Applying from inside the UK (extend or switch): usually within 8 weeks
• A priority or super priority service may be available for an additional fee

Bringing your partner and children

Your partner and children can usually join you as dependants if they are eligible. Each dependant makes their own application, pays the application fee and the immigration health surcharge, and must show extra savings on top of your £1,270.

Dependants can work (except as a professional sportsperson or coach) and study. They cannot claim most public funds or the State Pension.

• Partner: husband, wife, civil partner, or an unmarried partner you have lived with in a relationship for at least 2 years
• Child: your child under 18 (including a child born in the UK during your stay), or over 18 if they already have permission as your dependant
• Extra savings required, held for 28 days: £285 for a partner, £315 for a first child, and £200 for each additional child
• These amounts are in addition to your own £1,270

What you can and cannot do

• You can set up and run one or more businesses
• You can work for your business as a director, or be self-employed as a member of a business partnership
• You can take other work outside your business if the role requires a qualification at RQF level 3 or above
• You can travel abroad and return to the UK
• You cannot claim most benefits (public funds)
• You cannot work as a professional sportsperson

Extending your visa

You can extend the visa for further periods of three years, and there is no limit on how many times you can extend. To extend, you must still be running a business (or setting up a new one) and be re-assessed and endorsed by an endorsing body.

Because there is no cap on extensions, this route can be used to run a business in the UK long term even if you do not immediately qualify for settlement.

• You must meet the eligibility requirements and be endorsed again
• You must still be running a business in the UK, or want to set up a new one
• Decisions on extension applications usually take up to 8 weeks

Switching to this visa

If you are already in the UK on certain other visas, you may be able to switch to the Innovator Founder visa without leaving the country. You still need an endorsement and must meet all the eligibility requirements. Some routes - for example visitors and those on short-term or seasonal permissions - generally cannot switch. Check gov.uk to confirm your current visa allows switching.

Settlement (indefinite leave to remain)

You can apply for settlement, also called indefinite leave to remain, after three years in the UK on this route, provided your business and your other circumstances meet the settlement requirements assessed by your endorsing body and the Home Office. Settlement is the step before you can apply for British citizenship.

Because settlement criteria are detailed and assessed case by case, check the current requirements on gov.uk and confirm with your endorsing body what evidence you will need.