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Uk Innovator Founder Visa

Startup and Innovator visa suits individuals seeking to set up and establish a new and innovative business in the UK.

Overview
  1. You may apply for an Innovator Founder visa if:
  2. You intend to establish and operate an innovative business in the UK—your idea must offer something distinctive and unlike anything currently available in the market.
  3. Your business or business concept has been endorsed by an approved organisation, referred to as an endorsing body.
  4. You satisfy all other eligibility criteria.
  5. This route was previously known as the Innovator visa.

If you or a family member began living in the UK on or before 31 December 2020, you may be eligible to apply for the free EU Settlement Scheme.

Although the standard deadline to apply was 30 June 2021, you may still be able to apply if:

You have a later deadline—for instance, if you are joining a family member who was residing in the UK by 31 December 2020.

You can show ‘reasonable grounds’ for missing the 30 June 2021 deadline—such as experiencing a serious illness or being a victim of domestic abuse.

You should check whether you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

If you are not eligible, you will need to apply for a visa in order to work in the UK.

Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or for the EU Settlement Scheme.

You must be able to demonstrate that your business idea is:

  • New – you cannot join or take over an existing business that is already trading.
  • Innovative – your concept must be original and clearly distinct from anything currently available in the market.
  • Viable – the business must show realistic potential for development and long-term success.
  • Scalable – you must present a growth plan that includes job creation and expansion into national and international markets.

Your business idea must be assessed and approved by an endorsing body, which will determine whether it meets all necessary criteria.

Knowledge of English

You must have the ability to speak, read, write, and understand English. In most cases, you will be required to provide evidence of your English language proficiency when submitting your application.

If You’re Not Eligible for an Innovator Founder Visa

You may still qualify for an alternative UK work visa, depending on your circumstances.

Duration of Stay

You can stay in the UK for 3 years if you:

  • Enter the UK with an Innovator Founder visa, or
  • Switch to this visa from another UK visa category.

Endorsement Checkpoints

  • You must meet your endorsing body after 12 months and again after 24 months to demonstrate your business progress.
  • If your endorsement is withdrawn, your visa may be cut short.
  • To stay beyond your current visa, you must reapply with a new endorsement before it expires.

Extending Your Stay

You must apply online.

How you apply depends on whether you’re:

Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay in the UK as your ‘dependants’ if they’re eligible.

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity and provide your documents.

You may need to allow extra time if you need an appointment to do this. You’ll find out if you need one when you start your application.

Getting a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity, and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within:

  • 3 weeks, if you’re outside the UK
  • 8 weeks, if you’re inside the UK

If you need to go to an appointment, you may be able to pay for a faster decision.

How you do this depends on whether you’re outside the UK or inside the UK

Fees

How much you pay for an Innovator Founder visa depends on your situation and where you apply from.

Who you’re applying for

Apply (outside the UK)

Extend or switch (in the UK)

You

£1,036

£1,292

Your partner and children

£1,036 each person

£1,292 each person

You must pay the visa fee for each person that applies at the same time as you or applies later to join you in the UK.

Healthcare surcharge

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.

Check how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.

If you’re applying to extend or switch in the UK

You’ll also need to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken – there’s no fee for this.

What you can and cannot do

With an Innovator Founder visa you can:

You cannot:

  • work as a professional sportsperson, for example a sports coach
  • apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension

If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with an Innovator Founder visa.

 

Eligibility

Eligibility

Before submitting your application, you must have your business or business idea evaluated by an approved endorsing body.

If your business meets the required criteria, the endorsing body will issue you an endorsement letter.

You must also:

  1. Satisfy the English language requirement

  2. Be at least 18 years of age

  3. Be able to demonstrate that you possess sufficient personal funds to support yourself while in the UK

Be sure to review the full eligibility criteria for the Innovator Founder visa before applying.

You’ll need to prove to your endorsing body that you have enough funding and where it’s from.

You do not need any investment funds if either:

  • your business is already established and has been endorsed for an earlier visa
  • you’ve changed your business and already agreed it with your endorsing body

You need to have had at least £1,270 in your bank account for 28 consecutive days before you either:

You cannot use either of the following to support yourself:

  • money from your investment funds
  • money earned while working in the UK illegally

Read the guidance on financial evidence for more information about the money you need and how to prove it.

Knowledge of English

knowledge of the English language

You will typically be required to demonstrate your proficiency in the English language when applying, unless you have already done so in a previously approved visa application.

You must demonstrate the ability to read, write, speak, and understand English at a B2 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

You can meet the English language requirement by:

  1. Passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider

  2. Holding a GCSE, A level, or Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher, or Advanced Higher in English, obtained through study at a UK school, which you began before the age of 18

  3. Possessing an academic degree-level qualification that was taught in English—if obtained outside the UK, you must apply to Ecctis (formerly UK NARIC) for confirmation that your qualification is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’re a national of one of the following countries or territories:

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • the Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • the British overseas territories
  • Canada
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Jamaica
  • Malta
  • New Zealand
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • USA

When you apply you need to provide an ‘endorsement letter’ to show that an endorsing body has assessed your business or business idea. You also need to provide:

  • a valid passport or other document that shows your identity and nationality
  • bank statements showing you’ve had at least £1,270 in savings in your bank account for 28 consecutive days before you apply
  • proof that you meet the English language requirement
  • your tuberculosis test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test

If your documents are not in English or Welsh you’ll also need to provide a certified translation. You’ll need a blank page in your passport for your visa if you’re:

  • from outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
  • from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein but do not have a biometric passport with a chip in it

You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.

Apply from outside the UK

Apply outside the UK

You must submit your Innovator Founder visa application online.

Ensure you review the list of required documents before applying.

If you’ve held an Innovator Founder visa within the past 12 months, you may also apply online to extend your visa.

Alternatively, you may be eligible to apply through a visa application centre. You can apply from any country where you have been legally resident for at least six months.
Check whether there is a visa application centre near you that accepts Innovator Founder visa applications.

You are not eligible to switch to the Innovator Founder visa if you currently hold any of the following:

  1. A visit visa

  2. A short-term student visa

  3. A Parent of a Child Student visa

  4. A seasonal worker visa

  5. A domestic worker in a private household visa

  6. You are under immigration bail

  7. You have permission to stay outside the Immigration Rules, such as on compassionate grounds

You can stay for 3 years after switching to an Innovator Founder visa.

There’s no limit on the number of times you can extend your visa.

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