Strategy Call
Free Consultation

Startup & Innovator Visa

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

The UK Startup visa is designed for individuals who wish to set up and establish a new business in the UK. It is generally aimed at new entrepreneurs who do not have a business track record. There is no requirement to invest or secure funding at the initial startup stage. This visa category is suitable for early-stage but high-potential entrepreneurs starting a business in the UK for the first time. Before applying for the visa, your business idea must be approved by a Home Office-endorsed endorsing body.

Ask ChatGPT

  1. No minimum investment funds are required.

  2. You must have an innovative, viable, and scalable business idea approved by an endorsing body.

  3. You must spend most of your working time in the UK developing your business.

  4. Apply for the Startup visa within 3 months of endorsement approval.

  5. Visa is granted for 2 years; it cannot be extended and does not lead to settlement.

  6. To settle in the UK, you must switch to the Innovator visa for 3 years.

  7. Your partner and children under 18 can apply as dependents.

  8. You must be at least 18 years old and must not have previously established a business in the UK (unless previously on a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa).

  9. You must prove English language skills at CEFR Level B2 (IELTS 5.5 equivalent in all four skills).

  10. If outside the UK or in the UK for less than 12 months, you must have at least £1,270 for yourself, £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child, and £200 for each additional child.

  11. The Home Office provides a list of approved endorsing bodies with links and application details.

  12. You can apply from outside the UK or switch from within the UK unless your last visa was as a Visitor, Short-term Student, Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker, Domestic Worker in a Private Household, or under Immigration Rules exemptions.

This route is designed for experienced individuals who have previously run their own businesses. The UK Innovator visa category is ideal for businesspersons seeking to establish a new business in the UK that is innovative, viable, and scalable.

Applicants must present a new business idea. Typically, this business should not already exist; however, if it does, it must not have begun trading. You may apply as a sole founder, as part of an entrepreneurial team, or through a joint venture.

You are also allowed to develop other businesses alongside your main venture. Your business idea can be from any sector, as long as it meets the innovation, viability, and scalability requirements. Notably, restrictions on property development businesses under the former Tier 1 Entrepreneur route do not apply under this visa category.

UK Innovator Visa Eligibility Requirements

Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years old.

Investment Funds: Evidence of a minimum of £50,000 in investment funds must be provided.

Source of Funds: These funds may come from your personal resources or be provided by an endorsing body.

Business Criteria: Your business idea must be innovative, viable, and scalable, and it must be endorsed by an approved body.

Time Commitment: The endorsing body must be satisfied that you will dedicate your full working time to developing the business in the UK.

Application Submission: Once endorsed, you may submit a complete Innovator visa application to the Home Office.

Endorsement Validity: You must apply for your visa within 3 months of receiving your endorsement letter.

Family Members: You may bring your partner and children under 18 with you to the UK.

English Language Requirement: You must demonstrate proficiency in English at CEFR Level B2 (IELTS 5.5 in reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

Application Location:

You can apply from outside the UK, or

Switch from within the UK, unless your current or most recent visa was as a Visitor, Short-term Student, Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker, Domestic Worker in a Private Household, or if you were outside the Immigration Rules.

Team Applications:

You may apply as part of an innovator team.

Each applicant must receive separate endorsement from an approved endorsing body.

If funding is required, each team member must have £50,000 individually—this amount cannot be shared.

Visa Duration: If approved, you will receive a 3-year Innovator visa.

Settlement Eligibility: After 3 years, you may be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement) in the UK.

  1. To be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain, your endorsing body must confirm you have made significant achievements based on the business plan from your previous endorsement.

  2. You must be listed on Companies House as a Director or Member of your business.

  3. Your business must be:

    1. Active

    2. Trading

    3. Sustainable for at least the next 12 months

  4. You must have held a key role in managing and growing the business on a daily basis.

  5. You must commit your full working hours in the UK to developing your business ventures.

A minimum of £50,000 must have been invested into the business and actively utilised in advancing the objectives outlined in your business plan.
The business must have created the equivalent of at least five full-time jobs for resident workers, each with an average annual salary of £25,000 or more.
Alternatively, it may have created at least ten full-time equivalent jobs for resident workers, without any salary threshold.
The business must have experienced a doubling of its customer base over the most recent three years, and this number must now exceed the industry average for UK businesses offering comparable core products or services.
It must have engaged in substantial research and development, with applications submitted for intellectual property protection in the UK.
The business must have achieved either a minimum annual gross revenue of £1 million in its most recently reported financial year,
or a minimum of £500,000, with at least £100,000 generated through overseas exports.
You must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month rolling period within the three years prior to your application.
Lastly, you must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the English language and life in the UK.

More services