Innovator Founder Visa UK

To apply for the UK Innovator Founder visa you must fulfil the eligibility criteria to have any chance of success.

Who is eligible for the Innovator Founder visa? 

• Have a business idea that would be considered a new business 
• Be at least 18 years old  
• Have a thorough business plan and idea that has been endorsed by an approved body  
• Intend to set up or run your business idea in the UK  
• Meet the financial requirements (investment funds) 
• Demonstrating your money is genuine and made via legitimate means 
• Prove that you have enough savingsof £1,270 to support yourself while you’re in the UK
• Meet the English language requirements
  
• TB test certificate (if required)

The exact requirements for Innovator Founder visa may vary depending on your circumstances. Contact our immigration advisers for assistance with your application.

To apply for the UK Innovator Founder visa, there are four main milestones you must reach in order to demonstrate you have a thorough business plan. This is in addition to your endorsement letter that has to be approved by an eligible endorsing body. 

The UK Innovator Founder visa business plan milestones  

• Innovation  
• Scalability   
• Viability   
• Commitment   

To meet the UK Innovator Founder visa requirements, your idea must be unique and new. In other words, you cannot join or invest in a business that is already set up and trading in the UK. To apply for an Innovator Founder visa, you need to be able to demonstrate that you can run a business. 

For scalability, your business needs to have a plan that demonstrates its potential for growth, including recruiting staff (job creation) and generating revenue.   

You must ensure that you already possess the necessary skills and expertise to run your business venture successfully in the UK in order to meet the viability requirement.  

In addition, you must demonstrate your personal commitment to the plan. This means you cannot work for another country as all your time must be allocated to developing your business.   

Once you meet the above milestones, you can then seek endorsement from an approved UK body to set up your business.  

Throughout the duration of your time in the UK, your endorsing body will check in with you and your business at key intervals. Usually, this is around the 6 months, 12 months and 24 months mark after your business is up and running. If you fail to demonstrate reasonable progress within these timeframes, your endorsement may be withdrawn. A withdrawn endorsement is likely to see your visa curtailed, too.  

Your endorsing body will check you meet all the requirements in your business plan while UKVI will check you meet the Innovator Founder visa immigration rules. 

The applicant must send the following documents in their original format to the Home Office within the visa application.

Innovator Founder visa document checklist:

• An endorsement letter  
• Your passport/ID  
• A bank statement (which must not be older than 1 calendar month before the date of application) which shows you have at least £1,270
  in savings for 28 consecutive days  
• Proof of English language   
• A letter from your bank confirming that you have money available   
• Business accounts of funds invested in another business that details the money that has been invested and the name of the accountant   
• A signed declaration underlining the connection between the applicant and the company if the source of your funds is a UK organisation   
• A letter from a legal representative may be needed to confirm all third parties’ permissions to invest the funds in your business idea   
• The letter from your endorsement body confirming the availability of funds

To apply for the Innovator Founder visa, you need to include an endorsement letter from an approved endorsing body. This letter shows Home Office officials that your business idea is viable, scalable, and innovative, and that you are the right person to run it.

There are four business endorsing bodies in the UK that can issue endorsements for Innovator Founder Visas and Scale-up licenses. They are listed below:

• UK Endorsing Services is a consortium of six businesses that have come together to assess business proposals. The organisation has helped create over 20,000 businesses.
• Innovator International is a growth accelerator that leverages local knowledge to drive business growth.
• Envestors Limited offers endorsed businesses access to mentoring, accounting and legal services.
• The Global Entrepreneurs Programme (GEP) is a government program run by the Department for Business and Trade for internationally mobile, tech-based entrepreneurs. It helps them internationalise their tech operations in the UK.

As has been shown, all of these services do more than simply endorse you for an Innovator Founder visa. Choosing the right one can significantly increase your chances of success. To get endorsement.

Each endorsing body will have its own application process. You will need to visit their websites to learn how you can apply. The process will typically require you to provide a business plan, demonstrate that it will be viable and innovative, and explain your role in the company. You will also need to agree to ongoing meetings with the body throughout your time in the UK.

The four endorsing bodies listed previously are the only endorsing bodies that can accept new businesses. However, there are multiple legacy innovator endorsing bodies that can continue working with the migrants that they endorsed. This includes Edinburgh University, Entrepreneur First (EF), and Seven Seed Finance (SSF).

One of the main requirements of the UK Innovator Founder visa is ensuring you have enough money for your business plan and for your own personal maintenance.  

You need to have at least £1,270
of available funds to prove that you will not need public funds to support you in the UK. This figure rises per each individual child/dependent you bring to the country with you.  

These savings must have been in your personal bank account for 28 days consecutively. Other means such as shares, bonds, credit card and pension funds are not permitted in meeting the maintenance requirements.  

In order to be successful in your UK Innovator Founder visa application, you must be able to demonstrate that you can speak, read and understand a certain degree of English. 

If you are not a national of an English-speaking country or you do not have a degree/relevant qualification that demonstrates English ability, you may need to take a test.  

You must pass an accredited English test with at least CEFR level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening.   

The only other exception is if you have already demonstrated your English ability in another UK visa application in which you were successful, such as another business visa. If you have legally resided in the UK under a Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 4 Visa and still have your English test certificate, you may not need to take the test again.  Contact our immigration lawyers if you’re unsure about the language requirements for the Innovator Founder visa, or any other business visa. 

Generally speaking, from the date you submit your Innovator Founder visa application you should receive a decision within 3 weeks. This waiting time may be reduced if you send your application from within the UK.  

The earliest you can submit your Innovator Founder visa application is 3 months before you plan on entering the UK. This should allow plenty of time for you to receive a decision.   

However, if for whatever reason there is a minor error or discrepancy in your application, you are likely to be met with delays in the application process.   

If you wish to speed up the process and receive a decision sooner, you can opt for the Home Office’s Super Priority Service. Here at Manchester Immigration Lawyers, we can also help you with our Fast-Track Service. Your immigration lawyer will prioritise your Innovator Founder visa application and will endeavour to meet you within a 24-hour timeframe.

The base fee for your Innovator founder visa application to be submitted to UKVI is based on where you are applying from:

• £1,357 per person if you apply outside the UK.
• £1,693 if you apply to extend or switch your visa in the UK.

Additionally, you’ll need to pay £1,000 to get an endorsement from an approved endorsing body.

However, this does not exclude other fees that may include:  

• Document translation services for your application  
• The English language test if you need to sit an exam  
• Lawyer fees and business advice fees   
• The cost to register your biometric information 
• The Immigration Health Surcharge (£1035 per year of residency in the UK)  

These costs are likely to increase if you intend on bringing any dependents to the UK with you, such as your children or partner. Your family members are also subject to immigration control if they are not permanent UK residents or British citizens, meaning they will need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and visa fees too.  

If you need expert help and guidance towards meeting the Innovator Founder visa requirements or those of any other business visa, get in touch with Manchester Immigration Lawyers on 0161 826 9783.

Our client care team will arrange an appointment with one of our immigration lawyers who you can choose to speak to over the phone, face-to-face or via video chat. We can offer bespoke Advice Sessions, full Application Support or check your portfolio of evidence for you before you submit your Innovator Founder visa application to the Home Office.

You can apply to bring your partner and child dependents with you to the UK on the Innovator Founder visa. Their visas will end on the same date as your visa ends. A partner dependent is defined as:

• Someone you are in a UK-recognised civil partnership or marriage with.
• You have been living together for at least two years when you apply, or you have been in a relationship for two years, but couldn’t live together.

If you weren’t living together, you would need to prove that you were working or studying in different places, or that living together wasn’t accepted in your home culture. You will also need to show that you had an ongoing commitment to each other. For example, you can demonstrate regular communication, joint care of children, financial support for each other, or time spent together as a couple, such as on holiday.

Child dependents can also join you on the Innovator Founder visa. The child can be under 18, including if they were born in the UK during your stay, or over 18 with permission through leave to enter or leave to remain to be your UK dependent.

Your child dependent needs to live with you, unless they are away for full-time education. They must also not be married or in a civil partnership. You will need to provide proof of their address, such as a bank statement, driving license, or an official letter from their educational institution.

Some individuals in the UK may be eligible to switch to the Innovator Founder visa, allowing them to start a UK business. Switching to an Innovator Founder visa will usually give you three years of validity to remain in the UK before you need to extend the visa. The switch requires you to meet the standard eligibility requirements, including endorsement from a recognised endorsing body and the ability to support yourself.

There are some further requirements for individuals wishing to switch from a Student visa. You need to have completed the course for which you were sponsored to study, or have been studying for a PhD for at least 24 months.

Please note that if you successfully switch to an Innovator Founder visa, any dependents with you in the UK will not automatically be changed. You will need to include them in your application to ensure that they maintain the right to be in the UK.

There are also several visa types from which you will be unable to switch to the Innovator Founder visa. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Visit visa
• Short-term Student visa
• Parent of a Child Student visa
• Seasonal Worker visa
• Domestic Worker in a Private Household visa

Once you have confirmed you are eligible to switch to an Innovator Founder visa, you can do so through the UK government website. It typically takes eight weeks for the application to be processed. This time can be longer if you need to attend an interview or further supporting documents are required. In some circumstances, you can pay for priority processing for a faster decision. This fee is non-refundable if your application is rejected.

A standard Innovator Founder visa will be valid for a period of three years. At the end of this period, you must leave the UK, apply for a different visa, or apply for an extension. You can do the latter if you still meet the eligibility criteria and will continue running your business, or will set up a new one that has an endorsing body’s approval.

As with switching to an Innovator Founder visa, any dependents with you in the UK will not have their visas automatically extended. Unless you apply to extend theirs as well, their validity will run out at the original end date.

An extension is also similar to a switch, as the application can be completed online. The standard processing time is also eight weeks, and in certain circumstances, paying for priority processing may be possible.

Once your Innovator Founder visa has been extended, another three years will be added to its eligibility. You can apply for extensions an unlimited number of times. However, it may be easier to use for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) if you meet the continuous residency requirements. ILR allows you to stay in the UK without having to worry about renewing your visa, and can be a pathway to British citizenship.

The first form of settlement most non-British residents in the UK apply for is Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). This is the first step towards achieving full British Citizenship in the UK.  

Whilst most applicants generally must accrue 5 years of continuous residency in the UK to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, as an Innovator Founder visa holder, you can seek Indefinite Leave to Remain after only 3 years.  

To do so, you must meet the eligibility requirements, including demonstrating an active key role in the day-to-day management and development of your business.:    

In addition to the above, you must meet all Indefinite Leave to Remain requirements, including continuous residence in the UK without excessive absences, and obtain an endorsement letter from an approved body confirming your active involvement in the business.