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The Innovator Founder visa lets experienced entrepreneurs start and grow an innovative, viable and scalable business in the UK. You’ll need an endorsement from an approved body, meet B2 English, and show adequate personal funds. Initial permission is three years, with routes to extension and settlement after three years if you meet the success criteria.
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Is Your Business Ready for the Next Step? Talk to an Expert
In April 2019, the Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa was replaced by the UK Innovator Visa. Later, in 2023, the Innovator visa was changed to the Innovator Founder visa. For seasoned entrepreneurs looking to launch a new venture in the UK, there is the Innovator Founder Visa option.
Even though the £50,000 minimum investment is waived through this option, you will still require launch money, UK residency, and an endorsement. Now, innovator founders can balance jobs and school (up to A-level) without letting it affect their company.
Essential Points for Innovator Founder visa
What the Innovator Founder Visa is
For founders with a business that is innovative, viable and scalable, endorsed by a Home Office-approved endorsing body. No fixed minimum investment is required for entry, but you must satisfy endorsement and maintenance rules.
Endorsement & contact points
You must secure an endorsement letter before applying and attend contact-point meetings (typically around 12 and 24 months) to demonstrate progress; endorsement withdrawal can curtail permission
Fees (current Home Office table, July 2025)
Main applicant and dependants: £1,590 each. Endorsement fee: £1,000 (paid to endorsing body). Contact-point meeting: £500 (paid to endorsing body). (You must also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.)
Settlement (ILR) after three years
Possible after three years on the Innovator/Innovator Founder route with a new settlement endorsement confirming you meet at least two success measures (e.g., £50,000 invested and spent in the business, protected IP filed, significant revenue or export revenue, substantial customer growth, job creation).
The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is a fee paid by most visa and immigration applicants for over six months to access the National Health Service (NHS). It is not required for British citizenship applications, as permanent residents contribute via taxes like National Insurance.
Only organisations listed by the Home Office may issue endorsements; always verify against the current endorsing bodies list
When applying for a Spouse visa, you must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge to cover your healthcare costs while in the UK. Since February 2024, the surcharge has been £1,035 per year, following a 86% increase. For in-country application, it will be for 30 months and out-country application, it will be for 33 months.
After ILR (Three years on this route), you may apply for British citizenship after a further 12 months of residence.
Winning endorsement is the pivotal step
Shape a credible business planthat evidence innovation, viability and scalability under the Rules.
Benefits
At UK Immigration Solicitors, we take the stress out of the sponsor licence process by guiding you through every requirement with precision.
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From Consultation to Visa Approval
Our immigration specialists streamline your application process by clearly identifying which evidence and strategies will strengthen your case.
By aligning your unique circumstances with Home Office requirements, we help you focus on high-impact preparations while addressing any potential weaknesses in your application.
From Consultation to Visa Approval
Our immigration specialists streamline your application process by clearly identifying which evidence and strategies will strengthen your case.
By aligning your unique circumstances with Home Office requirements, we help you focus on high-impact preparations while addressing any potential weaknesses in your application.
Maximising Your Approval Chances
Our goal is to maximise the chances of your visa being approved the first time. By carefully reviewing your circumstances, identifying potential weaknesses, and preparing strong supporting evidence, we significantly reduce the risk of refusals. Every application is checked by senior immigration solicitors who apply their expertise to make your case as clear, accurate, and persuasive as possible. This attention to detail is what improves success rates and helps our clients move forward with confidence.
Success Rate Optimisation
We carefully analyse every detail of your application to maximise the chances of approval. By addressing weaknesses, strengthening supporting evidence, and ensuring full compliance with Home Office rules, we optimise your case for success. This thorough approach significantly improves approval rates and gives you confidence throughout the process.
Risk Mitigation Strategies
We identify potential risks in your application early and put safeguards in place to address them. By preparing strong evidence, clarifying complex points, and anticipating Home Office concerns, we minimise the chance of delays or refusals.
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Evidence-based case preparation
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Home Office compliance checks
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Success rate optimisation
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Risk mitigation strategies
From Consultation to Visa Approval
Our immigration specialists streamline your application process by clearly identifying which evidence and strategies will strengthen your case.
By aligning your unique circumstances with Home Office requirements, we help you focus on high-impact preparations while addressing any potential weaknesses in your application.
Maximising Your Approval Chances
Our goal is to maximise the chances of your visa being approved the first time. By carefully reviewing your circumstances, identifying potential weaknesses, and preparing strong supporting evidence, we significantly reduce the risk of refusals. Every application is checked by senior immigration solicitors who apply their expertise to make your case as clear, accurate, and persuasive as possible. This attention to detail is what improves success rates and helps our clients move forward with confidence.
Success Rate Optimisation
We carefully analyse every detail of your application to maximise the chances of approval. By addressing weaknesses, strengthening supporting evidence, and ensuring full compliance with Home Office rules, we optimise your case for success. This thorough approach significantly improves approval rates and gives you confidence throughout the process.
Risk Mitigation Strategies
We identify potential risks in your application early and put safeguards in place to address them. By preparing strong evidence, clarifying complex points, and anticipating Home Office concerns, we minimise the chance of delays or refusals.
Work With Trusted, SRA-Regulated UK Immigration Experts
Your immigration journey is too important to risk on unqualified or unregulated help. Every case we handle is prepared by SRA-regulated solicitors who apply structured legal reasoning, precise documentation checks and full compliance with Home Office and UKVI rules.
Our accreditations are your assurance that you are working with a reputable, experienced and highly trained legal team. We combine decades of immigration expertise with strict professional standards to give you clarity, confidence and complete peace of mind — no matter which visa or application route you are pursuing.
What are Innovator Visa UK Requirements?
It is necessary to meet the following conditions to be eligible for a UK Innovator startup visa:
- 18 years or older
- You want to start and run a creative business in the UK.
- Have an endorsement for their firm or business idea.
- Meet the standards for English language skills
- Make sure you have enough money to live in the UK.
Business plan
If you want to get an endorsement (which is explained below), you have to carefully write up a full business plan for your new or current innovative business.
Your business plan needs to show that your idea is:
Creative: You will have to give an original and honest business plan that shows how you will meet a need in the market, give yourself an edge over other businesses, or both.
Viable: The plan needs to show that you have a good chance of making the business work. Showing that you have the experience, market understanding, business skills, and experience to make this happen is part of this.
Large-scale: Proof that there is real ability to grow the business, create jobs, and enter new markets in the US and other countries will have to be at the core of your business plan.
Business Endorsement
If you want to apply for an Innovator founder visa in the UK, one of the most important things is that your innovative business or new business idea must be backed by a recognised UK endorsing group. The following groups can approve Innovator Founder Visas:
- Envestors Limited
- Endorsement Services in the UK
- International Innovator
- The GEP stands for the Global Entrepreneurs Program.
The endorsing body might think about the following when choosing whether to give an endorsement:
- Does the UK need the business?
- What new does the business offer customers that already exist?
- Has the individual looked into the market enough?
- Are the product goals attainable and long-lasting?
- Does the business have a long-term plan?
- Will the company get enough “traction” in the market?
- Is there room for growth in the UK?
You need an endorsement before you can apply. This makes sure that only businesses that are likely to succeed can move on to the next step, which is the application. Speaking to your endorsing body will give you information on how to apply for endorsement and explain their method. You will get a letter of endorsement if your application for endorsement is approved. You can then use this letter to apply for your Innovator startup visa.
English Language Requirement
If you want to get an Innovator founder visa, you will need to show that you can speak and write English well. This includes you.
- If you can read, write, speak, and understand English at a level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale, you must show proof of having taken an English language test, or
- You have a degree that was taught in English, or
- Your home country is one of the ones that doesn’t have to pay. These are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
Sufficient Support Funds
Additionally, you must demonstrate that you possess sufficient funds to sustain your stay in the UK. To meet this requirement, you must exhibit that you have £1,270 in your bank account 28 days before your application.
Financial Requirements For Innovator Founder Visa UK
Not only do candidates need to meet the investment fund requirements, but they must also have a minimum of £1,191 when applying from outside the UK and £1,486 when applying to extend or switch from within the UK for 90 consecutive days prior to applying for the Innovator Founder Visa.
You can’t use money from investments or illegal work in the UK to show that you meet this requirement.
There is a £1,035 annual healthcare surcharge fee that applicants must pay. There are also endorsement fees of £1,000 plus VAT and review meeting fees of £500 per meeting with an approving body.
The English language test, TB tests (if needed), and biometric registration fees may cost extra.
Documents Required for an Innovator Founder Visa
The exact documents you need to send with your application for an Innovator Founder Visa depend on your situation.
Even so, you will always need to have the following papers in your portfolio of evidence:
- A current passport or other form of identification for travel
- One or more copies of a B2 English test score report
- Proof that you have saved at least £945 in your bank account for 90 days in a row before you apply. Proof that you have the money to spend.
- Your TB test results if you live in a country that requires tests for that disease
Anything that isn’t written in English or Welsh needs to be translated by a certified translator.
It is very important that all the required papers are included in your application and that they follow the strict guidelines set by the Home Office. If you don’t do that, your application will be automatically rejected.
How to apply for Innovator Founder Visa UK?
Here are the steps you need to take to apply for an Innovator founder visa:
- Make a plan for your business.
- Apply for approval from a UK-approved approving body that fits your needs.
- Once it is approved, you will need to fill out an online application form on the Home Office website. The form you’ll have to fill out will depend on whether you are outside the UK or in the UK moving from a different visa.
- It’s important to show proof of who you are after sending in your application form. You can do this in one of two ways (you will be told which to use when you apply):
- It is necessary to have your fingerprints and picture taken at a visa application centre in order to obtain a biometric residence card. Moreover, a small fee of £19.20 is charged to read and process your biometric information. Your biometric residence card is proof that you live in the UK.
- Your ID will be scanned by the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app.
- Pay the £1,191 application fee if you are not in the UK or £1,486 if you are. This fee is the same for family members who rely on you.
- Pay the immigration healthcare fee for as long as you have your visa. At the moment, this costs £1035 per person per year.
Applications are usually looked at within three weeks, but you will be told if it will take longer. It’s possible that this will happen if more proof is needed or if you are asked to come in for an interview.
How Can I Extend my Innovator Founder Visa?
If you get the Innovator founder visa, you will be able to stay in the UK for up to three years to start the business you want to establish. If you want to stay longer than three years, you can ask for an increase at the end of that time. Additionally, there is no limit on extensions.
You won’t have any trouble getting an extension on your Innovator founder visa as long as:
- You apply to have your visa extended before it runs out.
- Moreover, you still meet the same standards that got you an Innovator visa in the first place.
- You have a business in the UK or are planning to open one there.
To ask for an extension on your Innovator founder visa, you will need to:
- Fill out the application form online.
- Provide proof of who you are (as described above when asking for a new visa).
- There is a £1,486 fee to pay online.
- Give the Home Office any papers they ask for; they will provide you with a list of these when you apply.
Applications for an innovator founder visa renewal usually take eight weeks to process. While you wait for a decision from the Home Office, you can keep running your business.
Innovator Founder Visa UK to ILR
The Innovator Founder Visa offers a direct route to permanent residency (ILR) in the UK, which is a major perk for applicants.
If you have ILR, you can stay in the UK permanently without having to go through immigration checks. After another year, you can ask for British citizenship.
To get permanent residency with an Innovator founder visa, you must live and work in the UK for three years and meet the other requirements for the method. All of these depend on how well your new business does. This helps to check that applicants are legitimate and operate their businesses as indicated. Here are some important things to keep in mind:
- You must have lived in the UK for three years on an Innovator founder visa. Any other type of visa will not count towards ILR.
- In the past year, you can’t have been outside of the UK for more than 180 days.
- There is a new license you need to get and apply for.
- The conditions for growing your business have now been met.
- You will have to take the Life in the UK Test.
- For ILR, you have 28 days to apply before you can get it.
- Each person who wants to apply for ILR as an Innovator startup visa holder must pay £2,885.
- Most decisions are made in six months or less.
Can I change my UK visa to the Innovator Founder Visa?
You may switch from another UK visa to the Innovator Founder Visa.
To move to the Innovator Founder Visa, you will need to get approval from an official body, just like when you apply for the Innovator Founder Visa in the first place.
You could switch from one of the following visas if you meet the conditions and are already in the UK:
- Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa
- Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa
- Skilled Worker Visa
- Visitor Visa, (if the person came to the UK to get money and has a letter from an authoritative body stating so)
Also, if you want to switch from a student visa to this one, one of the following must be true:
- The date of your job start is after the date of your training end.
- You have been studying for your PhD for at least two years.
- Before your current visa ran out, you must have applied for the Innovator Founder Visa. This means you can stay in the UK until a decision is made.
How much does it cost to apply for an Innovator Founder visa?
The price of a UK Innovator Founder Visa changes based on where you apply from and your personal circumstances.
Who? | Standard Application | Extend or Switch |
You | £1,191 | £1,486 |
Your partner and children | £1,191 per person | £1,486 per person |
Frequently Asked Questions FAQs
The following fees are needed to apply for an Innovator Founder Visa:
- The application fee is £1,191, and
- the immigration surcharge is £1,035.
The Innovator Founder Visa is now accepting applications. It will take the place of the Innovator visa in 2023.
Yes, you can change your visa from a Graduate Entrepreneur to an Innovator Founder Visa in the same way you change your visa from an Entrepreneur Visa.
In order to change from a Graduate Entrepreneur Visa to an Innovator Founder Visa, you will need to meet some eligibility standards. And so on. You will have to still be active in running a “successful” business that is still doing well and helping the British economy.
You can change your visa from a Start-Up Visa to an Innovator Founder Visa as long as your business is still doing well and helping the British economy. If this is true, you will have to show the Home Office that your business is still going strong and that it is supporting you (e.g., you are not getting state money while you are in the UK).
The Innovator Founder Visa can help you become a member of the United Kingdom. Any time spent in the UK on an Innovator Founder Visa goes towards the minimum amount of time needed to become a citizen.
People who have an Innovator Founder Visa may be able to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) status after their Innovator Founder Visa ends. Since you have ILR status, you are free to live in the UK.
Most of the time, though, you need to have lived legally in the UK for at least five years before you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
With Indefinite Leave to Remain, you can live in the UK for one year. After that, you can apply for UK citizenship and enjoy all the perks of being a citizen.
People who apply will be told why their application was turned down if it is accepted. You can review the Home Office’s decision if you think your application was turned down without a valid reason.
If you decide to file an appeal, the UK Immigration Solicitors can help you through the whole process.
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