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UK Start-Up Visa
Dreaming of launching your innovative idea in one of the world’s leading business hubs? The UK Start-Up Visa is your gateway to turning vision into reality.
Our expert UK immigration solicitors provide step-by-step guidance, ensuring your application is error-free and fully aligned with Home Office requirements. Call us now at 020 3384 4389
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Ready to Launch Your Business in the UK? Let’s Talk
Please be informed that upon July 13, 2023, all new applications for the Start-Up visa route will be closed. Any applications sent in before that date must have a stamp of approval from a recognised group given before April 13, 2023. Alternatively, you can apply for the Innovator Founder visa, which is now called the Innovator Visa, if you want to immigrate to the UK to start a firm.
Talented foreign nationals with an entrepreneurial spirit can get a helping hand in the UK with the Start-Up Visa.
Key Facts About the Start-Upp Visa
Visa Duration
The UK Start-Up Visa, which is now closed, provided a two-year duration for entrepreneurs to establish their first business in the country. It was a non-extendable visa that did not lead directly to settlement, requiring a switch to the Innovator category for a route to indefinite leave to remain.
Benefits of Start-Up Visa
The UK Start-Up Visa, which is now closed, was designed to attract overseas entrepreneurs. Its key benefits included a streamlined entry process with no minimum investment required. It allowed individuals to establish a new business and provided a pathway to long-term residency by switching to the Innovator category.
Eligibility Criteria
The Start-Up Visa route has now closed. To be eligible under the former rules, applicants needed an innovative, viable, and scalable business idea endorsed by an approved body. They also had to meet English language proficiency and maintenance fund requirements to support themselves without recourse to public funds.
Documents Required
The Start-Up Visa UK, which is now closed, required applicants to provide a valid passport, proof of English language proficiency, and evidence of sufficient personal funds. Crucially, applicants also needed to submit a letter of endorsement from a Home Office-approved body, confirming their business idea was innovative, viable, and scalable.
Migrants on the now-closed UK Start-up Visa were required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). The IHS, paid upfront, granted visa holders access to the National Health Service (NHS)Â for the full duration of their stay. The cost was calculated based on the visa’s length, at the standard yearly rate applicable at the time of application.
The UK Start-Up Visa was non-extendable. To continue their business and stay in the UK, visa holders had to switch to the Innovator category after two years. This transition was a crucial step, as it provided the only direct route to settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain).
The Start-Up Visa, which is now closed, typically had a processing time of three weeks for applications submitted from outside the UK. For those applying from within the UK to switch to this route, the standard processing time was around eight weeks. It was possible to pay for a faster decision in some cases.
The now-closed Start-Up visa allowed you to work for your own business and also take on other skilled employment outside of it. You could bring family members, and there was no minimum investment required. You could not work as a professional sportsperson, and you were restricted from accessing public funds.
Expert Guidance
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Benefits
Benefits of Hiring Experts for Business Visa
Ensure your business vision becomes a UK reality. Our experts navigate the complexities of the visa process, securing your future in the UK with confidence.
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Success Rate
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Applications Approved
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Immigration Appeal Win Rate
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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.
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 is Start-Up Visa UK?
The UK Start-Up Visa was designed for first-time entrepreneurs looking to set up a business in Britain. Unlike many other routes, you did not need to hold a degree or have prior investment backing. What mattered was presenting a business idea that was innovative, viable, and scalable, and gaining approval from a recognised endorsing body.
This visa was a one-time option, granted for two years, and not a direct pathway to permanent settlement. However, those holding a Start-up visa could switch into the Innovator visa route and, after three years, become eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Applicants were also permitted to bring their partner and children under 18 to the UK.
Who Can Apply for UK Start-Up Visa?
The Start-Up visa is designed for early-stage but high-potential entrepreneurs starting a business in the UK for the first time.
- Applicants usually must not have begun setting up their business in the UK.
- If any steps have already been taken, the business must not yet be trading.
Exceptions apply if you have previously been granted leave under:
- Start-Up visa
- Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa
- Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme
Alternative Visa Options
If the Start-Up visa does not suit your circumstances, consider:
- Innovator Visa: For experienced businesspeople establishing a UK business.
- Skilled Worker Visa: If you wish to join an already trading business.
- Tier 1 Investor Visa: For those looking to invest in an established UK business.
- Sole Representative Visa: For senior employees of overseas companies setting up a UK branch or subsidiary.
Requirements for UK Start-Up Visa
Important Update: The UK Start-up Visa route closed to new applications on 13 July 2023. The information below is provided for existing visa holders and for reference purposes only. If you are considering applying for a business visa now, you may wish to explore the Innovator Founder Visa or other UK immigration routes.
According to the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), to qualify for a Start-up visa (when the route was open), applicants were required to:
- Be at least eighteen years old.
- This is your first time starting a business in the UK (People on the old Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur path are an exception.)
- Must be endorsed by an approved UK endorsing body.
- Your business idea must demonstrate innovation, viability, and scalability.
- You must commit to spending the majority of your working time in the UK on your venture.
- Must have endorsement letter issued within three months before your visa application.
- You must genuinely intend and be capable of carrying out the business or work activity described in your application.
- English language proficiency at CEFR Level B2 (equivalent to IELTS 5Â in reading, writing, listening, and speaking).
- Show proof of sufficient funds if applying from outside the UK or if in the UK for less than twelve months:
- £1,270 for the main applicant
- £285 for a dependent partner
- £315 for the first child
- £200 for each additional child
To ensure you submit the most compelling application possible, you should seek the advice of our expert immigration lawyers.
Conditions of Stay for Start-Up Visa Holders
- No minimum time in the UK required.
- Permitted to work outside the business, provided progress was shown on the endorsed venture.
- Mandatory checkpoints with endorsing bodies at six and twelve months.
- Visa valid for two years, with no direct settlement route. Holders could switch into the Innovator visa for a pathway to ILR.
- Dependants (partner and children under eighteen) could join or remain in the UK on separate visas.
Endorsement Letter for Start-up Visa
If your application for endorsement by a Start-Up visa endorsing body is approved, you will receive a Start-Up visa endorsement letter. Â You are required to submit this letter with your Start-Up visa application.
A Start-Up visa endorsement letter must adhere to the detailed specifications laid out in the Immigration law. Â Seeking guidance from our UK international lawyers will guarantee that your recommendation letter meets all regulations.
Join an Existing UK Business
Those who are fresh to setting up UK business Start-Up can apply for a Start-Up visa. Â It is not a good idea to apply for a Start-up visa if you want to join an already established company.
Applying as a Team Member
If you want to join a Start-Up team, you don’t have to be the only founder. Â This means you may have the same business idea and plan as another member of the Start-Up team. Â However, each applicant must obtain individual endorsement from an approved endorsing authority.
How to Switch to a Start-up Visa?
You may apply for a Start-Up visa from overseas, or in some cases, switch into the Start-Up visa category while already in the UK. However, switching is not permitted if your current or most recent permission was as a:
- Visitor
- Short-term Student
- Parent of a Child Student
- Seasonal Worker
- Domestic Worker in a Private Household
Individual granted leave outside the Immigration Rules
Start-up Visa vs Alternative Routes
Visa Route | Who Can Apply? | Key Requirements | Validity | Pathway to Settlement (ILR) | Dependants Allowed? |
Start-Up Visa (Closed July 2023) | Early-stage entrepreneurs with innovative ideas | Endorsement, English B2, proof of funds | Two years | No direct ILR route – must switch to Innovator | Yes (partner + children under 18) |
Innovator Founder Visa | Entrepreneurs with an innovative, viable, scalable business | Endorsement, strong business plan, English B2, funds | Three years | Direct ILR eligibility after three years | Yes |
Skilled Worker Visa (Self-Sponsorship) | Business owners who set up a UK company and sponsor themselves | Sponsorship licence, job role within own company, English B1, salary threshold | Up to Five years | ILR after five years | Yes |
Sole Representative Visa | Senior employees of overseas companies expanding into the UK | Senior position in overseas firm, English A1, evidence of expansion plans | Initially three years, extendable | ILR after five years | Yes |
Tier 1 Investor Visa (Restricted) | High-net-worth individuals investing in the UK | Investment of £2 million+, proof of funds, source of funds | Three years four months, extendable | ILR after two, three, or five years depending on investment | Yes |
Not sure which route suits you? Our experienced solicitors can assess your situation and guide you towards the most effective visa option for your business journey.
Do you know?
The Innovator Founder visa has had only 487 grants between Q2 2023 and Q3 2024, averaging just 81 approvals per quarter, a much lower uptake compared to the old Start-up visa route.
Start-Up Visa UK Validity Period
You will be granted additional leave up to the full two-year limit if you have previously been granted leave as a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur; otherwise, your first Start-Up visa UK will be valid for two years.
Cost & Processing Time of Start-Up Visa UK
As of October 2023, the application fee for applicants outside the UK for the Start-Up visa was £435, with processing timeframes of approximately three weeks; however, this may vary.
Pathway from Start-up Visa to ILR
The Start-Up visa does not provide a direct route to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). However, it can serve as a stepping stone towards an Innovator Visa.
If you successfully apply for and obtain an Innovator Visa after holding this visa for two years, you may then be eligible to apply for ILR, provided you meet the necessary requirements. After one year of holding ILR, you could be in a position to apply for British citizenship.
Please be aware that obtaining ILR after holding a Start-Up or Innovator Visa is contingent on fulfilling specific obligations. These include maintaining regular contact with your endorsing body and providing evidence of significant progress in your business venture.
What If Your Start-Up Visa UK Was Refused?
Although the Start-Up visa route is now closed to new applicants, some individuals may still be dealing with past refusals or reapplications. If your Start-Up visa was refused, you had the option to:
- Request an administrative review if you believed the decision was incorrect.
- Reapply with stronger supporting evidence (when the route was open).
- Explore alternative visa routes, such as the Innovator Founder visa or Skilled Worker visa, depending on your circumstances.
Seeking professional legal advice is highly recommended to determine the best course of action.
Start-Up visa FAQs
It is perfectly legal to hold both your business and another job while you are on a UK Start-Up visa, according to the Home Office.
No, you cannot apply for the UK Start-Up visa because it was closed to new applications on July 13, 2023.
If you have a Start-Up visa, it will expire after two years and cannot be extended. Before your Start-up visa expires, apply for the Innovator Founder visa to keep running your firm in the UK.
Yes, you can move from the UK’s Start-Up visa to the Innovator Founder visa if you meet the new route’s conditions, which include obtaining a fresh endorsement letter from an eligible endorsing body for an innovative, feasible, and scalable business concept.
Yes. If you hold a Start-Up visa, your dependants may apply to join you in the UK. Eligible dependants include your partner (spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner) and any children under the age of eighteen, each of whom must apply for their own visa.
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