UK Innovator Founder Route

In April 2023, the Innovator Founder Visa was unveiled, marking a significant milestone for non-UK residents aiming to set up businesses in Britain. This visa has effectively replaced both the Innovator and Start-up visas, emerging as the primary visa category for foreign entrepreneur’s keen on launching their ventures in the UK. The Innovator Founder Visa combines the most appealing features of its predecessors:

• The onerous £50,000 minimum investment requirement is a thing of the past.
• The “check-in” requirement with endorsing bodies has been streamlined to just two meetings, down from three under the Start-up visa rules.
• It grants the flexibility of engaging in secondary employment under certain conditions.
• This route also paves the way for UK settlement, as time spent in the UK under it counts towards the residence requirement for indefinite leave to remain.

To qualify for this visa, your business must receive an endorsement, which showcases its innovation, viability, and scalability, all with your active involvement.

The Innovator Founder Route empowers successful applicants to translate their entrepreneurial visions into reality within the UK. As an Innovator Founder Visa holder, you’ll not only be permitted to work for the business you establish but can also pursue additional employment, provided it requires a skill level no lower than RQF Level 3, equivalent to UK A Levels. The visa also grants you the freedom to engage in educational pursuits while managing your business.

Initially, Innovator Founders receive permission to live and work in the UK for three years. After this period, and if you meet the stipulated criteria, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain, commonly known as settlement. Moreover, your immediate family members can accompany you or join you in the UK under a dependent visa, enabling them to undertake various types of work, excluding roles as sportspersons or coaches. They can also pursue educational opportunities.

To initiate the application process for the Innovator Founder Route, you must secure an endorsement letter from an authorised body within three months of applying. This letter, along with other required documentation, should be submitted as part of your online application. While the application process resembles that of the previous Start-up and Innovator routes, the endorsement letter must confirm that your business idea and operations align with the new requirements, including the legitimacy of your funding sources.

The initial step in securing an Innovator Founder Visa is obtaining endorsement from an authorised body. Only organisations authorised by the Home Office are qualified to provide such endorsements. The approved organisations include Envestors Limited, UK Endorsing Services, Innovator International, and The Global Entrepreneurs Programme (GEP).

For those who entered the Innovator Visa scheme before April 13, 2023, the legacy endorsing bodies from the Innovator route can continue to endorse applicants, provided they stick with the same business idea used in a prior application.

To obtain an Innovator Founder Visa, you must accumulate a total of 70 points, with 50 stemming from the new or same business criteria (but not both), while the remaining 20 points derive from fulfilling English language and financial requirements.

New Business Criteria:

• 30 points: Awarded for your business plan.
• 20 points: Awarded if your new business venture is innovative, viable, and scalable.

In terms of the business plan, you must possess one that you’ve either generated or significantly contributed to, affirm your daily involvement in executing it, commit to at least two contact point meetings with your endorsing body at regular intervals, and be either the sole founder or an instrumental member of the founding team.

For the business to meet the innovative, viable, and scalable requirements, you must have a genuine and original business plan addressing market needs or creating a competitive advantage in the UK, based on your available resources. You must possess or actively develop the skills, knowledge, experience, and market awareness needed to run your business successfully. Evidence of structured planning and potential for job creation and growth into national and international markets must be present.

Same Business Criteria:

• 10 points: Awarded if you previously held permission in the Innovator Founder, Innovator, Start-up, or Tier 1 (graduate entrepreneur) routes and are pursuing a business assessed by an endorsing body.
• 20 points: Awarded if your business is active, trading, and sustainable, showcasing significant achievements against your business plan.
• 20 points: Awarded if you actively manage and develop your business.

Under the same business criteria, you must have had permission on one of the relevant routes and your endorsement letter must confirm that your business previously underwent assessment by an endorsing body or legacy endorsing body. The business must demonstrate significant progress against your business plan, be registered with Companies House, and list you as a director or member.

Mandatory Criteria for Both New and Same Businesses:

• 10 points: Awarded for satisfying the English language requirement, reaching at least level B2 on the Common European Framework for Languages.
• 10 points: Awarded for meeting the financial requirement, displaying funds amounting to at least £1,270 for a 28-day period, unless you’re applying after lawfully residing in the UK for 12 months.

Application costs for the Innovator Founder Visa vary based on your application location. Main applicants applying from overseas must pay £1,036, while those applying from within the UK for a switch or extension must pay £1,292. Additionally, each applicant is required to pay the immigration health surcharge per year of stay, allowing access to the UK’s National Health Service.

Innovator Founder Visa holders can eventually become eligible for settlement in the UK. Time spent under the Innovator Founder Route counts towards the residence requirement for indefinite leave to remain.

Partners and dependent children of Innovator Founders can join them in the UK as dependent migrants. This flexibility extends to their employment options, excluding roles as sportspersons or coaches, and educational pursuits.

The Start-up Route ceased to accept new applications on July 13, 2023. Between April 13 and July 13, 2023, it was exclusively open to applicants with prior endorsements. The Start-up Route primarily targeted overseas nationals initiating businesses in the UK for the first time, requiring endorsement from a UK higher education institution or a business organisation with a history of supporting entrepreneurs. Start-up businesses had to offer innovative, viable, and scalable concepts, differentiating themselves in the UK market. It was imperative that the business was entirely new, with no existing trading operations.

Successful Start-up Visa holders were allowed to engage in additional paid work to support themselves while launching their businesses. However, even if the business succeeded, they couldn’t extend their visa. At this stage, Start-up Visa holders had to apply to switch to the Innovator Route, provided they could demonstrate that their business was active, trading, sustainable, and endorsed by a supporting body. The applicant also had to play a key role in the day-to-day management and development of the business.

Alternatively, entrepreneurs could opt for an Innovator Visa from the outset, bypassing the Start-up Route entirely. However, they needed a minimum investment of £50,000 in their business, with no permission to work for any other business.

Innovator Visa holders were granted leave for a maximum of three years. After three years, and if they met the eligibility requirements, they could apply to settle in the UK permanently. It’s important to note that time spent in the Start-up Route wouldn’t count towards the three-year continuous residence requirement for indefinite leave to remain.

The new Innovator Founder Route, by amalgamating the strengths of the Start-up and Innovator Routes, allows overseas entrepreneurs to establish a new UK business without the initial capital requirement, while also enabling them to work alongside their business activities. Furthermore, this route offers a direct path to permanent settlement in the UK.

For any guidance or support regarding the Innovator Founder Visa application process, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of UK immigration specialists.

What is the Innovator Founder Route?

The Innovator Founder Route has supplanted the Innovator and Start-up Routes for non-UK resident entrepreneurs and business owners aiming to establish and operate UK-based enterprises.

What visa do I need to start a business in the UK?

To embark on a business journey in the UK, the Innovator Founder Visa is typically the route to pursue. It’s advisable to seek professional advice to determine the most suitable path based on your circumstances.