Innovator Visa

The Innovator Founder route from 13 April 2023 is for a person seeking to establish a business in the UK based on an innovative, viable and scalable business idea they have generated, or to which they have significantly contributed.

The application must be supported by an endorsing body.

An applicant must have a key role in the day-to-day management and development of the business. A partner and dependent children can apply on this route.

The Innovator Founder route is a route to settlement.

To discuss your visa application

Please contact with one of our immigration lawyers by phone +44 (0) 207 907 1460 (London), +971 509 265 140 (Dubai) or complete our enquiry

Contact us

A. Eligibility requirements

Genuineness requirement

The applicant must be a genuine Innovator Founder applicant.

An applicant for entry clearance or permission to stay must be awarded 70 points from the table below, of which 50 must either be under the new business criteria or under the same business criteria, but not both.

Endorsement

New or same business

Requirement

Points

Innovator Founder

New Business

Business plan

30

Innovator Founder

New Business

Business venture is innovative, viable and scalable.

20

Innovator Founder

Same Business

Applicant’s previous permission was in the Innovator Founder, Innovator, Start-up or Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) route and they are pursuing a business assessed by a Home Office approved endorsing body either for the previous endorsement or at a contact point.

10

Innovator Founder

Same Business

Business is active, trading and sustainable and demonstrates significant achievements against the business plan

20

Innovator Founder

Same Business

Applicant is active in day-to-day management and development of business

20

All

Mandatory for all applicants

English Language requirement at level B2

10

All

Mandatory for all applicants

Financial requirement

10

Total number of points required

70

Important definitions

Endorsing body” – means an organisation which is currently approved by the Home Office to endorse an individual or business in connection with a visa application.

Legacy Endorsing body” – means an organisation which had previously been approved by the Home Office to endorse an individual or business in connection with an application under the Innovator or Start-up routes but is not permitted to endorse a new individual or business under the new Innovator Founder visa route.

Visa application: general requirements for an endorsement

The application must be supported by an endorsement letter from an Endorsing Body or Legacy Endorsing Body which must contain the following information:

(a) the name of the Endorsing Body or Legacy Endorsing Body; and

(b) their endorsement reference number; and

(c) the date of issue, which must be no earlier than 3 months before the date of application; and

(d) the applicant’s name, date of birth, nationality and passport number; and

(e) the name and contact details (telephone number, email and workplace address of an individual at the Endorsing Body or Legacy Endorsing Body who will verify the contents of the letter to the Home Office if requested.

An endorsement letter from an Endorsing Body must confirm that:

(a) the applicant is considered a fit and proper person to receive endorsement under the rules and guidance of the Innovator Founder route; and

(b) the endorsing body has no concerns over the legitimacy of sources of funds or modes of transfer of funds invested by the applicant into their endorsed business; and

(c) the endorsing body has identified no reason to believe that the applicant or their endorsed business may be the beneficiary of illicit or otherwise unsatisfactorily explained wealth.

Legacy Endorsement requirements

A letter of endorsement from a Legacy Endorsing Body in support of an application under the new business criteria will only be accepted, and points will only be awarded, if:

(a) the endorsement letter was issued by the Legacy Endorsing Body before 13 April 2023 for use in the Innovator route; or

(b) the applicant previously had permission under the Start-up route and the Endorsing Body for that previous permission is the same as the Legacy Endorsing Body supporting the current application.

A letter of endorsement from a Legacy Endorsing Body in support of an application under the same business criteria will only be accepted, and points will only be awarded, if:

(a) the applicant has or, in the 12 months immediately prior to the date of application, had permission as an Innovator Founder; and

(b) the Legacy Endorsing Body supporting the current application is the same as the Endorsing Body for that previous permission.

New Business requirement

The applicant must:

(a) have a business plan and have either generated or made a significant contribution to the ideas in that business plan; and

(b) demonstrate that they will have a day-to-day role in carrying out the business plan; and

(c) confirm that they will have at least two Contact point meetings with the endorsing body at regular intervals during their period of permission; and

(d) be either the sole founder or an instrumental member of the founding team.

Innovative, viable and scalable business requirements for an Innovator Founder

The applicant must have an innovative, viable and scalable business venture and they must meet all the following requirements:

(a) the applicant must have a genuine, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage; and

(b) the applicant’s business plan must be realistic and achievable based on the applicant’s available resources; and

(c) the applicant must have, or be actively developing, the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and market awareness to successfully run the business; and

(d) there must be evidence of structured planning and of potential for job creation and growth into national and international markets.

Same Business requirement

If the applicant is applying under the same business criteria:

(a) the applicant must have or have last had permission as an Innovator Founder or on the Start-up or Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) route; and

(b) the letter of endorsement must confirm that the applicant meets the above requirements.

Business is active, trading and sustainable requirement

The applicant’s business must be active, trading and sustainable and the applicant must have made significant progress against their business plan.

The applicant’s business must be registered with Companies House and the applicant must be listed as a director or member of that business.

Day to day management requirement

The applicant must be involved in the day-to-day management and development of their business.

B. English language requirements

Unless an exemption applies, the applicant must show English language ability on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in all 4 components (reading, writing, speaking and listening) of at least level B2.

To discuss your visa application

Please contact with one of our immigration lawyers by phone +44 (0) 207 907 1460 (London), +971 509 265 140 (Dubai) or complete our enquiry

Contact us

C. Financial maintenance requirements

If the applicant is applying for permission to stay and has been in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application, they will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.

An applicant who is applying for entry clearance, or who is applying for permission to stay and has been in the UK for less than 12 months at the date of application, must have funds of at least £1,270.

The applicant must show that they have held the required level of funds for a 28-day period prior to making visa application.

D. Period and conditions of grant of Innovator Founder Visa

The applicant will be granted permission for a maximum period of 3 years.

The grant will be subject to the following conditions:

(a) no access to public funds; and

(b) no work, other than working for the business(es) the applicant has established or other employment, where that other employment is in a role that requires a skill level of not less than RQF Level 3; and

(c) study is permitted.

E. Route to settlement

The applicant must have spent at least 3 years in the UK with permission as an Innovator Founder.

The applicant must prove that they have met the continuous residence requirement which is to be outside the UK for no more than 180 calendar says in any consecutive 12 months period.

The applicant must meet the Knowledge of Life in the UK requirement.

Where the applicant is applying for settlement and their previous permission was as an Innovator Founder, they must provide an endorsement letter issued by an Endorsing Body, or Legacy Endorsing Body which includes all of the following information:

(a) confirmation that the applicant has shown significant achievements, judged against the business plan assessed in their previous endorsement; and

(b) confirmation that the applicant’s business is registered with Companies House and the applicant is listed as a director or member of that business; and

(c) confirmation the business is active and trading; and

(d) confirmation that the business appears to be sustainable for at least the following 12 months, based on its assets and expected income, weighed against its current and planned expenses; and

(e) confirmation the applicant has demonstrated an active key role in the day-today management and development of the business; and

(f) confirmation the applicant’s business venture has met at least two of the following requirements:

   (i) at least £50,000 has been invested into the business and actively spent furthering the business; or

   (ii) the number of the business’s customers has at least doubled within the most recent 3 years and is currently higher than the mean number of customers for other UK businesses offering comparable main products or services; or

   (iii) the business has engaged in significant research and development activity and has applied for intellectual property protection in the UK; or

   (iv) the business has generated a minimum annual gross revenue of £1million in the last full year covered by its accounts; or

   (v) the business is generating a minimum annual gross revenue of £500,000 in the last full year covered by its accounts, with at least £100,000 from exporting overseas; or

   (vi) the business has created the equivalent of at least 10 full-time jobs for settled workers; or the business has created the equivalent of at least 5 full-time jobs for settled workers, each of which has a mean salary of at least £25,000 a year (gross pay, excluding any allowances).

If the business venture has one or more other team members who are applying for, or have been granted, settlement as an Innovator Founder, they cannot share the same means of meeting these criteria (for example, if two applicants are relying on the requirement to have created 10 jobs, 20 jobs must have been created in total).

To discuss your visa application

Please contact with one of our immigration lawyers by phone +44 (0) 207 907 1460 (London), +971 509 265 140 (Dubai) or complete our enquiry

Contact us

F. Dependants

An applicant can bring dependants to the UK and dependants already in the UK can apply for leave as dependants in this category, subject to the dependant maintenance requirements.

Dependants will be allowed to apply from within the UK, as long as they are not here illegally, as visitors, or on temporary admission or temporary release.

Financial maintenance requirements for a partner or child on the Innovator Founder route

The necessary maintenance funds required are:

(a) £285 for a dependent partner in the UK, or applying for entry clearance; and

(b) £315 for the first dependent child in the UK, or applying for entry clearance; and

(c) £200 for any other dependent child in the UK, or applying for entry clearance.

The funds held must be in addition to any funds required by the Innovator Founder to meet the financial requirement for any other dependants in the UK or applying at the same time.

The required level of funds must have been held for a 28-day period prior to making visa application.

Qualifying period requirement for settlement as a partner and as a child on the Innovator Founder route

The applicant must have spent a continuous period of 5 years in the UK with permission as a dependent partner or as a dependent child.

G.Administrative Review (Entry clearance, extension and settlement applications)

If the entry clearance, extension or settlement application is refused by the ECO in the British Diplomatic post or by the Home Office, the applicant will be given a right to make a request for a review of the decision that must be exercised within 28 days of the date of service of the decision if application was submitted outside the UK or 14 days if application is made inside the UK. The applicant will only be able to rely on the information/documents already submitted with the application and will not be allowed to provide or submit any fresh evidence with the review request.

It is therefore strongly advised to take professional help while making grounds for making review request.

Our services

  • We can advise on the procedure, requirements and merits of making an application for leave to enter or remain in the Innovator Founder visa category.
  • We can advise and represent our clients in making representations in support of their immigration matters
  • We can advise and represent our clients’ dependants to seek dependant visas in line with the visa of the main applicant
  • We can advise on the merits of an administrative review in the event of any refusal

Whatever the case, we are here to assist, advise and represent our clients in relation to any aspect of their immigration matters.

Still have questions?

Contact us