UK Innovator Founder visa
The UK start-up visa is closed to new applications; the open route for founding a business is the Innovator Founder visa. An application on that route requires an endorsement from a body approved by the Home Office.
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Most UK work routes attach a person to an employer who holds a sponsor licence; founding a business inverts that, because the applicant is the enterprise and an endorsing body assesses the idea instead. For the sponsored alternative, see the UK Skilled Worker visa.
01
Is the UK start-up visa still available?
New applications for the start-up visa are not accepted. The GOV.UK page for that route directs anyone setting up a business in the UK to the Innovator Founder route; existing start-up visa holders keep their leave until it expires.
The two routes are often written about together, and material describing the start-up visa as open is out of date. Anyone comparing routes to found a business in the UK is comparing Innovator Founder against the sponsored work routes, not against start-up.
02
What is the Innovator Founder visa?
The Innovator Founder visa is a three-year route for setting up and running a new business in the UK. The application rests on an endorsing body approved by the Home Office finding the business idea new, innovative and viable.
The endorsement is the substance of the application rather than a formality attached to it. An applicant with funds and a company but without an endorsement has no route here, and an endorsement is granted on the idea rather than on the applicant's means.
03
What conditions apply to the Innovator Founder visa?
GOV.UK sets four tests for the business idea: that it is new, that it is innovative, that it carries growth potential, and that it comes with a plan to scale. English language ability has to be evidenced as well.
- New — the business is not already trading in the form proposed.
- Innovative — the idea is distinguishable from what the market already offers.
- Viable — the plan carries realistic growth potential.
- Scalable — the plan sets out how the business grows beyond its first stage.
- English language ability is evidenced alongside the business case.
Free starter report
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04
How does the endorsing body assessment work?
The assessment comes before the visa application and runs in two steps: the endorsing body examines the business idea against the four tests and, where it is satisfied, issues an endorsement. Contact continues after the visa is granted.
The relationship with the endorsing body does not end at the visa. Checkpoint meetings follow, at which the body reviews whether the business is progressing along the plan it endorsed, and the cost of those meetings is part of the route's total cost.
05
What does the Innovator Founder visa cost?
The visa fee is £1,357 per person from outside the UK and £1,693 to extend or switch from inside it. On top of that sits the £1,000 endorsement fee and the cost of at least two checkpoint meetings.
| Item | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Visa fee, from outside the UK | £1,357 per person | At application |
| Visa fee, from inside the UK | £1,693 per person | On extension or switch |
| Endorsement fee | £1,000 | Before the visa application |
| Checkpoint meetings | At least two | During the visa term |
06
How long does the Innovator Founder visa last?
The Innovator Founder visa runs for three years and is extended by a further three on a new endorsement, with no published limit on the number of extensions. Settlement is applied for after three years on the route.
Each extension requires a fresh endorsement rather than a renewal of the original one, so the endorsing body reassesses the business at that point. Whether an individual case meets the settlement conditions is a question for a regulated adviser.
Sources
- GOV.UK — The start-up visa is closed to new applications and anyone setting up a business in the UK is directed to the Innovator Founder route.
- GOV.UK — The Innovator Founder visa is granted for three years on an endorsement from an approved body, and the business idea must be new, innovative, viable and scalable.
- GOV.UK — The Innovator Founder visa fee is £1,357 per person from outside the UK and £1,693 to extend or switch from inside it, with a £1,000 endorsement fee charged separately.
