🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Innovator Founder
For entrepreneurs launching an innovative, viable and scalable business in the UK, backed by an approved endorsing body.
UK Innovator Founder Visa
At a glance
- Sponsor
- Endorsing body, not an employer
- Lottery
- No
- Residence
- ILR after 3 years
- Difficulty
- High
- Processing
- 3 weeks after endorsement
What this visa is
The Innovator Founder visa replaced the old Innovator and Start-up routes and removed the £50,000 minimum investment. Instead, an approved endorsing body must be satisfied that your business idea is innovative, viable and scalable, and that you have enough funding to deliver it. You get three years, can take secondary skilled employment alongside the business, and can settle after three years if the venture hits growth criteria.
The UK wanted to compete for startup founders by removing capital requirements and letting endorsing bodies judge the quality of the idea instead.
Who it is for
Founders with a genuinely new product or service, a credible business plan and the skills to execute it. Teams can apply together provided each founder plays an active, distinct role.
Why people choose it
No minimum investment
Funding must be credible, not a fixed number.
Settlement in 3 years
Faster than the standard five-year route.
Secondary employment
You may take a skilled job alongside running the business.
Multiple founders
Co-founders can each be endorsed for the same venture.
Family included
Dependants get full work rights.
Extendable
Extend as long as the business is progressing against the plan.
Self-assessment
Tick what already applies to you.
Documents you will gather
8 items. Track them as you collect each one.
0 of 8 ready
How the process runs
Step 1
Refine the idea
Business plan, market evidence and financial model.
Step 2
Endorsement
Apply to an approved body; assessment typically takes a few weeks.
Step 3
Visa application
Apply within 3 months of endorsement.
Step 4
Decision
3 weeks outside the UK, 8 weeks inside.
Step 5
Contact points
Progress checks with the endorsing body at 12 and 24 months.
Step 6
Settlement
Apply for ILR at 3 years if growth criteria are met.
What it costs
Endorsement fee
£1,000 - £1,500
Set by each endorsing body.
Contact point fees
£500 each
At 12 and 24 months.
Visa fee
£1,274 - £1,590
Higher when applying from inside the UK.
Immigration Health Surcharge
£1,035 per adult per year
Paid upfront for 3 years.
Legal and advisory
£3,000 - £10,000
Optional but common for first-time founders.
Fees change regularly. Figures are indicative and for educational purposes only, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
There is no fixed minimum. The endorsing body must be satisfied you have enough funding to execute the plan, which in practice often means tens of thousands of pounds.
Other United Kingdom routes
Global Talent
An unsponsored visa for leaders and potential leaders in research, academia, arts, culture and digital technology. The closest UK equivalent to the U.S. O-1.
Read guideScale-up
A sponsored route with only six months of tied employment, then complete freedom to work for anyone in the UK.
Read guideSkilled Worker
The main UK work route. A Home Office licensed sponsor issues a Certificate of Sponsorship for a graduate-level job, and the visa counts toward settlement after five years.
Read guideWant a read on your odds?
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