FAQ'S
The Innovator Business Founder Visa was introduced by the UK Home Office in 2023 to encourage innovation in the UK. It is for international entrepreneurs who have a business idea that is innovative, viable and scalable and who want to launch that business in the UK. Successful applicants are granted stay in the UK for a 3-year period, in which they must establish and grow their business. At the end of the 3 years, they are able to apply for either extension or settlement.
To qualify, businesses must be new and founders must be able to speak, read, understand and write English. For more information, read the Innovator Founder visa guidance on GOV.UK.
To qualify, businesses must be new and founders must be able to speak, read, understand and write English. For more information, read the Innovator Founder visa guidance on GOV.UK.
No, we are unable to provide an expedited service. Typically, the process takes 4-6 weeks. If you have a deadline, for example if your current visa is set to expire, please tell your account manager.
Evaluating businesses and business ideas against the criteria set by the Home Office is a detailed process that requires comprehensive information on your business, traction and plans. We have designed our evaluation process to ensure that we gather this information in a standardised way, enabling us to more efficiently assess each applications.
No. We are unable to provide advice or support in writing applications. It is imperative that the applicant has developed the business idea and plan themselves, and is prepared to deliver on it.
As part of our endorsement evaluation process, we need to fully understand the start-up capital requirements of establishing your business as per your plan, for at least the first three years. We then need to be able to understand and verify where at least the first 12 months capital is being sourced from, as it unrealistic to assume that you will be able to secure loans, grants, or equity in the UK for a newly established business. We also need evidence of funds held for 3 months.
While each case is unique, common reasons for rejection include:
- Viability: There are insufficient funds to establish, launch and grow the business. Founders new to the UK will struggle to access external finance in the way of loans or debt. Grants and equity are also difficult to secure for early-stage businesses.
- Innovation: The business is not unique in the UK market and has no distinctive competitive advantage.
- Scalability: The business model is not one which supports scaling, and the business is therefore unlikely to grow.
- Poorly structured business plans: plans which are poorly prepared, structured, contain generic statements and/or do not appear to have been written by the applicant.
- Skills and experience: the founder(s) lack the educational and/or professional experience, skills or knowledge to run the business
Fees for the programme are set by the Home Office.
The mandatory endorsement costs are:
All mandatory fees are subject to Vat once the applicant resides in the UK.
The mandatory endorsement costs are:
- Consideration of application - £1,000
- 12-month Checkpoint Review - £500
- 24-month Checkpoint Review - £500
- 36-month Settlement or Extension Endorsement - £1,000
All mandatory fees are subject to Vat once the applicant resides in the UK.
Yes, you can re-apply. However, for any new application you will be required to pay the £1,000 consideration fee.
To be innovative your business needs to be bringing something new and unique to the UK. This is not necessarily new technology, and can be, for example, a new business model etc. We expect you to have fully identified the existing competition and detail your fully unique selling proposition in your Business Plan. Read more in the Innovator Founder visa guidance on GOV.UK.
All co-founders must register and apply individually as visas are granted to the individual not the company. Each applicant must pay the mandatory visa endorsement fees.
To ease the process, we do enable co-founders to utilise a joint business plan.
To ease the process, we do enable co-founders to utilise a joint business plan.
Yes, we provide an extensive range of business support services available to purchase and commence upon grant of your visa. These services have been widely used to great effect by more than 300 of our previous founders. Our aim is to ease your transition to the UK and to provide support in establishing and scaling your business. Find out more about our support packages.
In addition to the criteria of being innovative, scalable and viable, businesses applying to switch are also assessed against their traction towards the goals put forward in their original application for endorsement. You will be required to provide a copy of the plan you submitted as part of your original endorsement. You will also be required to provide us with copies of reports from your review meetings or a signed letter from the original endorsing body confirming that you attended these meetings.
The Scale-up endorsement is for UK businesses who cannot meet the Home Office’s definition of a Scale-up business but can demonstrate clear potential to do this in the next 4 years.
Scale-up businesses are granted a sponsor license for a maximum period of 4 years in duration. This license only allows them to sponsor individuals applying for a Scale- up visa, however, they can apply and hold other types of license (such as Skilled Worker). A business can only be granted a Scale-up license once and is unable to extend it beyond the maximum period of 4 years.
Scale-up businesses are granted a sponsor license for a maximum period of 4 years in duration. This license only allows them to sponsor individuals applying for a Scale- up visa, however, they can apply and hold other types of license (such as Skilled Worker). A business can only be granted a Scale-up license once and is unable to extend it beyond the maximum period of 4 years.
