Innovator Founder

5 September 2025

Since the Innovator Founder visa replaced the Start-up and Innovator visas in 2023 we help entrepreneurs apply for the visa, switch into this immigration route from the routes it replaces as well as switch to other UK visas if appropriate. The Innovator Founder visa combines aspects of the old Start-up and Innovator routes for entrepreneurs coming to the UK to grow a venture and can be a useful option for founding teams launching a business in Britain. Those on this route have generated tens of millions in investment and revenue in the two years that it has been open.

More than 36,000 businesses in the UK are owned by international entrepreneurs, highlighting Britain’s appeal as a hub for innovation and growth. 39% of Britain’s fastest-growing startups in 2024 had at least one immigrant co-founder and the UK offers rich blend of heritage, innovation, strategic location and a regulatory environment that remains largely pro-business. London, where most Innovator Founders choose to register their businesses, is one of the world’s greatest financial centres. It boasts deep capital markets, a dense network of investment firms and a sophisticated banking infrastructure.

The Innovator Founder visa continues to be a useful tool for people launching innovative business ideas in the UK. Most applicants that seek our advice are already in the UK, either working here or among the many bright sparks coming to the end of their studies at one of Britain’s higher education institutions which attract talent from all over the world.

Our specialist immigratiom team are highly ranked in the major legal guides, including The Legal 500, Chambers UK, and Who’s Who Legal. We are generally happy to offer a complimentary initial consultation to assess which visas you may be eligible for.

While the opportunities are huge, navigating the UK’s immigration landscape requires careful planning. It is crucial to have reliable advice throughout this process. Please contact us if you would like to pursue this or other options to launch a business in the UK. Below you can find the answers to the most common questions about the Innovator Founder visa.

We have an exemplary track record of helping entrepreneurs into the UK market. As well as the Innovator Founder, we help applicants build the strong case they need to successfully apply for the Global Talent route to settlement, as well as the other work visas available in the UK’s immigration system. We bring a wealth of experience of immigration success stories to drafting applications for you.

It is important to note that Innovator Founder visas hinge on applicants’ business plans being found to be innovative, viable and scalable by the government-approved endorsing bodies (see below) and there is no guarantee that a business plan will be endorsed.

We can also recommend trusted business advisers with great track records when it comes to advising on the business plans Innovator Founders would need to be successfully endorsed. They are familiar with the criteria that the government approved endorsing bodies use to endorse businesses, the first step before we can apply for an Innovator Founder visa.

What are the advantages of an Innovator Founder visa?

• Unlike the Start-up visa which preceded it, time spent in the UK under this new visa counts towards settlement.
• Successful applicants are granted three years leave to work on their venture and can bring dependent family members too.
• After three years, they can all apply to extend their stay for another three years or if they have met certain targets they can apply to settle permanently in the UK.
• Unlike the previous Innovator visa there is no requirement to have a minimum of £50,000 to invest in the business.
• Innovator Founders can undertake additional work to supplement their income while they invest in growing their venture.
• Endorsing organisations charge £1,000 for applications to assess business plans for endorsement for the three-year visa. If endorsed, there are two mandatory contact point meetings during the period, costing £500 each. This is much more affordable than previously, where applicants were often asked to join expensive accelerator programmes to be endorsed.
• From what the endorsing bodies tell us most Innovator Founder applications they receive fail to get endorsed, and not all that they endorse are granted a visa by the Home Office.

What does the new Innovator Founder visa allow?

• Successful Innovators will be granted leave to stay and work on their venture, as well as doing other work for three years at a time and can bring dependent family members to the UK. Innovator Founders can take up secondary employment provided that the employed role is at least RQF Level 3 (equivalent to A-levels).
• After three years, Innovators can apply to extend their stay for a further three years or to settle permanently in the UK, which will require paying for a further endorsement.

What are the eligibility requirements for the Innovator Founder visa?

• Applicants must be over 18 and have a business plan endorsed by one of the approved bodies (see below).
• Applicants must also demonstrate that they can support themselves and any dependent family members joining them with at least £1,270 in their bank account for 28 consecutive days before application.
• There is an English language requirement to level B2 that you can show by: being a citizen of a majority English speaking country; passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider; having a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English gained through study at a UK school you started under the age of 18; a degree-level academic qualification that was taught in English (if abroad, you’ll need confirmation from Ecctis.)

How much does the Innovator Founder route cost?

• On top of the above £2,000 endorsement fees payable to the endorsing body, the Home Office application fee will be £1,274 per applicant, partner or dependent children if applying from outside the UK.
• The fee is £1,590 each if applying to extend or switch to the visa from within the UK.
• The Home Office application for indefinite leave to remain towards the end of three successful years on this visa costs £3,029 per person, on top of a final endorsement fee of £1,000 to the endorsing body.

What does Innovator Founder endorsement involve?

• The endorsement process involves one of the UK Government-appointed organisations (see below) endorsing an applicants’ business plan for innovation, viability, and scalability. These requisites must all be met.
• According to the Home Office guidance for immigration staff:
• the applicant must have a genuine, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs and / or creates a competitive advantage
• the applicant’s business plan must be realistic and achievable based on the applicant’s available resources
• the applicant must have, or be actively developing, the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and market awareness to successfully run the business
• there must be evidence of structured planning and of potential for job creation and growth into national and international markets
• applicants must satisfy the endorser that the business plan is theirs, or one they contributed to significantly
• applicants should show that they are the sole founder or an instrumental member of the founding team
• applicants must have a day-to-day role in the business.
• The guidance specifies that “the endorsing body supporting the application must state in the endorsement letter that they are satisfied the requirements have been met and provide a short description of how the applicant has done so.”
• Innovator Founders must satisfy endorsers that they have enough funding for the venture and show where it’s coming from.
• Multiple founders can be endorsed for the same qualifying business plan.
• All applicants must demonstrate they are a founding team member, that they have generated or contributed to the business plan and will be involved in a day-to-day role in the business for which they have the skills or experience.
• The initial application for a letter of endorsement costs £1,000, with the endorsing body checking in on the business plan another two times over the three years of the visa (£500 each time). NB: applicants pay £1,000 whether their business plan is endorsed or not and endorsing bodies do not give feedback on business plans before they are submitted.

After the initial endorsement letter, there will be two further contact meetings with the endorsing body to check on progress over the three-year visa. Endorsing bodies must inform the Home Office if these checks are missed or they are not satisfied with the progress.

What makes a business ‘innovative’?

According to the Home Office guidance for endorsing bodies, they are expected to consider the following principles when assessing if an application meets the innovative requirement:

• “business propositions should be able to demonstrate a clear and compelling unique selling proposition (USP) i.e. what is it about the product or service that differentiates it from its competitors?
• The concept for innovation within the business should demonstrate a business proposition that is not easily replicable by others / can demonstrate reasonable barriers of market entry to otherwise replicating their proposed innovation
• The innovation element should be core to the success of the proposed business proposition and be primarily delivered within the business”
• The Home Office guidance for endorsers gives examples of business plans that should not be considered as meeting the innovative standard, such as “where the innovation element and associated research, design or implementation is largely outsourced to a third-party provider.” Another example is a “generic businesses with an only incidental innovation proposition, for example a taxi or cleaning company ‘with an app’.”

Can a qualifying business have more than founder?

• The Innovator Founder visa reflects the fact that businesses often have cofounders with more than one founding team members being able to apply for this visa for a single business plan if it qualifies for endorsement as innovative, viable and scaleable.
• Every applicant will have to demonstrate they meet the requirements outlined above, ie: that they are founding members of the business who have generated the ideas in the business plan (or significantly contributed to them) and will be involved in their day-to-day role fulfilling the business plan.
• Applicants must give a clear explanation of how their particular skills and experience relate to their role specifically enabling the delivery of the innovation proposition within the business. Members of the founding team should not only show that they have the necessary skillset to be capable of successfully developing and delivering the product to market, the business plan’s financial projections should also show that it will support all the team members as part of the skilled job creation element of being viable and scaleable.

Can people already on Start-up or Innovator visas switch?

• The Start-up and Innovator visas closed for new applicants in 2023. But those in the UK on these routes can use the same business (as long as it qualifies) to switch to the Innovator Founder visa.
• The old Innovator visa is a route to settlement, so those on it would generally be better off getting endorsed for settlement by their current endorsing body towards the end of their visa, so long as they qualify.
• While legacy endorsing bodies (approved by the Home Office to endorse Start-up and Innovator visas) will not be taking further new applications on these routes, they will continue to endorse extensions and settlement.
• These legacy endorsing bodies will also be able to endorse those already using them to switch onto the new Innovator Founder route if they and their businesses qualify.
• The four new Innovator Founder visa endorsers will also be able to endorse people switching onto this immigration route from other visas, providing they meet requirements.

Who are the four new endorsing bodies?

There are three private sector endorsers as well as the GEP run by the UK Department for Business and Trade. The latter only endorses founders invited to participate in their programme. (For eligibility details email: global.entrepreneurs@trade.gov.uk).

• Envestors Limited
• UK Endorsement Services
• Innovator International
• The Global Entrepreneurs Programme(GEP)

You can find more information on requirements for this new route and options for those already in the UK on Start-up and Innovator visas who may want to switch their visa or settle in the UK in our full Innovator Founder FAQ.

Why work with us

• Client satisfaction means we consistently rank highly in legal guides
• Boutique service ensures rapid results and a phenomenal success rate
• Friendly experts with decades of experience in UK immigration
• A wealth of Home Office contacts we can call on if needed
• Complimentary initial consultation to identify your best approach
• Competitive fixed fees include tailored advice throughout to make the process trouble-free

For any more details or UK immigration questions, contact us on +44(0)207 033 9527 or enquiries@vanessaganguin.com.