Talent & innovation · IAA-regulated advice
UK Innovator Founder Visa Advice in Birmingham & London
Come to the UK to set up and run an innovative business, or switch to this visa if you’re already here. We check you qualify, review your plan and evidence before you approach an endorsing body, and prepare your visa application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is the UK Innovator Founder visa?
The Innovator Founder visa is for people who want to set up and run a new business in the UK, based on an innovative, viable and scalable idea they came up with or helped to shape. You must have a key role in running the business day to day.
Before you apply, an approved endorsing body must assess and endorse your business idea. The visa lasts 3 years, can be extended, and can lead to settlement after 3 years if your business reaches set milestones.
✓This is your visa if…
- You have an original business idea that’s different from what’s already on the market
- You’ll be the sole founder or a key member of the founding team, running the business day to day
- You can show the funding behind your plan, and where it came from
- You have English at B2 (or are exempt) and £1,270 in savings, unless you’ve been in the UK for 12 months
Quick check
Could you qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Is your business idea new, and different from anything else on the market?You can’t use this visa to join a business that’s already trading.
Do you have a business plan that you wrote or significantly contributed to, with a day-to-day role for you?You must be the sole founder or an instrumental member of the founding team.
Can you show enough funding for your plan, and where it came from?There’s no fixed minimum investment, but the endorsing body checks your funds.
Do you have English at B2 in all four skills, or an exemption?Exempt if, for example, you’re a national of a majority English-speaking country or have a degree taught in English.
Have you held £1,270 for 28 days, or been in the UK with permission for 12 months?Partners and children need more: £285 for a partner, £315 for one child, £200 for each other child.
If you’re in the UK, are you on a visa you can switch from?You can’t switch from a visit, short-term student, seasonal worker, domestic worker or Parent of a Child Student visa.
Eligibility
Innovator Founder visa requirements
Your endorsing body assesses the business; the Home Office checks the endorsement and everything else. You must meet every requirement on the day you apply.
Getting endorsed
- New applicants can only be endorsed by UK Endorsing Services, Innovator International or Envestors Limited, or by the Global Entrepreneurs Programme if it has invited you
- The other bodies on the Home Office list are ‘legacy’ bodies: they only work with people they endorsed under the old Innovator or Start-up routes
- The endorsement letter must be dated no more than 3 months before you apply
- The endorsing body also confirms you’re a fit and proper person and that it has no concerns about the source of your funds
Only bodies on the Home Office list can endorse you. If anyone else offers an endorsement, don’t rely on it.
Your business idea
- Innovative: a genuine, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs or creates a competitive advantage
- Viable: realistic and achievable with your resources, and you have, or are developing, the skills and market awareness to run it
- Scalable: structured planning, with potential to create jobs and grow into national and international markets
- You wrote or significantly contributed to the plan, and you’re the sole founder or an instrumental member of the founding team
There’s no fixed minimum investment, but you must show your endorsing body enough funding and where it came from.
English language
- An approved English test (a SELT) at B2, taken in the last 2 years
- Or a degree taught in English (confirmed by Ecctis if it’s from outside the UK), or a GCSE or A level in English from a UK school you started before 18
- Exempt if you’re a national of a majority English-speaking country, such as the USA, Canada or Australia
- If you showed B2 in a previous successful application, you don’t need to show it again
Book only an approved test: other tests, even at a higher level, won’t count.
Money to support yourself
- Not needed if you apply in the UK and have had permission here for 12 months or more
- Your investment funds can’t count towards this money
- Your family’s funds can be held by you, by them, or by the other parent
Your latest bank evidence must be dated within 31 days before you apply.
Age, status and switching
- You must be 18 or over
- In the UK, you can switch from most visas, but not as a visitor, short-term student, seasonal worker, domestic worker or Parent of a Child Student, or with permission outside the Rules
- On a Student visa, you must have finished your course, or done at least 24 months of a full-time PhD
- A TB test is needed if you’re coming from a listed country
Your immigration history and any criminal record are checked for suitability. Tell us about anything at the consultation: it’s confidential.
Documents
Innovator Founder visa documents: the easy part
The visa documents are short. The hard part is the business plan and evidence an endorsing body assesses before you get that far.
What everyone needs
- Your endorsement letter from an approved endorsing body
- Your passport
- Your business plan and funding evidence, for the endorsing body
- £Bank statements showing your savings, unless you’re exempt
- AProof of your English, or that you’re exempt
- Proof of your relationship, if your partner or children apply
Plus a TB test if you’re coming from a listed country, written consent if you’ve had a full scholarship in the last 12 months, and certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh.
Costs & timeline
Innovator Founder visa cost and processing time
From outside the UK, the Home Office fee is £1,357, plus the £1,000 endorsement fee and the health surcharge of £3,105 for a 3-year visa. Visa decisions usually take 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks in the UK.
| Endorsement feepaid to your endorsing body, excluding VAT | £1,000 |
| Home Office application fee | £1,357 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge3 years at £1,035 | £3,105 |
| Up-front total, main applicantbefore contact point meetings, English test, TB test and translations | £5,462 |
| Endorsement feepaid to your endorsing body, excluding VAT | £1,000 |
| Home Office application fee | £1,693 |
| Immigration Health Surcharge3 years at £1,035 | £3,105 |
| Up-front total, main applicantbefore contact point meetings, English test, TB test and translations | £5,798 |
Home Office and endorsement fees from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026, and the health surcharge from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. Endorsement fees are paid to the endorsing body and exclude VAT. Once you have the visa, you pay £500 for each contact point meeting, with at least two during your visa. Partners and children pay the same visa fee, plus the surcharge (£776 a year for under-18s). You may be able to pay for a faster visa decision. Our consultation fees →
Get endorsed
Before you applyAn approved endorsing body assesses your business plan, funding and background, and issues an endorsement letter.
Apply for the visa
Within 3 months of endorsementOnline application, fee and surcharge, then prove your identity with the ID Check app or at a visa centre.
Decision
3 weeks outside the UK, 8 weeks insideIf you’re granted, you get 3 years. Your partner and children can apply as your dependants.
Contact point meetings
At least 2 during your visaUsually after 12 and 24 months, to show your endorsing body the progress you’re making. £500 each.
Settle or extend
After 3 yearsSettle with a new endorsement confirming your business meets 2 of 7 criteria, plus the Life in the UK test. Or extend for another 3 years.
Avoid a refusal
Common Innovator Founder visa refusal reasons
Most cases succeed or fail at the endorsement stage, but the visa stage has its own traps. These are the issues we check first.
An idea that isn’t new enough
The endorsing body must be satisfied your plan is genuine and original, not a version of what’s already on the market.
We check: how your plan shows innovation before you pay the endorsement fee.
Funds that can’t be explained
The endorsing body must have no concerns about where your investment came from or how it was transferred.
We check: your source-of-funds evidence is complete and consistent.
An endorsement letter out of date
The letter must be dated no more than 3 months before you apply for the visa.
We check: your dates, so you apply in time.
Savings not held long enough
You must hold £1,270, plus any amounts for your family, for 28 days, with the latest evidence dated within 31 days of applying.
We check: your bank evidence against the Rules before you apply.
The wrong test or level
You need B2 in all four skills, from an approved provider, unless you’re exempt.
We check: your test or exemption before you book anything.
Working outside your conditions
You can work for your own business, or in another job at RQF level 3 or above, but you can’t hire yourself out to other businesses through your company.
We check: how you plan to earn, so it fits your visa conditions.
How we help
Our Innovator Founder visa services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your visa application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We check your idea, funding, English and status against the route, and tell you the risks.
Plan and evidence review
Before you pay an endorsing body, we review your business plan and funding evidence against the criteria.
Visa application
Once you’re endorsed, we prepare and submit your visa application, and your family’s.
Extension and ILR
We help you extend, or apply to settle once your business meets the criteria.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. If you’re refused, we explain your options, including administrative review, and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser where your case needs a higher level of advice.
FAQs
Innovator Founder visa questions, answered
Do I need £50,000 to invest?
No. There’s no fixed minimum investment for the visa, but you must show your endorsing body enough funding for your plan and where it came from. At settlement, having invested £50,000 in the business is one of 7 criteria, of which you need to meet 2.
Can I work for another employer?
Yes, if the job is skilled to RQF level 3 or above. You can also work for your own business, including as a director. You can’t fill a position or hire out your labour to another business, even through your own company or an agency.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. Your husband, wife, civil partner or partner of at least 2 years, and your children under 18, can apply as your dependants. Each pays the visa fee and health surcharge, and you need £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child and £200 for each other child, unless they’ve been in the UK for 12 months. They can work (except as a sportsperson) and study.
Can I switch from a Student or Graduate visa?
Usually yes: you can switch from most visas, including a Graduate visa. On a Student visa, you must have finished your course, or done at least 24 months of a full-time PhD. On a Student visa, once you’ve applied with an endorsement, you can be self-employed in your business while you wait for the decision.
How do I settle after 3 years?
You need a new endorsement confirming significant achievements against your plan, that the business is active, trading and likely to be sustainable for the next 12 months, and that it meets at least 2 of 7 criteria, such as £50,000 invested, 10 full-time jobs created or £1 million in annual revenue. You also need the Life in the UK test. Your partner can settle after 5 years as your partner.
What if my business isn’t ready for settlement after 3 years?
You can extend for another 3 years, with a new endorsement showing the business is active, trading and sustainable and that you’re running it day to day. If you apply to settle and don’t qualify but would meet the extension rules, the Home Office can treat your application as an extension instead.
How long does it take?
Visa decisions usually take 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks if you extend or switch in the UK. Allow time for the endorsement before that. You may be able to pay for a faster visa decision.
What if my visa application is refused?
You can apply for administrative review if you think the Home Office made a caseworking error; the fee is £80. Contact us quickly after a refusal so we can check your options.
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