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on April 25, 2023
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On 13th April 2023, the UK Government opened its new Innovator Founder visa route. This is a visa category that has been established to help attract start-up entrepreneurs and experienced businesspeople from overseas to the UK.
Although the Government has said that the Innovator Founder visa is the new name for the Innovator visa, and the new category does have much in common with the older visa route, there are also some key differences between the two that applicants should note.
Indeed, the Innovator Founder visa route is actually intended as a replacement for both the Innovator visa and the Start-up visa categories, which have been subject to some criticism. So, what ultimately is the Innovator Founder visa, what are the most important things to know about it, and could it be the right UK visa route for you?
So, what ultimately is the Innovator Founder visa, what are the most important things to know about it, and could it be the right UK visa route for you?
The Innovator Founder visa category is aimed at overseas entrepreneurs who would like to come to the UK in order to establish an innovative business.
Holders of this visa are allowed to do the following:
Successful applicants for this visa will be permitted to stay in the UK for up to three years, before they will need to extend it. If existing holders of this visa are granted an extension, this will be for another three years, and there is no limit to the number of times they will be able to extend their visa.
Those who spend three years in the UK on this visa may also be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK – a status known as “indefinite leave to remain” – at the end of that period. Again, this will depend on them fulfilling the relevant eligibility requirements.
In order to apply for the Innovator Founder visa, you must be looking to set up and run an innovative business in the UK – a business that, in the words of the Home Office, is “different from anything else on the market”.
As well as the emphasis on running an innovative business, the Innovator Founder visa shares with the Innovator visa a need for applicants to obtain endorsement from a body – known as an “Endorsing Body” – that has been approved by the Home Office.
You will not be able to apply for the Innovator Founder visa itself, until you have first had your business or business idea assessed by an Endorsing Body. If your business or business idea is eligible under this route, you will be issued with an endorsement letter.
Even when you come to apply for the actual visa, you will still need to meet certain requirements, as set out by the Home Office. Those will include:
Call our central London-based professionals in UK immigration law today, on 0208 215 0053, or email us to arrange a free consultation. When you do, we will be able to discuss with you the full range of requirements for an Innovator Founder visa application, and how we can help you to meet them.
You will need to include various documents with your application for an Innovator Founder visa. One such required document will be the ‘endorsement letter’ – as explained above – that will serve as confirmation of an Endorsing Body having assessed your business or business idea.
The Home Office will also expect you to provide the following:
If the documents that you include with your visa application are not in the English or Welsh language, you will also be required to provide a certified translation.
You will also need to have a blank page in your passport for the visa if you’re:
The above list is not intended to be exhaustive, and there are further documents that an applicant for this visa may need to provide, depending on their circumstances.
So far in your reading, you may be under the impression that the Innovator Founder visa barely differs in practice from the Innovator visa, and that it therefore represents a mere renaming or rebranding of an already-existent route.
However, there are a number of important differences between the Innovator Founder visa and the Innovator visa. These include:
Endorsing Bodies under the Innovator Founder visa category also have some new requirements to follow. These include confirming that the applicant is a fit and proper person to receive endorsement, and that they have no concerns with regard to the legitimacy of sources of funds, or modes of transfer of funds the applicant invests into their endorsed business. The Endorsing Body must also confirm that they have not identified any reason to believe the applicant or their endorsed business may be the beneficiary of illicit or otherwise unsatisfactorily explained wealth.
The Home Office charges certain fees to those applying for an Innovator Founder visa. The exact fee depends on the applicant’s situation and whether they are applying from inside or outside the UK:
| Who you’re applying for | Apply (outside the UK) | Extend or switch (in the UK) |
| You | £1,036 | £1,292 |
| Your partner and children | £1,036 each person | £1,292 each person |
Would you like to learn more about the Innovator Founder visa and the start-to-finish service we can provide if you are interested in applying for this visa? If so, our team of UK immigration solicitors would be pleased to hear from you, and to discuss how we could work together.
Simply call Cranbrook Legal today, on 0208 215 0053, or use our straightforward online contact form to request your free consultation.
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