UK Innovator Founder Visa

From Innovator Visa to Innovator Founder Visa

The Innovator Founder visa is the UK's current business immigration route for entrepreneurs, replacing both the Innovator visa and the Start-up visa from 13 April 2023. It brings the endorsement and monitoring model of the two former routes into a single framework, with three material differences from the old Innovator visa: the fixed GBP 50,000 minimum investment requirement was removed, secondary employment outside the endorsed business became permitted, and the endorsing bodies changed. Legacy endorsing bodies that operated under the old Innovator route can generally only continue supporting existing pre-2023 endorsees rather than issuing new endorsements.

Eligibility Criteria for the Innovator Founder Visa

Applicants for the Innovator Founder visa are generally required to meet the following criteria:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Hold endorsement from a Home Office-approved Business Endorsing Body for a business idea that is new, innovative, viable, and scalable. The applicant cannot simply join a business that is already trading under the new-business criteria.
• Have generated or made a significant contribution to the business idea, as the sole founder or as an instrumental member of the founding team; each member of a founding team applying together must obtain their own endorsement.
• Take an active role in the day-to-day management and development of the business; passive investors do not qualify.
• Meet the English language requirement, currently CEFR level B2 in all four components (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), unless exempt. This can generally be shown through an approved English test, a UK qualification taken under 18, a degree-level qualification taught in English, prior successful proof in an earlier visa application, or an exempt nationality.
• Show personal maintenance funds of GBP 1,270, generally held for 28 consecutive days before application, unless the applicant has held valid UK leave for at least 12 months. These funds must be separate from the business investment and cannot be money obtained unlawfully.

There is no statutory minimum investment requirement to enter the route. Endorsing bodies will still expect to see that the applicant has, or has realistic access to, funding appropriate to start and sustain the business. GBP 50,000 invested and actively spent is not a mandatory entry requirement, but it remains one of seven possible criteria assessed later, at the settlement stage, where only two of the seven need to be met.

Business Endorsement Requirements

Before applying for the visa itself, applicants must secure endorsement for their business idea from an approved Business Endorsing Body. The current list of approved bodies is published on GOV.UK and has changed since the Innovator Founder route launched; it should always be checked directly, since not every body that operated under the old Innovator route continues to issue new endorsements. Endorsing bodies also carry out due diligence on the applicant and the source of any funding as part of the assessment.

The endorsement process evaluates the business idea against three criteria:

The endorsement letter must generally be issued no more than three months before the date of the visa application. Holders are also normally required to attend at least two contact-point meetings with their endorsing body during the permission period, typically around the 12 and 24 month marks, to confirm the business remains active and progressing.

Required Documents for the Application

The specific documents required vary by applicant, but generally include:

• A current passport or other valid travel document.
• Evidence of meeting the English language requirement, unless exempt.
• The endorsement letter from the Business Endorsing Body.
• Bank statements demonstrating the required maintenance funds, held for the specified period, unless exempt.
• Results of a tuberculosis test, where applicable, for applicants from countries where testing is mandatory.
• Certified translations for any documents not already in English or Welsh.

Fees and Costs

As of the Home Office fee table effective 8 April 2026, the main costs under the Innovator Founder route are:

These figures change periodically, most recently on 8 April 2026, so applicants should confirm the current amounts on GOV.UK or with their endorsing body before applying rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere. There is no separate biometric enrolment fee for standard applications; biometric information is generally collected as part of the visa application process itself.

Dependants generally pay the same visa application fee as the main applicant, plus their own Immigration Health Surcharge, and are subject to their own maintenance funds requirement unless exempt.

Processing Time

Current Home Office guidance indicates that applications submitted from outside the UK are typically decided within approximately three weeks, while applications made from within the UK, including switching or extending, typically take around eight weeks. Priority services may be available for an additional fee, and processing times may extend where an application is complex or incomplete.

Family Members Joining Under an Innovator Founder Visa

A partner and dependent children can generally apply to join the main applicant. Dependants are usually required to demonstrate their own maintenance funds, unless they have already been living in the UK with permission for at least 12 months. Dependants already in the UK on another visa may in some circumstances switch to become a dependant of the Innovator Founder visa holder. Once granted, dependants can generally work and study in the UK without the restrictions that apply to some other visa categories, though rules vary and should be checked for the specific case.

Path to Settlement (ILR)

The Innovator Founder visa is granted for an initial three years and can be extended, with no fixed limit on the number of extensions, provided the endorsing body confirms the business remains active, trading, and progressing in line with the business plan. After three continuous years on the route, the holder may apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) if all of the following are met:

• The business is registered with Companies House, with the applicant listed as a director or member.
• The applicant has maintained an active, hands-on role in the business's day-to-day management and strategic development throughout.
• The applicant has attended the required contact-point meetings with the endorsing body.
• The business has achieved at least two of the seven settlement criteria set out below, confirmed by a fresh endorsement letter obtained specifically for the ILR application.
• The applicant has not spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period during the qualifying three years.
• The applicant passes the Life in the UK test and meets the standard good character requirement.

Only two of these seven criteria need to be met; the GBP 50,000 investment route is one option among several, not a mandatory requirement for settlement.

British Citizenship

British citizenship is a separate stage from ILR, with its own residence requirement, and is not simply four years away from the start of an Innovator Founder visa. Applicants who are not married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen generally need at least five years of legal residence in the UK in total, and must normally have held ILR for at least 12 months before applying, in addition to meeting the absence, English language, Life in the UK, and good character requirements for naturalisation. Since the Innovator Founder route itself leads to ILR after three years at the earliest, most applicants reach the five-year residence threshold only after ILR has already been held for some time, rather than exactly one year after settlement. Applicants married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen are, in some circumstances, not subject to the same 12-month post-ILR waiting period; this exception is assessed case by case.

The specific settlement criteria, their thresholds, and the wider Immigration Rules are subject to change and should be confirmed against current Home Office guidance before relying on them for planning purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sudenur Elmas

Ketenci & Ketenci International Law Firm

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This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Eligibility criteria, fees, and settlement requirements are set by the UK Home Office and are subject to change. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact our legal team directly.