Innovator Founder Visa

The Innovator Founder visa is the UK's principal route for experienced entrepreneurs who want to set up and run an innovative business in the UK. It replaced the older Innovator and Start-up visas, removing the previous minimum investment requirement of £50,000 - there is now no fixed funds threshold, though you must still show your business is viable and adequately financed.

The defining feature is endorsement. Your business idea must be endorsed by an approved endorsing body, which assesses it against three criteria: innovation, viability and scalability. The endorsing body also acts as an ongoing mentor, conducting contact-point checks at roughly 12 and 24 months to confirm the business is progressing.

The visa is granted for three years and can be extended. Crucially, it is one of the few business routes that leads to settlement: holders can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after three years if their business meets defined success criteria. In 2026 it remains the go-to route for founders, and recent changes allow holders some flexibility to take employment outside their own business, broadening its appeal.

Your business venture must be new, innovative, viable and scalable, and must be endorsed by a Home Office-approved endorsing body. If you are joining an existing endorsed business as a founder, the same endorsement applies. You must be a fundamental part of the business - generally with a key role in its day-to-day management - not merely an investor.

There is no minimum investment sum, but you must show the business is sufficiently funded. You need English at CEFR level B2 (higher than most work routes) and at least £1,270 in personal savings unless you have been in the UK for 12 months. You must be 18 or over. You can endorse only a genuine and credible business idea - recycled or off-the-shelf concepts are routinely refused.

Step 1: Develop a credible, innovative business plan and identify an appropriate approved endorsing body for your sector.

Step 2: Apply to the endorsing body. They assess innovation, viability and scalability, often through a written submission and an interview or pitch.

Step 3: If successful, you receive an endorsement letter, which is valid for three months and must be used before it expires.

Step 4: Complete the online Innovator Founder visa application on GOV.UK, attaching your endorsement letter.

Step 5: Provide evidence of B2 English and your £1,270 in maintenance funds.

Step 6: Pay the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, then verify your identity through the ID Check app or a visa application centre.

Step 7: Await the decision. After arrival, expect contact-point checks from your endorsing body at around 12 and 24 months - maintaining their endorsement is essential to extend the visa or settle.

The application fee is around £1,274 whether you apply from inside or outside the UK. The Immigration Health Surcharge is £1,035 per year, so a three-year grant adds £3,105. Endorsing bodies typically charge their own assessment fee, which varies but can run from several hundred to a few thousand pounds, sometimes split across endorsement and contact-point reviews. There is no Immigration Skills Charge. Budget separately for the actual business - premises, legal incorporation, professional advice - and for English testing if required.

Once endorsed and after biometrics, the visa is usually decided within three weeks for applications from outside the UK and up to eight weeks for in-country applications. The endorsement stage is the variable part: depending on the endorsing body and the quality of your business plan, it can take from a few weeks to a couple of months, especially if an interview is required. A priority service may be available for the visa stage at additional cost.

You can establish and run your endorsed business, and recent rule changes also allow you to take employment outside your own business, giving founders financial breathing room while they build. Your business must remain active and you must continue to meet your endorsing body's expectations through the contact-point checks.

The Innovator Founder visa leads to settlement. Under current rules you can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after three years if your business meets at least two of a defined set of success criteria - such as investment raised, jobs created, revenue, or customer growth. The 2026 White Paper proposed lengthening settlement timelines generally, so confirm the qualifying period before applying. Dependants can join you and are free to work and study.