Innovator Founder Visa UK: Requirements, Costs and Path to ILR

The United Kingdom has historically been one of the main destinations for international entrepreneurs and skilled professionals. Separate business immigration routes existed for this group, including the Start-up visa. However, the number of visas issued under these programs was extremely low. In 2022, only 299 Innovator visas were granted, while just 377 Start-up visas were issued.

Given the low volume of approvals and a number of structural limitations within these routes, the UK government introduced the Innovator Founder Visa in April 2023. This new route became a unified business pathway for founders, focusing on projects with growth potential and a measurable contribution to the economy.

In this article, we will examine in detail what the Innovator Founder Visa represents in 2026, including its structure, eligibility criteria, and documentation requirements.

Why the Innovator Founder Visa was introduced

After Brexit, the UK immigration system became highly active in the area of work migration, while entrepreneurial routes remained niche for a long time. In 2023, the Home Office issued 337,240 work visas to main applicants, compared to only 676 entrepreneurial visas.

The primary reason the Start-up visa failed to gain popularity was the absence of a pathway to permanent residence. The Innovator visa did allow settlement, but it imposed a large number of strict requirements on applicants. The Innovator Founder Visa combined both approaches into a single route with clearer criteria and a defined path to permanent residence.

The key change introduced by the new visa was the removal of the mandatory fixed investment requirement. Instead, a unified assessment framework was introduced, based on three core criteria:

• innovation of the business idea,
• viability of the business model,
• scalability potential.

Under this framework, the size of the initial capital no longer plays a decisive role. Greater importance is placed on the founder’s ability to clearly explain the market, product, unit economics, and growth strategy.

The visa is granted for a period of three years. Upon meeting the business performance criteria at the end of this period, the applicant may apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain without changing visa categories or restructuring their immigration status.

Another important distinction is the system of regular monitoring of the applicant’s business progress through an authorized endorsing body. These are non-governmental organizations to which the Home Office has formally delegated the authority to assess business projects and their founders for the Innovator Founder Visa. While the visa is still formally issued by the state, the decision on whether a project is suitable is made by the endorsing body.

The Innovator Founder Visa is suitable for:

• Business founders with their own product or technology, including digital projects, SaaS solutions, platform-based businesses, and digital products related to climate technology, healthcare, and marketing.
• Early-stage or growth-stage entrepreneurs who already have an MVP, initial customers, pilot projects, or validated demand for a future product.
• Founders with relevant expertise who can demonstrate that they are capable of delivering the project through prior experience, previous businesses, industry background, or technical competencies.
• Founders of international companies who view the United Kingdom as a key market or a hub for scaling their solutions across Europe and globally.

The route is not suitable for:

• Buyers of an existing small business without changes to the business model or product. A simple change of ownership is not considered innovation.
• Franchises and direct copies of existing solutions, even if they are successful in other countries.
• Passive investors without an operational role who plan to hire management and do not intend to be personally involved in business development.
• Projects without scalability that are focused solely on a local market or on the founder’s self-employment.

Rights and limitations under the Innovator Founder Visa

After obtaining the Innovator Founder Visa, the applicant receives an immigration status designed specifically for long-term business activity in the United Kingdom. The rights granted under this visa are relatively broad, but they are accompanied by clearly defined restrictions.

Permitted activities:

• Running and managing a business. The founder is entitled to register a company in the United Kingdom, hold equity, and directly manage the business in accordance with the project approved by the endorsing body.
• Employment outside the founder’s own business. The Innovator Founder Visa allows employment outside the endorsed project. Such employment is permitted only in skilled roles at RQF level 3 or above and must not interfere with the development of the endorsed business.
• Including family members in the application. The visa allows the applicant to bring a partner and children. The partner has unrestricted access to the UK labour market, while children are entitled to study in UK educational institutions.
• Freedom of travel. The visa holder may leave and re-enter the United Kingdom without the need for additional permission.

Key restrictions:

• Link to the endorsed project. The visa is granted for a specific business project. Significant changes to the business model, departure from the approved sector, or effective termination of the project without prior approval create a risk of curtailment of leave and visa cancellation.
• Oversight by the endorsing body. Regular progress reviews are conducted throughout the validity of the visa, typically every 6 to 12 months. During these checkpoints, the endorsing body assesses whether the project’s actual development aligns with the approved plan and whether the founder remains able to perform a genuine leadership role.
• Limitations on paid employment. Employment is permitted only if the qualification criteria are met. Using the visa primarily for employment without actively developing the endorsed business does not comply with the conditions of the route and may result in curtailment.
• Risks in the absence of progress. If the project fails to demonstrate development at the required pace and direction, further visa extension or progression becomes impossible.

How projects are assessed for the Innovator Founder Visa

The central element of the Innovator Founder Visa is obtaining an endorsement letter from an authorized endorsing body. In practice, this represents a full expert assessment of the business project, followed by ongoing monitoring of its development.

All projects are assessed under a unified framework against three core criteria:

• Innovation. The project must offer a solution that differs from those already present in the UK market. This does not necessarily require breakthrough technology. What matters is the presence of a clearly defined product, business model, technology, or a new route to market. Simple localisation or replication of an existing business model typically results in refusal.
• Viability. The endorsing body evaluates whether the project is commercially realistic. A project may be approved without external investment, but a project without a clear and coherent business model will not be endorsed.
• Scalability. The primary focus is growth. Assessors consider the potential to expand beyond a single city or niche, the ability to create jobs, and the projected contribution to the UK economy in the medium term. A business model based solely on the founder’s self-employment does not meet the endorsement criteria.

According to consulting practice data and refusal statistics, up to 35 to 40 percent of applications do not progress to the visa submission stage due to refusal at the endorsement stage.

Core requirements of the Innovator Founder Visa

The complexity of the Innovator Founder Visa lies in the fact that immigration authorities impose requirements not only on the business project itself but also on its founder. While age requirements are straightforward, as applications are permitted from the age of 18 and neither citizenship nor country of residence is of critical importance, the qualification criteria are more nuanced.

The applicant must be an active business owner and take decisions that have a genuine impact on the company’s strategy and day-to-day operations. Nominal roles, passive shareholding, or management through third parties are consistently not accepted.

In addition, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

• English language proficiency. A minimum level of B2 under the CEFR framework is required. This must be evidenced either through an approved international language test or a qualification that is recognised as equivalent to a UK degree.

• Financial requirement. A minimum of £1270 must be held in the main applicant’s bank account. The funds must have been held continuously for at least 28 days at the date of application.

Documents required for the Innovator Founder Visa:

• A valid passport and, where applicable, previous visas or residence permits.
• An endorsement letter issued by an authorised endorsing body, specifying the project details, the founder’s role, and the validity period of the endorsement.
• Evidence of English language proficiency at B2 level under CEFR, or a qualification recognised as equivalent to a UK degree.
• Evidence of maintenance funds in the amount of at least £1,270, held by the main applicant for a continuous period of no less than 28 days.
• Evidence of compliance with UK immigration rules, if the applicant has previously resided in the United Kingdom.

Although the Home Office does not formally require submission of a business plan, client contracts, or proof of investment, a caseworker is entitled to request additional supporting materials. This most commonly occurs in situations where:

• the project is at an early stage;
• the applicant has previously applied under other business immigration routes;
• there are inconsistencies between the visa application form and the endorsement materials.

Cost of the Innovator Founder Visa

The financial aspect of the Innovator Founder Visa consists of mandatory government fees and additional related expenses. At the same time, the immigration route itself does not establish a minimum investment threshold for the business.

Mandatory government fees:

When applying with family members, additional maintenance funds must be demonstrated: £285 for a partner, £315 for the first child, and £200 for each additional child. These amounts are not paid to the government, but failure to evidence them is a common ground for refusal.

In addition to these costs, applicants must account for the fees charged by endorsing bodies. These organisations independently set the terms and pricing for project assessment. In practice, the costs consist of two main components:

• Initial project review and preliminary assessment typically range from £1000 to £3000.
• Issuance of the endorsement and ongoing monitoring of the project throughout the visa validity period usually costs between £5000 and £15,000.

As a result, the total cost of obtaining an endorsement letter generally falls within the range of £6,000 to £18,000.

The absence of a formal investment threshold does not mean that a project can be launched without a financial base. Based on practice in 2024 and 2025, digital and SaaS projects are more frequently endorsed when initial capital of approximately £20,000 to £30,000 is available. For service-based and B2B models involving a team, the practical thresholds are higher, typically from £30,000 to £50,000. Projects without confirmed funding, even when supported by a strong concept, rarely pass the viability assessment.

How to obtain the Innovator Founder Visa

The process begins not with a government authority but with submitting the project directly to a selected endorsing body. There is no centralised platform. Each endorsing body accepts applications through its own channels.

At this stage, the applicant must prepare the following materials:

• a business plan and pitch deck;
• a description of the product and the UK market;
• a financial model;
• a description of the founder’s role;
• the founder’s CV, and in some cases CVs of key team members;
• information on the current stage of the project, including MVP, clients, pilots, and revenue if applicable.

There are no strict government deadlines at this stage. However, this is where most time is typically lost due to project revisions, requests for additional information, and restructuring of the financial logic.

After the initial submission, the endorsing body:

• conducts a written expert assessment;
• may request additional documentation;
• schedules an interview with the founder.

The interview is almost always mandatory. The decision is made at this stage, and the majority of refusals occur here.

Once the endorsement letter is issued, the applicant has three months to submit the visa application. Before applying through the government platform, the following must already be in place:

• evidence of English language proficiency at B2 level;
• a bank statement confirming maintenance funds;
• a passport and previous visa history, where applicable;
• documents for accompanying family members.

The visa application is submitted online through the official Home Office platform, UK Visas and Immigration. The process includes completion of the online form, uploading digital copies of documents, payment of the visa fee, and payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge.

From this point, formal consideration of the visa application begins. Processing times depend on the place of application:

• approximately three weeks when applying from outside the United Kingdom;
• approximately eight weeks when applying inside the United Kingdom, including switching or extending status.

After a positive decision, the applicant enters the United Kingdom and registers the company. Operational activity then begins in line with the approved project. In practice, the entire process rarely takes less than two to three months and more commonly falls within three to four months from initial project submission to visa decision.

After holding the Innovator Founder Visa and residing in the United Kingdom for at least three years, the applicant may apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. The decision is made by the Home Office based on evidence that the business has achieved significant and measurable results.