Preparing an Innovator Founder Application
The Innovator Founder Visa is the UK's primary route for overseas entrepreneurs wanting to establish, run and grow an innovative business here. It replaced the earlier Innovator and Start-up routes, and its defining feature is the endorsement requirement: before you can even apply for the visa, an approved endorsing body must independently assess your business idea for innovation, viability and scalability. Getting endorsed is, in practice, the hardest part of this route — a weak or generic business plan is far more likely to derail an application than the financial requirement is. We help founders build the kind of evidence-led business case endorsing bodies are actually looking for.
We assess the proposed work and the available evidence before confirming whether we can assist with a straightforward application. Endorsement and visa decisions are made by the relevant body and the Home Office. Complex or disputed matters require an appropriately authorised provider.
Who This Visa Is For
You may qualify for this visa category if you are:
Entrepreneurs with a genuinely innovative, viable and scalable business idea they intend to actively run in the UK
Founders who have generated, or made a significant contribution to, the ideas behind their business plan (this route is not for passive investors)
People continuing a business previously assessed under the Innovator or Start-up routes
Founders who intend to be hands-on: this is a route for people who will personally develop and manage the business, not a silent partner arrangement
Eligibility Requirements
You must score 70 points by meeting the following:
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Applicants need an endorsement for a business that meets the innovation, viability and scalability requirements. The evidence should explain the applicant’s role, the business plan and how the proposal will be developed. English language, maintenance and other visa requirements must also be met where applicable.
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Your endorsement letter must be recent — issued no more than 3 months before your visa application, and not subsequently withdrawn
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English language proficiency at CEFR B2 across all four components (reading, writing, speaking, listening), unless exempt
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Financial requirement — if you're applying from outside the UK, or have held permission in the UK for less than 12 months, you must show at least £1,270 held for a 28-day period, in line with Appendix Finance
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General suitability requirements (no relevant criminality or immigration breaches)
How We Help — Our Process
Free Initial Consultation
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Business Plan Development
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Endorsing Body Selection & Application
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Visa Application
Ongoing Compliance Support
Staying Compliant After Your Visa Is Granted
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Endorsement isn't a one-off event — it must be actively maintained throughout your permission:
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At least two contact point meetings are expected during each grant of leave, each costing £500 paid directly to your endorsing body
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Endorsement can be withdrawn if the endorsing body concludes your business no longer meets the route's requirements — including if the business stops trading, you disengage from it, or progress departs materially from your endorsed plan without satisfactory explanation
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Withdrawal of endorsement puts your immigration permission itself at risk of curtailment, so missed check-ins or drifting from your business plan are not administrative formalities — they carry real consequences
Work, Dependants and Settlement
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You can work for your own business, including as a director or self-employed partner, and take on additional paid work outside the business provided it's skilled to at least RQF Level 3 — though any arrangement that compromises your active, hands-on role in the venture carries compliance risk
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Eligible partners and children can apply as dependants
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You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 3 years, provided your business has met its agreed milestones and you meet the residence, English language and Life in the UK Test requirements