The UK's Innovator Founder visa, explained

The Innovator Founder visa lets a non-UK national come to the UK to set up and run a business, provided that business idea is endorsed as new, innovative, viable and scalable by an approved endorsing body - and unlike the route it replaced, there’s no fixed minimum investment amount required to apply.

In this guide: who the visa is for, what endorsement actually involves, the costs and funds required, the route to settlement, and how it differs from the old Innovator route it replaced in April 2023. This is a general explainer, not immigration advice - UK visa rules change frequently, so always check the current position on GOV.UK or with a regulated immigration adviser before applying.

Who is the Innovator Founder visa for?

The Innovator Founder visa is for a non-UK, non-Irish national who wants to set up and run an innovative business in the UK, and it’s the primary route for founders building a genuinely new venture here rather than working for an existing employer.

It replaced the old Innovator route (and the earlier Start-up route) on 13 April 2023, and endorsing bodies approved under the previous scheme cannot endorse new applicants under the current one - only organisations on GOV.UK’s current “Business Endorsing Bodies” list can endorse an Innovator Founder application, so an applicant should always check an endorsing body is currently on that list before applying.

What does endorsement actually require?

Every applicant must have their business or business idea endorsed by an approved endorsing body, which assesses it against three core criteria: innovation, viability, and scalability.

The endorsing body needs to be satisfied the business idea is genuinely new (not simply copying an existing business model without a differentiated angle), that the founder has the necessary skills and a credible plan to run it, and that the business has realistic potential for growth and job creation. According to GOV.UK, the endorsement itself costs £1,000, and after the visa is granted the founder must then meet the endorsing body at least twice - typically at the 12-month and 24-month marks - to demonstrate progress against the original business plan, with each of those meetings costing a further £500.

Is there a minimum investment requirement?

There’s no fixed minimum investment figure required to apply for the Innovator Founder visa, which is a deliberate change from the old Innovator route’s £50,000 minimum that applied before April 2023.

Instead, an applicant must demonstrate they have sufficient lawful funds to establish and operate the business in line with the plan the endorsing body has assessed, with the endorsing body itself judging whether the level of funding shown is realistic for that specific business. That said, £50,000 still resurfaces later in the process: it’s one of the criteria that can be used to demonstrate the business has met its objectives when applying for settlement.

What does the visa cost and how long does it last?

The Innovator Founder visa application fee is £1,357 if applying from outside the UK, or £1,693 if switching or extending from inside the UK, on top of the £1,000 endorsement fee and the healthcare surcharge that applies to most UK visas.

Applicants must also show they have at least £1,270 held in their bank account for 28 consecutive days before applying, unless they’ve already been in the UK with valid leave for 12 months or more. The visa is granted for 3 years at a time, and it can be extended for further 3-year periods with no limit on the number of extensions, provided the endorsing body confirms the business is still on track.

What’s the route to settlement?

An Innovator Founder visa holder may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain (settlement) once they’ve been in the UK for 3 years, provided their endorsing body confirms the business has met specific growth criteria.

Those criteria, assessed by the endorsing body at the settlement stage, include measures such as a minimum level of investment actively spent in the business (commonly cited at £50,000), job creation for resident workers, and revenue generation - a founder typically needs to meet at least two of the specified criteria to qualify. As with all UK immigration routes, the specific criteria and figures are subject to change, so an applicant approaching the 3-year mark should confirm the current settlement requirements directly with their endorsing body or a regulated adviser rather than relying on figures from when they first applied.

How does an applicant actually find an approved endorsing body?

An applicant must apply directly to an organisation currently listed on GOV.UK’s “Business Endorsing Bodies” page, since endorsement from any other organisation - including a body that endorsed under the old pre-April 2023 Innovator or Start-up routes - will not satisfy the current requirements.

The list is maintained and updated by the Home Office, and according to immigration law commentary from firms including DavidsonMorris, it can change as bodies are added, removed, or have their approval suspended, so an applicant should check the live list immediately before submitting an application rather than relying on a list they consulted weeks or months earlier. Each endorsing body sets its own process for assessing a business plan against the innovation, viability and scalability criteria, and some specialise in particular sectors, so founders are generally advised to research which endorsing bodies have a track record with businesses similar to theirs before applying, since the endorsement decision itself is where most applications succeed or fail.

Can a founder switch to the Innovator Founder visa from another UK visa?

A person already in the UK on another visa route, such as a Student visa or Skilled Worker visa, may in some circumstances be able to switch into the Innovator Founder route from inside the UK, provided they meet the same endorsement, funds and eligibility requirements as someone applying from outside the UK.

Switching from inside the UK carries the higher of the two application fees (£1,693 rather than £1,357), and the same requirement to secure endorsement from an approved body applies regardless of whether the application is made from inside or outside the country. Anyone considering switching mid-way through another visa should check their current visa’s specific switching rules, since not every UK route permits switching directly into Innovator Founder without first leaving and reapplying from abroad.

Key takeaways

• The Innovator Founder visa replaced the old Innovator and Start-up routes in April 2023 and dropped the previous £50,000 minimum investment requirement to apply.
• Every applicant needs endorsement from a body currently on GOV.UK’s approved list, assessed against innovation, viability and scalability.
• Total costs include the £1,357/£1,693 application fee, the £1,000 endorsement fee, and £500 per mandatory progress meeting with the endorsing body.
• Settlement after 3 years depends on meeting growth criteria set by the endorsing body, where the old £50,000 figure resurfaces as one possible qualifying measure.