UK Innovator Founder Visa

Our Team of Immigration Experts Guides Through the UK Innovator Founder Visa Application Process

Davies & Associates (“D&A”) is the only law firm in Singapore that is fully licensed to provide UK immigration solutions. Enterprises of every size, whether publicly listed or privately owned, as well as private individuals and their family members all look to D&A for expert guidance on entering, working, and residing in the UK.

This guidance includes advisory services on how to incorporate a business in the UK and, for an innovator founder with plans for an innovative, viable, and scalable business, how to start turning that new business idea into a reality.

Apart from its well-established offices in Singapore, D&A also has teams in London and other major UK cities, as well as in Taiwan, Vietnam, India, and the Philippines. UK-based EB-5 investors from Britain can also read our dedicated EB-5 Visa Guide for UK Investors for country-specific guidance.

Navigate the Innovator Founder Route Successfully

What is the UK Innovator Founder Visa?

The UK government created the Innovator Founder visa category to encourage the sole founder or the founding team behind an innovative business idea to grow their business venture in the UK. These foreign entrepreneurs can come from anywhere in the world, as long as they have innovator founder endorsement from an approved endorsing body.

A UK Innovator Founder Visa holder is valued for being able to make a significant contribution to the UK economy.

Unlike the previous or initial innovator founder visa or start-up visa, the UK Innovator Founder visa does not have eligibility requirements such as having GBP50,000 in investment funds or as many as three contact point meetings with an endorsing body.

Benefits of the UK Innovator Founder Visa

The UK Innovator Founder Visa allows you to stay in the UK for up to three years, during which you can enjoy the following benefits:

• You will be able to bring your family members with you via dependent visas. Your family members will also be allowed to work and study in the UK.
• You will be able to conduct the day-to-day management of your innovative business and work for another UK company at the same time — as long as that work is at a skill level that is comparable to UK A Levels and your prime focus remains on your own business.
• You will be able to study in the UK and simultaneously run the innovative business that you founded.
• You may eventually apply for settlement or indefinite leave to remain, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements.

Why Davies & Associates (D&A) Are Your Immigration Attorneys of Choice in Singapore

• D&A is the only global firm in Singapore focused on immigration law with a UK lawyer who is a local resident.
• Our local team coordinates regularly with our UK-based team to make sure you stay up to date with the latest policy changes in UK immigration law.
• This coordination also helps to make sure you are presented with the most effective and cost-efficient solutions for your UK immigration needs.
• Our team has made a name for ourselves with a long-running track record of obtaining “impossible” UK visas.

Our UK Immigration Performance History

D&A has the privilege of never having been denied for any UK visa application since 1st January 2025, including visas for adult dependents or spouses, or those for high net worth individuals. Our firm has always been able to “salvage” denied visa applications processed by other immigration law firms to achieve successful outcomes.

If you have been working with other immigration attorneys and your UK visa application process has been unsuccessful so far, D&A can assist you with your administrative review application. Before you apply for this review, however, note that the UK Home Office must have made an erroneous decision resulting from errors which are detailed in UK immigration protocols.

Comprehensive UK Immigration Experience

In pursuing your innovator founder visa application with D&A, you will be working with a team of immigration attorneys based right here in Singapore. Many members of our team are graduates of some of the world’s leading law schools and have worked with major law firms.

As thoroughly capable lawyers in their own right, all of our team members have access to our firm’s collective immigration law expertise in the UK as well as the US, Italy, and Turkey. Our team is also well-versed in Grenadian immigration law as regards its CBI programme for gaining access to the UK. This assures you of receiving the best possible legal advice as you advance along the innovator founder visa route.

Let Our Team of Immigration Experts Help You Through the UK Innovator Founder Visa Application Process

Innovator Founder Visa Requirements

Innovator founder visa applicants must be at least 18 years old and have their business idea endorsed by an approved endorsing body before the Home Office can receive their application. An endorsing body is one that has been approved by the Home Office for having contributed consistently to the success of accelerators, incubators, and similar organisations, and may be one of the following:

• Innovator International
• UK Endorsing Services
• The Global Entrepreneurs Programme (GEP)
• Envestors

If such an endorsing body backs your business idea, their support does not stop there — the endorsing body will also track the implementation of your business plan and the growth of your business to ensure continued compliance with visa eligibility requirements.

Legacy endorsing bodies will only be able to endorse your business idea if you applied for your innovator visa before 13 April 2023. They will also only endorse you if you used the same business idea that you did when you applied via the start-up visa or similar route. Legacy or not, an endorsing body will only endorse your business idea if it launches something new on the UK market and has good prospects for continued growth.

Innovator Founder Visa Point System

Once you have submitted your innovator founder visa application to the Home Office, you will then need to earn 70 points for an approved innovator founder visa. The breakdown for the 70 points will differ according to whether you apply with a new business idea or the same business idea from your previous application.

For a new business idea:

• 30 points: Applicant’s business plan
• 20 points: Whether the business is innovative, viable, and scalable
• 10 points: Minimum of GBP1,270 in the applicant’s bank account for 28 days
• 10 points: English language proficiency of Level B2 or higher according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

For applying with the same business idea:

• 10 points: Whether the applicant had previous permission and assessment by endorsing body
• 20 points: Whether the business is sustainable, active, and has made substantial progress
• 20 points: Whether the applicant plays a major part in running the business
• 10 points: Minimum of GBP1,270 in the applicant’s bank account for 28 days
• 10 points: English language proficiency of Level B2 or higher according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Overcoming Innovator Founder Visa Challenges

Though the innovator founder route is not without its challenges, there are ways to overcome each of them with guidance and assistance from UK immigration experts. These challenges include:

• Not enough funds: Approach investors or find alternative sources of funding.
• Not meeting UK legal requirements: Double-check immigration laws and policies or consult immigration attorneys, particularly for updates or changes in the requirements.
• Business plan deficiencies: Review the business plan, identify areas for improvement, and revise accordingly.
• No business endorsement: Ask the endorsing body for feedback and improve the business plan accordingly.
• Missing business objectives: If the endorsing body determines that your business fails to meet its objectives, you may lose your innovator founder visa — to prevent this, find ways to work closely with the endorsing body.
• Missing contact point meetings: Make sure you attend all your contact point meetings (a minimum of two during your innovator visa term) with your endorsing body.
• Not filing Home Office reports on time: Make sure you report all your activities to the Home Office using the correct format in providing current and complete information.
• Not managing your business: If the endorsing body determines that running your innovative business is not your main focus during your visa term, this may also be grounds for losing your innovator visa — make sure you are active in managing your business on a daily basis.
• Unsuccessful business venture: Conduct market research to find ways to leverage existing market trends, sharpen your competitive advantage, improve your business operations, or tap national and international markets.
• Poor time management: Find ways to carry out the responsibilities of your day-to-day role and, if applicable, balance your other duties as a student or employee at another company.

UK Innovator Founder Visa Services

Case Preparation

In this initial stage of your innovator founder visa application, D&A will work with you to gain a thorough understanding of your goals as an innovator founder and your business plan. This is to make sure that you meet the innovator founder visa eligibility criteria and that you have a clear picture of what you will need for a successful application.

Our team will then examine your business plan to make sure that it meets the innovative, viable, and scalable business requirement. The business plan specialists on our team can help prepare your business plan for presentation to the endorsing body.

Endorsement Letter

This next stage of the application process involves preparing and presenting your business plan to an approved endorsing body to obtain the endorsement letter that you need to include with your business plan when you apply at the Home Office. D&A can walk you through the presentation and help you answer questions that the endorsing body may raise while you present your business plan.

If your presentation is successful, the endorsing body will then take the requisite time to review your business plan, assess its viability, and confirm that it meets eligibility criteria. An essential part of the endorsing body’s duties is to ensure that the innovator founder visa suitable for foreign entrepreneurs is only given to deserving individuals.

At this stage, you will also be required to demonstrate the source of your investment funds which may involve supporting documents in addition to your bank statements.

Once you meet all of the endorsing body’s requirements, you will be given the endorsement letter which should include the following information:

• The name and reference number of the endorsing body
• The name and contact details of your contact person from the endorsing body
• Your name, birthday, passport number, and nationality
• The issuing date of the endorsement letter, which should not be more than three months from your application date

Innovator Founder Visa Application

This last stage of the innovator founder route is all about making sure that you comply exactly with all the visa application requirements, and that you have all the necessary documents, which include:

• Your passport
• Your UK immigration documents
• Your business plan
• Your endorsement letter
• Supporting documents such as letters and contracts
• Proof of funding and finances
• English language proficiency certification

D&A has a strict quality control process which includes a review conducted by our centralised filing team. Only after your documents have passed our internal review process will your innovator founder visa application be submitted to the Home Office.

After submitting your application, you will also be required to submit your photo and fingerprints to a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services centre.

Once the Home Office has approved your application and you have become an innovator founder visa holder, you must enter the UK and begin the implementation of your business plan. Delaying your entry into the UK after obtaining your innovator visa may cause problems. After arriving in the UK, care of your visa documentation will transfer from our team in Singapore to the D&A team in London.

FAQs

1. How long does it take to get an innovator founder visa?

The entire application process for an innovator founder visa takes about eight and a half months, one to three months of which is usually spent on preparing your business plan. A rough estimate of the time required includes:

• 1 to 2 months: Business plan presentation and endorsement letter
• 1 to 2 months: Preparing and submitting visa application documents
• 1 to 2 weeks: Submitting your photo and fingerprints
• 2 months: Waiting for Home Office approval

2. How much will it cost me to apply for an innovator founder visa?

The total cost of an innovator visa application is about GBP3,500 if you apply within the UK to extend or change your visa to an innovator visa. Costs are lower by about GBP300 for innovator founder applicants and their dependent applicants if you apply outside of the UK.

The total application costs when applying within the UK may be broken down as follows:

• Endorsement application fee: GBP1,000
• Innovator founder applicant fee: GBP1,486
• Dependent application fee (per applicant): GBP1,486
• Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (yearly per applicant): GBP1,035
• Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (yearly per child): GBP75

Innovator founder visa holders will also have to pay GBP500 for every contact point meeting with their endorsing body. Contact point meetings must be held at least twice for the entire duration of your innovator founder visa.

3. Can I re-apply for an innovator founder visa if my application is unsuccessful?

If your innovator founder visa application was denied, you may apply for an administrative review or submit a new application which deals with the specific reasons for your application’s denial. The UK immigration experts at D&A can help you determine the best course of action for your situation.

4. Can I apply for an innovator founder visa to replace another visa application?

Skilled worker visa holders, start-up visa holders, and other UK visa holders may change visas by applying for a visa in the innovator founder category, as long as they are able to meet the eligibility requirements and obtain an endorsement letter.

5. What if the endorsing body does not endorse my business idea?

It is possible to approach the endorsing body to determine their reasons for rejecting your business plan. You can then adjust your business plan accordingly and present it to the endorsing body again. Take note, however, that it is also possible that you may not have chosen the best endorsing body for your business venture, and that another one may be more likely to support your plan.

Our team will be able to advise you on reworking your business proposal or presenting it to a different endorsing body if needed.

6. What if my business venture is unsuccessful?

Like any business venture, you may have some difficulty in getting your innovative business off the ground. The longer it takes, however, the higher the risk of losing your UK innovator founder visa, particularly if you do not meet the business objectives which were set at the time of your application.

This is what makes the contact point meetings and close collaboration with your endorsing body so crucial — so that you can show the endorsing body that you are driven and sincere in your efforts to grow your business.

7. Can I renew my innovator founder visa?

Yes, you can renew your innovator founder visa, as long as you can prove that your innovative business is still viable, scalable, and has significant contributions to make to the UK economy. You have to apply for renewal before your founder visa’s expiration date, and you must either verify the validity of your current endorsement letter or obtain a new one.

8. How do I apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain on an innovator founder visa?

To apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain, you must have been an innovator founder visa holder for the entire three-year visa term and your innovative business must still be operational. You also need to prove the job creation capability and substantial growth or progress of your business. These will qualify you for settlement or a biometric residence permit.

Consult Our Immigration Lawyers for Your UK Innovator Founder Visa

D&A offers Singapore clients three exclusive packages for consultation which may be conducted at our Katong offices downtown or online over Zoom. Our consultation fees are deductible from your total fees if you choose to engage the services of our team in applying for your UK innovator founder visa.