UK Innovator Founder Visa: Build an Endorsed Business and a Route to Settlement in the UK
You want to start or run an innovative business in the UK and keep a route to settlement. The Innovator Founder visa lets you stay for 3 years, extend with no limit, and apply to settle after 3 years if you meet the growth test. It is a business route, not a passive investment.
A business route with an endorser, not a cheque
The UK Innovator Founder visa asks you to have a business idea assessed and endorsed before you apply. Applicants who think of it as an investor route miss the endorsement, the two meetings and the growth test for settlement.
What it looks like from the outside:
- An endorsement letter from an approved body before you file.
- Meetings with the endorsing body at 12 and 24 months.
- A new endorsement that shows growth before you can settle.
How it feels:
- You worry your idea will not be endorsed.
- You fear the settlement test.
- You feel unsure what you must prove each year.
You do not have to prepare an endorsement alone
We know how hard it is to turn a business idea into a file an endorser will back. You want someone who has read the rule on the official page, tells you honestly when a route does not fit, and stays with you until the file is filed.
What we have done:
- 35+ years in immigration and investment migration
- 25,000+ families guided since 1991
- 3rd Generation in the immigration industry
- 2026 Canadian Choice Award winner
What we believe:
- Honesty first: we tell you when a route does not fit, before you move money.
- Checked rules: every figure on this page is read from an official source and dated.
- Your plan, not a template: the right route depends on your goals, your family and your funds.
We believe an application should rest on a business that is real, not on a brochure.
What you get
| Feature | Benefit | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A stay of 3 years, extendable with no limit | You can run your business for years | You plan beyond the first visa |
| A route to settlement after 3 years | You can apply to settle if you meet the growth test | You see the long road before you start |
| Your partner and children can apply to join you | Your family can come as dependants | The people you worry about are with you |
| The right to run one or more businesses | You are free to build more than one venture | Your plans are not boxed in |
| A decision in about 3 weeks from outside the UK | You get an answer on a short clock | You can plan the move |
Where it takes you: a 3-year visa to run your business in the UK, and a route to settlement. This is a visa, not a passport.
Is it right for you?
An honest answer before you move funds.
| A good fit if | Consider another route if |
|---|---|
| You have an innovative, viable and scalable business or idea an endorsing body can assess | You want a passive investment route with no business: this is not one |
| You can show GBP 1,270 in your account for 28 consecutive days | You cannot find an endorsing body for your idea |
| You are at least 18 and can meet the English language requirement | You want to work as a professional sportsperson: the visa does not allow it |
| You can show where your business funding comes from | You cannot meet the endorsing body at 12 and 24 months |
Not sure United Kingdom is the best fit? Compare all European routes, or use Find my program and we match your goals to the right one.
What you need
You need an endorsement letter, maintenance funds, English language ability and to be at least 18. The GOV.UK pages set the rules, and the Immigration Rules appendix holds the detail.
- A business or business idea assessed by an endorsing body, which gives you an endorsement letter if the business is eligible. The letter must be issued no more than 3 months before you apply.
- For a new business, evidence to the endorsing body that you have enough funding and where it comes from.
- At least GBP 1,270 in your bank account for 28 consecutive days before you apply. Investment funds and money earned illegally in the UK do not count.
- English language ability at the level the Knowledge of English page sets.
- Age 18 or over.
The routes and rules
The visa has one route with an endorsement at its centre. The rules below come from GOV.UK.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Stay | 3 years; extend for another 3 years with no limit on extensions |
| Endorsement | Required before you apply; you meet your endorsing body after 12 and 24 months |
| What you can do | Set up and run one or more businesses, work for your business, take other work that needs at least a level 3 qualification, travel abroad and return |
| What you cannot do | Claim most public funds or work as a professional sportsperson |
| Settlement | After 3 years on the route, with a new endorsement showing you met the requirements for growing your business, no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months, and the Life in the UK Test if you are 18 to 64 |
Who can be included. Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay as dependants, if they are eligible.
What it costs, and what waiting costs
You pay government fees and endorsement fees, not an investment. Set them against the cost of a wrong start: a refused endorsement or a visa that cannot be extended.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Visa application from outside the UK, per person | GBP 1,357 |
| Visa application to extend or switch in the UK, per person | GBP 1,693 |
| Endorsement, paid to your endorsing body | GBP 1,000 |
| Each meeting with your endorsing body (at least two) | GBP 500 per meeting |
| Settlement application, per person | GBP 3,226 |
| Maintenance funds to show | GBP 1,270 for 28 consecutive days |
Source: GOV.UK Innovator Founder visa and settlement pages. The healthcare surcharge amount sits on a separate GOV.UK page, so it is not shown. Professional fees are agreed with the local partner.
Your path in three steps
Three steps from your first answers to your visa.
- Step 1: Find your route. Use Find my program. You get a shortlist and a cost view for your family in a few minutes.
- Step 2: We do the heavy lifting. We qualify your case and check your business idea, funds and documents. When your case is qualified, we bring in the right local partner, who prepares the endorsement and the visa application.
- Step 3: Your visa in hand. The Home Office decides, you meet your endorsing body at 12 and 24 months, and you extend or apply to settle when you are eligible.
GOV.UK states a decision in about 3 weeks from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside the UK, and 6 months for settlement.
Status: what changed and when
Reviewed 22 October 2026. Sources: GOV.UK Innovator Founder visa, eligibility and settlement pages.
| What | Status |
|---|---|
| Visa fee | GBP 1,357 from outside the UK; GBP 1,693 to extend or switch in the UK |
| Endorsement | GBP 1,000 plus GBP 500 per meeting, at least two meetings |
| Settlement | After 3 years; GBP 3,226; decision within 6 months |
| Maintenance | GBP 1,270 for 28 consecutive days |
What could change: the fees, the endorsing body list and the settlement test. What we do about it: we re-read the official pages before each update and show the date.
After you have the visa
You keep the visa by running the business and meeting your endorsing body. You meet the endorsing body after 12 and 24 months, and you can extend for another 3 years with no limit on how many times.
- Settlement: you can apply after 3 years on this route, with a new endorsement showing growth.
- Absences: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period.
- Test: the Life in the UK Test, if you are 18 to 64.
Two possible futures
A year from now, you may still be comparing guides while the rules shift. You hold a brochure, a number from one adviser that contradicts another, and no date on any of it.
Or your family has a visa in United Kingdom, your route is one that exists, and your file went in clean. You feel relieved, and you chose on facts you could check.
The cost of staying put: routes and rules change, and each change can add cost or close a door.
Your ultimate success:
- Relieved: your family has a base in Europe
- Confident: you chose a route that exists today
- Protected: the people you worry about are covered
- In control: you decided on your terms, with the facts
Which route fits your family?
Answer eight short questions and the finder ranks all 17 residence programmes against your goals, funds and family. You see your shortlist and the cost for your family first, and a form only if you want it emailed with a fact sheet.
Why clients choose Amir Ismail & Associates
35+ years of hands-on immigration experience and 25,000+ successful cases. 3rd generation in the immigration industry. We bring in qualified local partners in each country, so you deal with one accountable team from first question to filing.
One point of contact
We qualify your case first, then bring in the right local partner. You deal with us throughout.
A strategy built for your family
We match routes to your goals, funds and family, not a template.
Application accuracy
Document and source-of-funds review that prevents costly errors and refusals.
Timely updates
We track rule, fee and regulator changes across every program for you.
End-to-end support
From your first question to your permit in hand, we guide every step.
Proven track record
2026 Canadian Choice Award winner, trusted since 1991.
What our clients say
Real reviews from clients we have guided across borders.
Frequently asked questions
What does the UK Innovator Founder visa really cost?
There is no fixed investment. You pay a visa fee of GBP 1,357 from outside the UK, a GBP 1,000 endorsement fee and GBP 500 per meeting with your endorsing body (at least two), and you show GBP 1,270 in your account for 28 consecutive days. Professional fees are agreed with the local partner.
How long does it take?
GOV.UK states about 3 weeks for a decision from outside the UK and 8 weeks from inside the UK. Settlement decisions come within 6 months.
Will my application be approved?
No route promises approval, and we make no approval claims. The endorsing body judges the business first. We tell you before you pay if your case does not fit.
What is the UK Innovator Founder visa?
The UK Innovator Founder visa is a business visa for people who set up and run an innovative, viable and scalable business in the UK that an endorsing body has assessed.
Do I need an endorsement?
Yes. You must have your business or idea assessed by an endorsing body, and if it is eligible you receive an endorsement letter that is issued no more than 3 months before you apply.
How long can I stay?
3 years, and you can extend for another 3 years. There is no limit on the number of times you can extend.
Can I settle in the UK?
You can apply to settle after 3 years on this route if you have a new endorsement showing you met the requirements for growing your business, and you stay within the 180-day absence limit.
Can my family come?
Your partner and children can apply to join you or stay as dependants, if they are eligible.
What can I not do on this visa?
You cannot claim most public funds or work as a professional sportsperson.
What if the rules change after I apply?
It depends on the transition rule in each law. The status box shows the date we last read each source.
Do you invest in or run my business?
No. We explain what the official pages require and bring in a local partner when your case is qualified.
FIND YOUR ROUTE IN A FEW MINUTES
Last reviewed: 22 October 2026 · Last updated: 22 October 2026
