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 The UK Innovator Visa has been replaced by a new category – the 
UK  Innovator Founder Visa, from 13th April 2023
Table of content
• Amendments
• Overview
• Bene ts –  Innovator Founder Visa UK
• Eligibility requirements
• UK Innovator Founder Visa endorsement
• Documents required for a UK Innovator Founder 
Visa
• Knowledge of English requirement
• Other requirements
• How to apply
• How to apply from outside the UK?
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founder-visa/
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PM SmartMove2UK
• Maintenance funds requirements
• Proving identity
• Bring your dependants
• Duration of stay in the UK
• Application cost
• Extend the UK Innovator Founder 
Visa
• ILR –  UK Innovator Founder Visa 
route
• Switch to an Innovator Founder Visa 
UK
• UK Innovator Founder Visa refused?
Amendments
Amendments introduced in the UK Innovator Founder Visa:
The new UK Innovator Founder Visa aims to make the eligibility 
criteria more
 exible so that those with a genuine proposal for an innovative 
business and  who have suf cient funds to deliver it, are more 
readily available to enter the  UK and establish their business.
The new Innovator Founder Visa NO longer has the 
£50,000 funds  requirement
Applicants will  NO longer have to demonstrate that they have 
a funding  amount worth £50,000 in their bank account
Applicants wil l  be permitted to extend their visa under the UK 
Innovator  Founder Visa
Settlement in the UK might be possible after spending 3 
continuous years
residing in the UK under the Innovator Founder Visa
Overview
Overview of the UK Innovator Founder Visa
As suggested by the name, this visa category aims to facilitate 
innovators, in  any given industry, to establish a business in the UK 
–  which is generally  something that’s different from anything else 
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founder-visa/ on the market
The business or business idea must be endorsed by an endorsing 
body that
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is on the Home Of ce list and the applicants must meet other 
eligibility
criteria
There can be more than one innovator in a team and 
everyone can be  eligible to apply for this visa
The business or business idea must be innovative, scalable, and 
viable  This visa offers a pathway to accelerated settlement 
after 3 years  Applicants can be joined by their dependents 
(spouse and children below  the age of 18 years)
To know the Innovator Founder Visa properly and help you make a right 
decision,  you need to understand the following:
Bene ts – Innovator Founder Visa UK
What are the bene ts of having an Innovator Founder Visa UK?
UK Innovator Founder Visa is a great option for obtaining UK citizenship 
if you  have a unique innovative business or business idea that is 
innovative, viable, and  scalable. Key bene ts include:
Less investment
Pathway to accelerated settlement
Opportunity to set up and grow a business with support from an 
endorsing  body
Can have more than 2 members in the innovator 
entrepreneurial team  Quick processing time
Allows dependents to join main applicant
Want to know how to start a business in 
the UK
Eligibility requirements
What are the eligibility requirements for the UK Innovator 
Founder Visa?  To be eligible to apply for UK Innovator Founder 
https://Vsmisaratm tohvee2u ka.cpomp/luikc-ianvnestto wr-biulslin:ess-visa-consultant-india/innovator- 3/13founder-visa/
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PM SmartMove2UK
Require endorsement of the business or business idea from a UK 
endorsing  body on the Home Of ce list
Meet the English language requirement
Have enough personal savings to support your stay in the UK –  
known as  ‘maintenance funds requirement’
UK Innovator Founder Visa endorsement
What is the UK Innovator Founder Visa endorsement?
Under the UK Innovator Founder Visa, an endorsement is a written 
approval given  by a Home Of ce authorized body who is satis ed that 
you have a viable,  innovative and scalable idea and the business 
experience and funds to support  the same. Every endorsement has a 
unique reference number and details of the  applicant along with the 
brief of the business venture they intend to do.
Documents required for a UK Innovator Founder Visa
What are the documents required for a UK Innovator Founder 
Visa while  applying?
Typically, applicants applying for this visa will  be required to provide 
documents  evidencing:
Valid passport con rming the applicant’s identity and 
nationality.  Endorsement letter from an endorsing body from 
the Home Of ce list  Meeting English language requirements
Availability of investment funds
Meeting maintenance funds requirement e.g. Bank 
statement  TB test result (where this is a 
requirement)
Additional documents may be required depending on the 
specKi n co wci rmcuomres taabnocuets:. Innovator Visa UK Endorsing 
Bodies
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PM SmartMove2UK
Knowledge of English requirement
What is the ‘Knowledge of English Requirement’ for a UK Innovator 
Founder  Visa?
Applicants who are required to meet the English language requirement 
must  prove that they can read, write, speak and understand English to 
a level B2 on  the Common European Framework of Reference for 
Languages (CEFR) scale. This  requirement can be met by:
passing Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved 
provider  have an academic quali cation from the UK, e.g. 
Bachelor degree or higher  have studied in UK school below the 
age of 18 for GCSE, A level, Scottish  National Quali cation level 4 
or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in  English
having a degree-level academic quali cation that was taught in 
English from  outside the UK and having con rmation through UK 
NARIC that the
quali cation is equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, master’s 
degree or PhD
Other requirements
Despite this being a fairly new category of visa, we have studied the 
complete  requirements, the basic of which are that:
The founder/innovator applying under this category be from 
outside the EEA  and Switzerland (the purpose must be to set up a 
business in the UK)
The founder/innovator meets the other eligibility requirements as 
speci ed  for this category.
You may also be able to form an innovator team with other 
innovators
Applying for a UK visa under the Innovator category is a two stage 
process.
Obtaining an endorsement from ‘Endorsing 
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founder-visa/ bodies’  Applying for entry clearance as an 
innovator
How to apply
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PM SmartMove2UK
An applicant would require an endorsement from the Home Of ce 
authorised  endorsing body. Once the applicant is granted an 
endorsement letter, he can  thereafter apply for an entry clearance 
application.
Applying for a UK visa under the Innovator category is a two stage 
process.
Obtaining an endorsement from ‘Endorsing 
bodies’  Applying for entry clearance as an 
innovator
How to apply from outside the UK?
How to apply for an Innovator Founder Visa UK 
from outside the UK?
The applicant would be required to complete an online application 
form post  receiving an endorsement letter from an authorized 
endorsing body and submit  the same at the local VFS centre along 
with their biometrics and supporting  documents.
Join an existing business
How to join an existing business as an Innovator Founder Visa UK 
holder?
An applicant can establish a new business in the UK. An innovative 
visa holder  cannot join any existing business in the UK and in fact 
would require his own  business idea to set up his own venture in the 
UK.
An applicant can continue their same business if they have been 
last granted  permission to stay in the UK on the old/now closed 
down visa categories –   Innovator Visa or Start-up Visa or Tier 1 
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endorsement
based on a business that was assessed by an  endorsing body 
either for their previous endorsement or at a contact point  
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foundemr-viesae/ ting during their last period of permission.
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PM SmartMove2UK
Maintenance funds requirements
How much maintenance funds are required for an Innovator Founder 
Visa UK?
Applicants need to show £1,270 in savings in their bank account 
for 28  consecutive days before applying for the visa –  this is the 
maintenance funds  required to support your stay in the UK
There are additional maintenance funds required to bring your 
dependent  partner & children to the UK along with you
You, your partner, or your child wil l  require the following in 
addition to the
£1,270
for your partner, 
£285  for one child, 
£315
£200 for every 
extra child
Proving identity
How to prove your identity 
for a UK Innovator Founder 
Visa?
Applicants will  require a 
valid Passport to con  rm 
their identity and 
nationality.
Bring your 
dependants
How to bring your partner & children with you as your 
‘dependants’ on an  Innovator Founder Visa UK?
The Innovator Founder Visa allows partners and children until the age 
of 18 to  accompany the main applicant under the said visa category. 
The dependents  would have to establish their relationship with the 
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k.lciocma/unk-tin, vaesltoor-nbugsi nwesis-tvhisa - cdonesumltaontn-insditar/ianntoivnatgor -they have adequate 7/13
maintenance funds to support them in the UK  without recourse to 
public funds.
Duration of stay in the UK
How long can you stay on the Innovator Founder Visa UK?
The permission for leave to enter under the Innovator Founder Visa 
category is
11/14/24, 5:55 PM UK Innovator Founder Visa Consultant in India | The SmartMove2UK
granted for 3 years.
After 12 months and 24 months, you wil l  need to meet with your 
endorsing body  to demonstrate that your business is progressing. If 
your endorsement is revoked  by the endorsing body, your visa may 
expire. Before your existing visa expires,  you must reapply with a fresh 
endorsement if you want to stay longer.
Application cost
How much does a UK Innovator Founder Visa application cost?
You are required to pay £1,036 as the visa application fees, plus the 
Immigration  Health Surcharge (IHS) of £624 for each year granted to 
you on your UK  Innovator Founder Visa
Extend the UK Innovator Founder Visa
How to extend the UK Innovator Founder Visa?
If both of the following are true, you can submit an application to 
extend your  Innovator Founder Visa:
You meet the eligibility criteria for this visa
You are currently operating a business in the UK or wish to start 
a new one
ILR – UK Innovator Founder Visa route
How to apply for Inde nite Leave to Remain (ILR) under the UK 
Innovator  Founder Visa route?
An applicant can apply for an Inde nite Leave to Remain (ILR) 
from within  the UK. However, they are required to comply with 
the eligibility criteria  Settlement in the UK might be possible 
after spending 3 continuous years  residing in the UK under the 
Innovator Founder Visa
You must not have combined absences from the UK exceeding 180 
days in  any consecutive 12-month period
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founder-visa/
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Switch to an Innovator Founder Visa UK
How to apply to switch to an Innovator Founder Visa UK?
An applicant can apply for a switch only from within the UK, if they 
were not in  the following categories on their last grant of 
permission:
Visitor
Short-term student  
Parent of a Child 
Student  Seasonal 
Worker
Domestic worker in a private 
household  Outside the 
Immigration Rules
The applicant is required to provide an endorsement letter con rming 
the  business plan, provide evidence that they are pro cient in the 
English language  and have adequate maintenance funds to support 
themselves.
The applicant is required to submit an online application form and 
relevant  documents along with biometrics submission at centres 
located in the UK.
UK Innovator Founder Visa refused?
If an application for UK Innovator Founder Visa is refused, the reasons 
would be  cited in the notice of refusal.
Most common refusals are either on the ground of genuineness criteria 
where the  assessing of cer has concerns about the applicant’s role in 
creating and  implementing the business plan or if there are reasons to 
refuse under the  general grounds of refusal or suitability requirements 
are not met completely.
In the event of refusal, the applicant gets a right to request for an 
administrative  review online within 28 days at no cost if you are 
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You can cite the administrative errors made by the assessing of cer. The 
applicant  can expect a response in 28 calendar days.
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Need SmartMove2UK
help?
How can The SmartMove2UK be of help for your UK Innovator 
Founder visa  application?
If you would like to know more about this visa category or need 
assistance in your  UK Visa application, you can contact us on below 
provided details. Our UK  Innovator Founder Visa Consultants are based 
in India (Mumbai | Delhi |  Bengaluru) catering to clients from all over 
the world.
+91 9819127002 +91 9819127002
Book your Consultation [email protected]
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