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The business plan matters more than a fixed cheque.
The old £50,000 floor is gone. The endorsing body tests whether the idea is genuinely different, commercially viable and capable of growth.
United Kingdom · founder residence
UK Innovator Founder Visa
For founders with an innovative, viable and scalable business plan endorsed by an approved UK body. There is no fixed investment minimum, and settlement can be applied for after three years.
- No fixedinvestment minimum
- £1,270held for 28 days
- 3 yearsbefore a settlement application
What Innovator Founder gives you
Benefits of the Innovator Founder Visa
Build the residence case around the business, keep control of the company and use a three-year settlement track when the progress criteria are met.
No fixed investment minimum
Funding must be credible for the plan, but the immigration rules do not set one statutory investment number.
Settlement application after three years
The business must meet at least two qualifying progress criteria and remain endorsed.
Secondary skilled work allowed
You can take an additional qualifying role while your main activity remains the endorsed business.
Family joins with work rights
Your partner and minor children can join, and your partner can work without sponsorship.
Founder, talent, or sponsored role
Innovator Founder, Global Talent, or Skilled Worker?
Choose the route around the strongest evidence you have today: the business, your individual record, or a UK job offer.
Best forWhat you proveJob offerMoney or salaryEndorsementSettlement
Innovator FounderBest forFounders with a scalable businessWhat you proveInnovative, viable business planJob offerNoMoney or salary£1,270 held 28 daysEndorsementYes, for the businessSettlementApply after 3 years
Global TalentBest forRecognised leaders and rising talentWhat you proveCareer record and potentialJob offerNoMoney or salaryNo minimumEndorsementYes, by fieldSettlement3 or 5 years
Skilled WorkerBest forProfessionals with a UK offerWhat you proveSponsor, role and salaryJob offerYesMoney or salarySalary from £41,700EndorsementNo separate endorsementSettlement5 years
If the business can be endorsed on its own merits, Innovator Founder avoids a sponsored job and can open the three-year settlement track.
The endorsement test
The business must be innovative, viable and scalable.
All three tests need evidence. A polished deck cannot replace a differentiated product, credible execution and a plan that can grow.
Show what is genuinely different
The product, method or intellectual property needs a defensible difference from ordinary businesses in the market.
Show the founder and funding can deliver
The plan, skills, market evidence and finances must support the first operating period.
Show how the business grows
The model needs a credible path to customers, revenue, jobs or international expansion beyond one founder's time.
Why build the company in the UK
Use the UK market to prove the business can scale
The route sits inside an English-language startup market with investors, research partners and tax-relief structures designed for growing companies.
A large startup market
London and the regional clusters bring founders close to customers, accelerators, investors and specialist hires.
SEIS and EIS investment relief
Qualifying companies can offer UK investors tax relief, which can support fundraising under the current scheme rules.
Work beyond the company
Secondary skilled employment is possible while the endorsed business remains your main activity.
A three-year settlement test
Progress is measured against the business criteria, so the plan needs to be built with the later settlement evidence in mind.
The endorsing body is part of the strategy. We match the business profile to the approved body's practice before the plan is submitted.
Fit check
Innovator Founder fits a scalable business, not ordinary self-employment.
Use this as a first filter. We test the differentiation, founder record, market and funding before recommending endorsement.
The route is worth checking if
- The product or method has a defensible difference from existing UK offers
- The founder has the skills and evidence to execute the plan
- The first 12 to 18 months have credible funding and milestones
- The model can grow through customers, revenue, jobs or intellectual property
Check another route if
- The plan is a generic consultancy, ordinary e-commerce or a lifestyle business
- The differentiation exists only in branding or presentation
- The operating budget cannot support the plan
- Your individual career record is stronger than the founder-business evidence
Endorsement file
What your Innovator Founder file must prove
The business plan, founder profile and money trail must support the same innovation, viability and scalability case.
-
Differentiated business
A clear innovation claim supported by product, research, intellectual property or market evidence
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Founder capability
CV, sector record and evidence that the founder can execute the plan
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Market and customer case
Research, customer interviews, traction or a credible go-to-market plan
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Financial model
Funding source, operating runway, pricing, costs and realistic projections
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Scalability plan
A path to growth through revenue, customers, jobs, research or export activity
-
Visa compliance
B2 English, maintenance funds, criminal record, identity, TB test where required and dependant documents
Endorsement first, visa second
How the founder case moves,step by step.
One case manager coordinates the business-plan work, endorsing-body assessment and the subsequent UK visa application.
- 1Relovisa
Choose the endorsing body
Before the plan is filedWe match the sector, business maturity and founder profile to an approved body's current practice.
- 2Relovisa + founder
Structure the business plan
Preparation stageInnovation, viability and scalability are built into the market case, financial model, milestones and founder story.
- 3Relovisa + endorsing body
File for endorsement
Assessment stageWe submit the project and founder profile, then coach the founder for the one or two assessment calls the body may require.
- 4Relovisa + client
Complete English and visa evidence
Alongside endorsementWe coordinate B2 evidence, maintenance funds, identity, criminal record, TB testing where needed and family documents.
- 5Relovisa + client
Submit to UKVI
After endorsementThe full visa application is filed online and we guide biometrics or the identity-check app.
- 6Founder + advisers
Track business progress
Across the 3-year visaWe keep the settlement criteria visible so revenue, customers, research, investment or job creation can be documented as the business grows.
The endorsement is won on the business as it is built and evidenced, not on a template business plan.
Service scope
One founder, or additional cofounders on the same business
Both scopes cover the two stages: business endorsement first, then the individual UK visa application.
Single founder
from €11,900 + €1,900 per family member
- Business-plan review or full build where needed
- Market research, financial model and investment-attraction case
- Founder CV and profile preparation
- Approved endorsing-body selection and submission
- Coaching for one or two assessment calls
- Appeal analysis or plan rework and resubmission where the engagement covers it
- Full UK visa dossier and online submission
- Identity-verification guidance and case management
For one founder applying through one endorsed business.
Check my case for freeAdditional cofounder
+€3,900 per additional cofounder
- The shared business plan and endorsement strategy
- A separate founder profile and evidence file
- Individual assessment-call coaching
- Individual visa dossier and online submission
- Family applications at €1,900 per family member
- One coordinated case manager across the founding team
For each additional founder using the same endorsed business, with a separate founder and visa file.
Check my case for freeCurrent 2026 third-party charges are separate: visa £1,357 from outside the UK or £1,693 for an in-country switch; endorsement £1,000 plus VAT; contact-point meeting £500 plus VAT, with at least two required; health surcharge £1,035 per adult per year. Recheck before payment.
Other UK routes
If the founder business is not your strongest proof
A career record can open Global Talent, while a sponsored offer can open Skilled Worker.
For leaders and rising talent with a documented individual record.
Global Talent
Awards, publications, media, senior roles or measurable product and research impact can carry the case without a job offer or salary floor.
- Job offer
- Not required
- Salary floor
- None
- Endorsement
- Based on your record
- Settlement
- 3 or 5 years
- Service fee
- from €10,990
01 UK · GT For professionals with a sponsored UK job offer.
Skilled Worker
The employer, occupation and salary carry the case. It uses a five-year settlement track and is tied to sponsorship rules.
- Job offer
- Required
- Salary
- from £41,700
- Decision
- about 3 weeks
- Settlement
- 5 years
- Family
- Partner and children
02 UK · SW Relovisa in numbers
Our record so far.
Residence, work, founder and family cases handled end to end.
Historical share of completed cases approved.
Clients across North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the CIS.
The immigration lawyers and consultants on our case teams bring 10+ years each.
Global Relovisa results across every country and route.
People behind your case
The people who move your case forward.
Every case is led and coordinated by Relovisa. We bring in the immigration consultants, lawyers, payroll and tax specialists the route needs, while Relovisa remains your single point of contact.
One coordinated case team, built around the route you actually need.
Vlad Shipilov
FounderLeads strategy for founder, business and non-standard cases, connecting the route with the client's business, family and long-term plan.
Olia Nemirovski
COO & Chief Case ManagerLeads client and partner operations so case teams, local specialists and next steps stay coordinated from assessment to completion.
Evgenia
UK Immigration Lawyer · Specialist PartnerSupports UK immigration and Talent Visa case management where licensed legal input is required.
Vladimir
Germany Immigration Consultant · Specialist PartnerSupports German work immigration cases across process planning, local requirements and case coordination.
Daniela
Portugal Immigration Lawyer · Specialist PartnerSupports Portuguese residence matters that require legal review, representation or procedural escalation.
Petra
Portugal Immigration Consultant · Specialist PartnerSupports Portugal D2, D3, D7 and D8 cases, including clients with different income structures.
Marilia
Portugal Immigration Attorney · Specialist PartnerSupports global mobility for self-employed, founder and highly skilled cases through Portugal D8, D2 and D3 routes.
Thiago
Portugal Immigration Attorney · Specialist PartnerSupports highly qualified professionals and procedural cases involving residence delays and AIMA proceedings.
Vladislav
International Tax Advisor · Specialist PartnerAdvises on international tax structures and non-standard cross-border situations across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Thomas
Crypto & Tax Advisor · Specialist PartnerSupports clients whose move intersects with crypto assets, international business and tax planning.
Our wider specialist network60+
immigration consultants and lawyers
Local coverage for routes and services that require authorised in-country specialists.
Innovator Founder questions
UK Innovator Founder questions, answered
The live-page questions that decide whether the business can carry endorsement and later settlement.
How is Innovator Founder different from the old Innovator visa?
It replaced the old Innovator and Start-up routes in April 2023. The fixed £50,000 investment floor was removed, secondary skilled employment became possible, and endorsement still tests innovation, viability and scalability.
What does an endorsing body do?
An approved body assesses the business and founder against innovation, viability and scalability, then issues the endorsement used for the separate visa application. Standards and commercial terms vary by body.
How much money do I need to start?
There is no statutory investment minimum. The live page uses £30,000 to £75,000 as a common practical funding range for the first 12 to 18 months, but the right amount depends on the actual plan and the endorsing body's viability test.
What businesses get endorsed?
Businesses with clear differentiation, credible founder execution and a scalable model. Generic consultancy, ordinary e-commerce, lifestyle businesses, restaurants and property plays are difficult unless there is real defensible innovation.
When can I apply for settlement?
After three years if the business remains endorsed and has met at least two qualifying progress criteria. The current criteria cover investment, customer growth, research and intellectual property, revenue and job creation.
Can I take another job?
Yes, qualifying secondary skilled employment is allowed while your primary activity remains running the endorsed business.
How does this compare with UK Global Talent?
Innovator Founder endorses a specific business plan. Global Talent endorses your individual career record. Choose the route around the evidence you can document now.
Do EU citizens use the same route?
New EU arrivals apply under the same immigration route as other non-British applicants unless they already hold a separate UK status, such as status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Reviewed by the Relovisa immigration teamLive content checked 2026-08-12
Start with the business
Bring the business plan. We will test the endorsement case.
Show us the product, market, founder record and first operating budget. We confirm whether the business is innovative, viable and scalable enough to build the UK file.
Check my case for freeFree written check first · €40 live session, credited to your package