How to Apply for the Innovator Founder Visa

by Londra Estatein Visaon Posted on

How to Apply for the Innovator Founder Visa

The application process for the Innovator Founder visa involves several key steps:

✅ Prepare Your Business Plan – Start by developing a comprehensive and detailed business plan for your innovative idea or existing business.

✅ Obtain Endorsement – Apply for endorsement from an approved endorsing body in the UK.

✅ Complete the Online Application – Once you have received endorsement, you will need to fill out an online application form on the UK Home Office website. The form you complete depends on whether you are applying from outside the UK or switching from a different visa within the UK.

✅ Verify Your Identity – After submitting your application, you’ll need to prove your identity using one of the following methods (you will be informed which method to use):

  • Attend a visa application centre to provide your fingerprints and photograph (biometric information). A small fee of £19.20 applies for this process. Your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) will serve as proof of your right to live in the UK.

  • Use the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app to scan your identity document.

✅ Pay the Application Fees –

  • £1,021 if applying from outside the UK

  • £1,277 if applying from within the UK
    The same fees apply for each dependant family member. Applicants from EU countries may receive a £55 discount.

✅ Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) – Currently £624 per year per person for access to the UK’s National Health Service.

Applications are typically processed within 3 weeks. If additional evidence is required or an interview is necessary, processing may take longer.

Innovator Founder Visa Extension

Once approved, your Innovator Founder visa allows you to stay in the UK for up to 3 years to start your intended business. At the end of this period, you can apply to extend your visa if you wish to continue living and working in the UK. There are no limits on the number of extensions.

You can extend your visa provided that:

✅ You apply before your current visa expires
✅ You continue to meet the eligibility requirements of your original Innovator Founder visa
✅ You are still running your business in the UK or planning to start a new one

To apply for an extension:

  • Complete the online application form

  • Provide proof of identity (as you would for a new visa application)

  • Pay the £1,277 application fee

  • Submit all required documents (you will receive a list of required documents when applying)

Visa extension applications typically take about 8 weeks to process. You may continue running your business while awaiting a decision.

Innovator Founder Visa and Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)

One of the main benefits of the Innovator Founder visa is that it provides a direct path to settlement in the UK (Indefinite Leave to Remain – ILR).

With ILR, you can live permanently in the UK without immigration restrictions and may apply for British citizenship one year later.

To qualify for ILR on this route, you must:

✅ Have lived and worked in the UK under the Innovator Founder visa for 3 years (time spent on other visa types does not count)
✅ Not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period
✅ Apply for and obtain a new endorsement to show your business has met the growth requirements
✅ Pass the Life in the UK Test
✅ Apply up to 28 days before you become eligible

The ILR application fee for Innovator Founder visa holders is £2,389 per applicant. Most decisions are made within six months.