The UK Innovator Founder visa: a residence route that tests the business, not the bank balance
The UK closed its investor visa in 2022. The route left for entrepreneurs wants an endorsed, innovative business and gives no credit for capital parked passively. This is how it works in October 2026, from official sources only.
Why this route matters now
On 17 February 2022 the Home Office closed the Tier 1 Investor visa to all new applicants, with immediate effect, citing security concerns. GOV.UK now says plainly that you can no longer apply for a new Tier 1 (Investor) visa. Only existing holders can still extend, settle or bring family members.
If you are a founder who wants UK residence, the main business route left is the Innovator Founder visa, and it runs on a different logic. The Home Office does not ask how much you invest. It asks whether an approved endorsing body thinks your business is innovative, viable and scalable.
For readers in Dubai, Port Louis or Victoria, that turns the decision into two questions: whether the plan survives expert review, and whether you can run the company from the UK.
The rules
The Immigration Rules, in Appendix Innovator Founder, require a new business venture to be "innovative, viable and scalable". The business plan must be original, realistic and achievable based on the applicant's available resources. You cannot use the route to join a business that is already trading.
There is no minimum investment for the initial application. The GOV.UK eligibility guidance says you must prove to your endorsing body that you have enough funding and where it comes from, without fixing a figure. The only fixed money test is personal maintenance. If anyone tells you the route has an entry price, ask them to show you where the rules set it.
| Requirement | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| Endorsement | From an approved endorsing body, before you apply |
| Business test | Innovative, viable and scalable; a new business |
| Minimum investment | None fixed for the initial application |
| Maintenance funds | At least GBP 1,270, held for 28 consecutive days |
| English | CEFR level B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening |
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Initial grant | Up to 3 years |
| Extensions | A further 3 years each time; GOV.UK states no limit on the number |
| Contact point meetings | At least two with the endorsing body, at 12 and 24 months |
| Settlement | After 3 years on the route, with a further endorsement |
The maintenance test applies to applications from outside the UK, and to extensions where the applicant has been in the UK for less than 12 months. Money from the business's investment funds cannot count towards it.
Work is restricted. Holders may work for the business they have set up, and any other job must be at RQF Level 3 or above. They cannot hire out their labour to another business, and they have no access to public funds.
Who it suits and who it does not
The route suits a founder with a genuinely new product who intends to build it in the UK and is comfortable being judged on a business plan. It also suits founders who do not have, or do not want to commit, a large passive investment.
It does not suit someone looking for residence in return for capital alone; that door has closed. Nor does it suit a founder who plans to spend most of the year elsewhere. Settlement requires continuous residence, and GOV.UK sets a limit of no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months.
Costs and timelines
The figures below come from the Home Office fee table that applies from 8 October 2026, which left these fees unchanged.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Visa application from outside the UK | GBP 1,357 per person |
| Extension or switch inside the UK | GBP 1,693 per person |
| Endorsement fee, paid to the endorsing body | GBP 1,000, excluding VAT |
| Each contact point meeting, paid to the endorsing body | GBP 500, excluding VAT |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | GBP 1,035 per year for adults |
| Indefinite leave to remain | GBP 3,226 per person |
| Optional priority visa service outside the UK | GBP 500 |
GOV.UK says a decision usually takes 3 weeks for applications made outside the UK and 8 weeks inside the UK. For settlement, applicants are told the outcome within 6 months. Applicants aged 18 to 64 must also pass the Life in the UK Test.
To settle, the endorsing body must confirm that the applicant has met at least two of seven achievement criteria. One is that at least GBP 50,000 has been invested in the business and actively spent furthering it. Others cover matters such as revenue, customer growth, research and development with intellectual property applications, and job creation. The GBP 50,000 is therefore one way to qualify for settlement. It is neither an entry price nor enough on its own.
What it means in practice
Consider a hypothetical founder, Leila, who runs a small software studio from Dubai and has built a new compliance tool for family offices. She applies alone from the UAE.
Before she can apply, an endorsing body must accept her plan, for an endorsement fee of GBP 1,000 plus VAT. She must hold at least GBP 1,270 in personal funds for 28 consecutive days. The visa fee is GBP 1,357, and the Immigration Health Surcharge for 3 years at GBP 1,035 a year comes to GBP 3,105. Two contact point meetings add GBP 1,000 plus VAT. Before VAT, adviser or relocation costs, that is GBP 6,462 in official and endorsing body fees over 3 years.
The larger cost is in how she lives. To settle after 3 years, Leila must keep her absences within 180 days in any 12 months and show two qualifying achievements. If her UAE studio still needs her for half the year, the route will not work for her, whatever her bank balance.
What to watch
Appendix Innovator Founder was last updated on 8 October 2026. It already contains a change to the English rule for partners and children, which takes effect on 26 March 2027. If you are planning a family move, read that provision before you time the applications.
Fees are set through published Home Office fee tables, which change from time to time. A budget over a 3 year horizon should allow for that.
Finally, watch the gap between endorsement and settlement. The visa is granted on a plan. Settlement is granted on results. Before you pay an endorsing body or an adviser, ask which two of the seven criteria they expect your business to meet by the time you apply to settle, and on what evidence.
This piece appeared in Jurisdicta, Issue 002. General information only; not legal, tax or investment advice.