Innovator Visa

Innovator Visa

The Innovator visa is for non-EEA nationals who are experienced businesspersons seeking to establish a business in the UK. In most cases applicant will need to have access to at least £50,000 to invest in their business or have already invested £50,000 in your business, but certain exceptions apply. Applicant will also need to have an innovative, viable and scalable business idea which is approved and supported by an endorsing body.

Innovator Visa UK eligibility requirements:

Applicant is at least 18 years old
Applicant’s endorsement letter was issued not more than 3 months before the date of their Innovator visa application
Applicant is competent in the English language to at least CEFR Level B2, equivalent to IELTS 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking
Applicant has at least £50,000 available to invest in their UK business or have already invested £50,000 in your UK business
Applicant has been endorsed by an approved UK endorsing body that has assessed their business idea for innovation, viability and scalability
Applicant is capable of undertaking, any work or business activity in the UK stated in their application
Applicant has at least £945 available to support themselves and £630 for each dependant without relying on public funds

Obtain Endorsement Letter from Approved Endorsement Body

In order to apply for a Start-up visa, applicant will need to be endorsed by an approved UK endorsing body, Venture Capital Firms via submitting business plan with relevant idea, which are innovative, viable and scalable

Our immigration advisers can assist applicants to identify an appropriate endorsing body and then prepare a strong application for endorsement which demonstrates their business idea is innovative, viable and scalable

Apply for Visa –Entry Clearance from outside of the UK or switch from relevant visas in the UK

After obtaining endorsement letter, applications for Innovator visas can be made from outside the UK, however it is possible to switch into the Innovator visa category from within the UK, if applicant was last granted leave to remain as

Start-up Visa
Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur
Tier 1 Entrepreneur
Tier 2 General
Tier 2 ICT Skilled Worker
Standard Visitor visa -if applicant came to the UK to get funding and had a supporting letter from an endorsing body

After applicant has completed 2 years as a Start-up visa holder, they will be able to apply for further leave to remain in the Innovator category in order to continue developing your business. The Innovator category can lead to settlement in the UK after a further 3 years.

Applicant’s partner and any children under the age of 18 may accompany or join they as dependents.

Applicant can be sole founder of their business and they can be a member of an innovator team. Each applicant must receive their own individual endorsement from an approved endorsing body, in order to satisfy the investment funds requirement for a new business endorsement each applicant must has at least £50,000 investment funds each.

Initial Innovator visa will be granted for 3 years, it will be possible to extend an Innovator visa for periods of 3 years at a time. Applicant will be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain after spending 3 years in the Innovator visa category

Applicant will need to stay in contact with your endorsing body with checkpoints at 6, 12 and 24 months after their application is successful. The endorsing body will need to be satisfied that applicant is continuing to work on your business venture and has demonstrated reasonable progress in relation to either their original or a new business idea that is innovative, scalable and viable

Obtain British Passport via innovator Visa

Main eligibility requirements for Indefinite Leave to Remain as an Innovator

Applicant will need to satisfy UK Visas & Immigration that:

Applicant has been endorsed by an approved UK endorsing body that is satisfied that applicant has shown significant achievements judged against the business plan assessed in their previous endorsement
Applicant has registered with Companies House as a Director or Member of their business, business is trading and appears sustainable for at least the following 12 months
Applicant has had an active key role in the day-to-day management and development of the business, and they will spend their entire working time in the UK on developing business ventures
Applicant satisfy at least two of the following:
At least £50,000 has been invested into the business
The business has created the equivalent of at least 5 full-time jobs for resident workers, which have an average salary of at least £25,000 a year
The business has created the equivalent of at least 10 full-time jobs for resident workers with no average salary requirement
The number of customers has at least doubled within the most recent 3 years and is currently higher than the mean number of customers for other UK businesses offering comparable main products or services
The business has engaged in significant research and development activity and has applied for intellectual property protection in the UK
The business has generated a minimum annual gross revenue of £1 million in the last full year covered by its account. The business has generated a minimum annual gross revenue of £500,000 in the last full year covered by its accounts, with at least £100,000 from exporting overseas
Applicant has spent not more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-monthperiod during the 3 years prior to the date of application
Applicant is competent in the English language to at least CEFR Level B2, equivalent to IELTS 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking
Applicant has passed Life in the UK test

RITA

February 15, 2021

I would recommend Manns Solutions to everyone having difficulties understanding UK’s complex immigration system. I had many questions and concerns regarding my status in the country but they made it all easy and clear. I collected all the required documents and filled in my application form which turned out to be successful with their help

KEVIN

Mann’s Solutions Case officer had provided very detailed information and guidance at each step of the process. Their expertise and experience have always given me confidence and encouraged me to proceed further even when it was looking difficult and more on that the final stages of visa have just completed. I would like to say that they are the best for UK immigration with very high success rate. Special thanks to My Case officer Shazia & Evgeny

ADNAN

Mr. Evgeny was supportive in the process of obtaining visa at any time 24/7, the visa process in the UK and social and cultural matters have helped me. Absolutely successful, dynamic, lovely leader. Thank you for everything. Mann’s Solutions