Europe · United Kingdom · Updated 2026-07-20

The UK Innovator Founder visa: an entrepreneur’s route to British settlement

The UK Innovator Founder visa replaced the old investor and entrepreneur routes. Here is how the endorsement works, the costs, and the path to settlement.

The UK closed its old Tier 1 (Investor) “golden visa” in 2022 and replaced its earlier entrepreneur routes with the Innovator Founder visa. It is aimed at genuine business founders rather than passive investors.

No fixed investment — but you need an endorsement

There is no set minimum investment. Instead, your business idea must be endorsed by an approved endorsing body as new, innovative, viable, and scalable. The endorsing body assesses your plan and, if you are setting up a new venture, whether you have enough funding to deliver it. You also need to hold modest maintenance funds (about £1,270) before applying, unless you are already in the UK.

Costs to plan for

• Application fee: roughly £1,357 from outside the UK (more to extend or switch inside the UK), per person.
• Endorsement fee: about £1,000 to the endorsing body, plus fees for the required progress-check meetings.
• Immigration Health Surcharge: around £1,035 per adult per year, paid upfront for the visa period.
• An English language requirement at CEFR level B2.

The current fee schedule is published on GOV.UK.

The path to settlement

The visa is granted for three years and can be extended. Importantly, settlement (indefinite leave to remain) is possible after three years if you meet the business and other requirements — faster than many UK routes. You must attend checkpoint meetings with your endorsing body at 12 and 24 months, where continued endorsement depends on real progress.

What this means for applicants

This route rewards people who genuinely intend to build an innovative UK company, not those seeking residency through passive capital. If you have a scalable business idea and can secure an endorsement, it is one of the more direct paths to UK settlement. Note that UK immigration fees change every April and wider settlement rules are under review, so budget and timelines should be confirmed close to filing.

Fees and rules change frequently. Confirm current requirements on GOV.UK before applying.