The Innovator Founder visa is the UK’s route for people who want to come to the UK, or stay here, to set up and run an innovative business. It replaced both the Innovator visa and the Start-up visa in April 2023, so a good deal of what is still online about “start-up visas” and “£50,000 investment requirements” no longer applies.
This is a summary of how the route works in 2026, and where the business plan fits into it. Immigration rules change often, so check every requirement against GOV.UK or with a regulated immigration adviser before you rely on it. I am an accountant, not an immigration lawyer; my part of this process is the business plan and the numbers.
The requirements, in brief
To apply you must:
- be at least 18 years old
- have your business idea endorsed by an approved endorsing body
- meet the English language requirement, which is at least B2 level, unless you are a national of a majority English-speaking country or already hold a qualifying qualification
- show you have enough money to support yourself, unless you are exempt
There is no longer a fixed minimum investment for a new business. If your business needs funding to get going, though, you have to show where that funding comes from, and the endorsing body will judge whether it is enough for the plan you have put in front of them.
The endorsement is the real test
The Home Office decides the visa, but the endorsing body decides whether you get that far. The endorsement assesses the business, not just you, against three criteria:
- Innovative — a genuinely new idea, or a new approach to an existing market, that is not simply a copy of a business already operating in the UK
- Viable — a realistic plan, with the skills, knowledge and market awareness to deliver it
- Scalable — evidence of structured planning and the potential for job creation and growth into national or international markets
The business plan is the main evidence for all three. There is a fuller account of how the assessment and the interview work in how to get Innovator Founder endorsement.
Who the endorsing bodies are
According to the GOV.UK list updated in August 2026, three business endorsing bodies can endorse new Innovator Founder applications:
- UK Endorsing Services
- Innovator International
- Envestors Limited
The Global Entrepreneurs Programme can also endorse, but only founders it has already invited onto its programme. There is a much longer list of legacy endorsing bodies, mostly universities and accelerators, but they can only support people they endorsed under the old Innovator or Start-up routes before 13 April 2023. If you are applying fresh, they are not an option.
What it costs
The fees on GOV.UK at the time of writing:
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Endorsement assessment | £1,000 |
| Each contact point meeting after you are endorsed | £500 |
| Visa application from outside the UK | £1,357 per person |
| Visa application to extend or switch inside the UK | £1,693 per person |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | Per year of leave, per person, paid up front |
On top of that is the cost of preparing the application itself: the business plan, the financial projections, and any legal or immigration advice. The endorsement fee is normally payable whether or not you are endorsed, which is the strongest argument for getting the plan right before you submit it.
How long it lasts, and what comes after
A successful application gives you three years in the UK. You can extend for further three-year periods, and there is no limit to the number of extensions. After three years you may be able to apply to settle, which requires your endorsing body to confirm that the business has met specific growth or investment criteria.
You must stay actively involved in running the business. Your endorsing body will meet you at contact points, normally around 12 and 24 months after you are granted leave, to check progress against the plan they endorsed. You can also do work outside your business, provided it is a job at the skill level the rules require.
Your partner and children can usually apply as your dependants.
What your business plan has to show
Because the endorsing body is judging innovation, viability and scalability, the plan needs to be written to those three criteria rather than to a lender’s checklist. In practice that means:
A clear statement of what is new. Specific, not promotional. Name the existing alternatives and explain exactly what is different about yours and why that difference matters to customers.
Evidence of the market. Real research: who the customers are, how many there are, what they pay now, and why they will switch. Letters of intent, pilot results or early sales carry weight.
Financial projections that hold up. Monthly cash flow for at least the first year, a profit and loss and balance sheet over three years, and the assumptions behind every revenue figure. The assessor is checking that the business can support you and that the numbers are not wishful.
A growth path. How the business gets from its first customers to a scale that creates jobs, with the hiring timed to when the cash flow can afford it.
Your ability to deliver it. Your background, skills and experience, and how they map onto what the business needs.
Every figure in the plan is something you may be asked to explain in the interview, in your own words, without the document in front of you. That is the main reason to build the numbers from assumptions you understand rather than having them produced for you without explanation.
Getting help with the plan
Our guide to writing a business plan for a UK visa application goes through what an assessor looks for in more detail. If you want the plan and projections written for you, our business plan writing service prepares visa business plans, and working through the assumptions with you until you can defend them is a large part of the job.