Innovation foundation visas

Innovation foundation visa

the Innovation Foundation Visa, your gateway to a world of innovation and opportunity. Below, you'll find essential legal information pertaining to the application process, eligibility criteria, and other crucial details

Eligibility

You must be able to show that your business idea is:

• New - you cannot join a business that is already trading
• innovative - you must have an original business idea which is different from anything else on the market
• viable, with potential for growth
• scalable - you must give evidence of planning that includes creating jobs and growing into national and international markets You’ll need to get an endorsing body to assess that your business idea meets the requirements.

With an Innovator Founder visa you can:

set up a business or several businesses, work for your business - this includes being employed as a director, or self-employed as a member of a business partnership, do work outside your business, as long as it’s ‘skilled work’ - for example, a job on the Skilled Worker eligible occupations list or a job needing at least a level 3 qualification, bring your partner and children with you as your ‘dependants’, if they’re eligible, travel abroad and return to the UK, apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 3 years and meet the other eligibility requirements

You cannot:

work as a professional sportsperson, for example a sports coach


apply for most benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
If your application is successful, you’ll get a full list of what you can and cannot do with an Innovator Founder visa.