U.K.: Innovator Visa (Startup Visa)
The Innovator Visa allows experienced entrepreneurs to move to the U.K. with their family permanently by investing in an innovative startup.
If you are a new entrepreneur with no capital to invest in your startup, you may be interested in a Startup Visa.
Benefits
- Includes right to work for your business
- Path to settlement
- Renewable after 3 years
- Unlimited entry and exit
- Good quality of life
Introduction
The home of Shakespeare, the Beatles, James Bond, Harry Potter, and innumerable other icons, the U.K. is one of Europe’s cultural centers. Its bustling cities are known for world-class museums, music, fashion, and dining, while picturesque villages offer a slow, bucolic lifestyle.
Internet Speed
Fixed broadband: 92.63 Mbps download/26.55 Mbps upload
Mobile: 78.12 Mbps download/12.56 Mbps upload
Cost of living
No. 28 globally
Requirements
- $70,000 to invest
- Startup with new, innovative, and commercially viable idea, endorsed by a higher education institution or an approved business organization
- $1,774 bank balance
Fees
- Application fee of $1,426 per person ($1,783 per person if applying within U.K.)
- Health care surcharge of $867 per year per adult and $653 per year per child
- $695 fee for expedited service (applicants within the U.K. only)
- People from these countries will pay $77 less: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.
Application Process
You may need to appear for an appointment in person.
The application should be processed in 3 weeks if you apply from outside the U.K. or 8 weeks if applying from inside the U.K.
Documents Required
- Passport or other document proving identity and nationality
- Bank statements showing a balance of $1,774 for the 28 days prior to your application
- Proof of English language fluency (not required for applicants from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States)
- Endorsement letter proving the assessment of your business by an approved organization
- Proof of investment funds (for new business)
- Tuberculosis test results (if required, depending on nationality)
Other documents may be required. Documents should be in English or Welsh, or submit them with a certified translation.
