Improving Your UK Start-up Visa and Innovator Visa Success Rate

Our recent analysis of the latest immigration data reveals that the average success rate for the UK Start-up visa between 2019-2022 was 89.58%. For the UK Innovator visa (now the Innovator Founder visa), the average success rate between 2019-2022 was 87.8%. While the success rates for these business visas appear high, it is important to remember that all cases are assessed on their own merits. The high success rate doesn’t mean it is easy to get a Start-up visa or an Innovator visa. On the contrary, given the high cost and importance of receiving a positive decision, most applicants go to great lengths to ensure their application is of the highest standard.

Making a successful application for an Innovator Founder visa means that you can live in the UK for up to 3 years to establish your new, innovative, and viable business in the UK. During this time, you can bring your partner and children to the UK to join you. After 3 years of continuous residence in the UK on an Innovator Founder visa, it is then possible for you and your immediate family members to settle permanently here and acquire UK citizenship 12 months later.

Note: The Start-up visa is now only open to applicants who received endorsement from an approved endorsing body prior to 13^th April 2023 and will be closed to new applicants from 13^th July 2023.

UK Start Up visa success rate

The table below shows the success rate for Start-up visa main applicants between 2019 and 2022 based on data collated from the Home Office. This shows that while the success rate for Start-up visas remains high, it has fallen below the 95%+ numbers seen in 2019 and 2020. The numbers for 2022 revealed a sharp decrease compared to the previous year of nearly 15%.

UK Innovator visa success rate

The Home Office’s Innovator visa data reveals a similar pattern to the Start-up visa. Successful Innovator visa applications, while still high at 87.80% overall, fell 11% in 2022 compared to 2019 and 8.6% compared with the previous year.

How to make a successful Start-up and Innovator Founder visa application

There are several elements to ensuring the success of your Start-up or Innovator Founder visa. As mentioned above, if you are applying for a Start-up visa, your endorsement must have been granted before 13^th April 2023. If this is not the case, it is recommended that you apply for the Innovator Founder visa. The requirement to invest a minimum amount of investment funds has now been dropped, hence, this has made it easier for Start-up visa applicants with limited funds to apply through the Innovator route.

For both visas, we recommend reviewing all of the validity, suitability and eligibility requirements. Many applicants only consider their eligibility but overlook the suitability and the validity of their application. Above all else, you must prove to your endorsing body that you are a genuine Innovator or Start-up visa applicant. As long as your endorsing body is satisfied that you are a genuine applicant, the Home Office will not normally carry out further checks to assess this.

Validity

Validity means that you have filled in the correct application form, paid the required fees in full and provided all of the documents necessary to process your case. It also means that you must not be applying as a current visitor visa or short-term student visa holder.

Suitability

Suitability means that you must pass the “fit and proper person test”. Under this test, an Innovator Founder visa application may be refused if they are the subject of any serious civil or criminal investigations or proceedings relating to corruption or other financial crimes or financial misconduct. An application may also be refused if an applicant has been disbarred from acting as a director or carrying out regulated financial activities in any country.

Eligibility

When it comes to visa eligibility, applicants must score 70 points under the ‘new business’ or ‘same business’ categories. If applying as a new business, 30 points are available for your business plan and 20 points for an innovative, viable, and scalable business idea. It is not sufficient simply to supply a business plan in any form; you must have made a significant contribution to the ideas in the plan, demonstrate you will have a day-to-day role in the business, and confirm you will have at least 2 ‘contact point meetings’ with your chosen endorsing. You will also need to demonstrate you are the sole founder or an instrumental member of the founding team.

Other requirements

Your endorsement letter is also key when applying for an Innovator visa or Start-up visa. It must be dated no more than 3 months before your application, and the endorsing body must still have its endorsing status.

To make a successful application, you will also need to prove that you meet the English language requirements (reading, writing, speaking and listening to at least CEFR level B2). Finally, you must meet the financial requirements. This means you must have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family of at least £1,270 as the main applicant, £285 for your dependant partner, £315 for your first child, and £200 for each subsequent child. If you have been in the UK for 12 months already, you will not need to meet this requirement.

How can Reiss Edwards help?

Reiss Edwards specialises in all aspects of business immigration and business mobility, including Innovator Founder visas. Our immigration solicitors can:

• Prepare and submit your Innovator Founder visa application on your behalf as well as switching UK visa and UK visa renewal
• Handle any queries raised by UKVI on your behalf including a refusal of your Start-up visa or Innovator Founder visa application
• Guide you and your dependants through the process of gaining permanent settlement and citizenship in the UK as an Innovator Founder visa holder

For assistance with applying for a Start-up visa, Innovator Founder visa or dependant visa, please speak to our immigration lawyers for a free telephone consultation on 020 3744 2797 or complete our enquiry form.