The UK Home Office’s published guidance on indefinite leave to remain (ILR) — the UK’s form of permanent residency — sets out four specific conditions that Innovator Founder visa holders must meet before they can apply, according to GOV.UK. The guidance, which also covers holders of the now-replaced Innovator visa, is not a new announcement: the underlying settlement conditions have been in place since the Innovator Founder route launched in 2023, and GOV.UK’s own record shows the page’s substantive content was last revised on October 31, 2024. It has drawn fresh attention this week from outlets summarizing it as a standalone guide, even though the Home Office has not changed the requirements themselves.
According to the guidance, applicants must meet four conditions. First, they must have lived in the UK for three years using an Innovator Founder or Innovator visa — time spent on any other visa category does not count toward this period. Second, they need a new endorsement from an approved endorsing body confirming they have met the requirements for growing their business; this is separate from, and cannot be carried over from, the endorsement obtained for the original visa. Third, applicants aged 18 to 64 must pass the Life in the UK Test, a standardized assessment of British history, culture and civic knowledge. Fourth, applicants must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any single 12-month period during those three years, under the Home Office’s “continuous residence” rule.
On the endorsement condition, GOV.UK’s guidance specifies that applicants must show an active role in the day-to-day management and development of a business that is registered with Companies House (with the applicant as director or member) and currently trading, with the capacity to continue for at least the next 12 months. The business must also have met at least two of seven growth criteria: £50,000 of investment spent on developing the business; doubling its customer base over the last three years at a rate above the sector average; applying for intellectual property protection in the UK; £1 million in revenue in the last full year of accounts; £500,000 in revenue in the last full year of accounts, with at least £100,000 from exports; creating the equivalent of 10 full-time jobs that have existed for 12 months; or creating the equivalent of 5 full-time jobs at an average salary of £25,000, also sustained for 12 months. Jobs counted toward these criteria must have gone to “settled workers” — British citizens, EEA citizens already working for the business by December 31, 2020, Commonwealth citizens with a UK Ancestry visa, or people who already hold indefinite leave to remain or settled status. Once an endorsement letter is issued, the applicant has three months to submit the ILR application.
On process, GOV.UK says applicants may apply up to 28 days before they become eligible, but an application submitted earlier risks refusal; applicants are also advised not to let their current visa lapse before applying, since a lapsed visa would need to be renewed first. The application fee is £3,226 per person. A decision is typically issued within six months of submitting the application (if directed to use the UK Immigration ID Check app) or of attending a biometric appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services centre. During that waiting period, applicants must not travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man — doing so results in the application being automatically withdrawn. The Home Office says some cases take longer than six months, including those requiring verification of supporting documents, an interview, or review of personal circumstances such as a prior criminal conviction.
The Innovator Founder visa replaced the original Innovator visa as the UK’s main route for entrepreneurs building an innovative business, and Innovator visa holders remain eligible to apply for ILR under the same guideline provided they meet all four conditions. Successful ILR applicants gain the right to live, work and study in the UK without a time limit, may access certain public benefits, and can use the status as a step toward British citizenship.
References
GOV.UK / Home Office – Indefinite Leave to Remain If You Have an Innovator Founder or Innovator Visa: Overview / GOV.UK / Home Office – Indefinite Leave to Remain If You Have an Innovator Founder or Innovator Visa: Getting Endorsed
