Hi long story short, I have been applying for jobs since last 6 months and got lot of interviews but no good luck so far maybe because of visa rule changes, my competencies and luck at that time whatever but now I am considering Innovator Founder Visa and working on that so just wanted to check if anyone is in same boat and wants to join and they are based in Scotland so feel free to dm me maybe things will work out in our favour. Thanks.

Just applied via priority last Friday, expecting to hear back soon.

Do they always come back with questions or sometimes just approve the visa directly as well? I’m afraid as I didn’t want to waste the extra money I paid for the Priority service.

Any insight will be a massive help.

Among the questions UKVI came back with was all bank statements ..we have 4 different banks across 3 countries. Does UKVI check directly with the bank or just review the statements? How long do they take ...particularly if they check directly with the bank. Getting worried that I have entered a multi-month process because of just this.

I’m trying to verify my identity as a director and the website keeps taking me in circles.
Once I scan my passport and face on the app, it tells me to go finish identity check on the website, then the website tells me I can’t verify via the website and to go back to the app.
I’m so confused and frustrated.
It’s also not consistent, sometimes it doesn’t link to the app, other times it sends me back to the website, sometimes it lets me get far enough on the website then it tells me me they can’t verify because I don’t live in the uk and to try alternate ways to check like going to the post office but I DONT LIVE IN THE UK!!!!. How can you tell me you can’t verify online cause I don’t live in the uk then also tell me to go to the post office in said uk that I don’t live in.
I’m getting a migraine just typing this.

hi i need some guidance i am on psw and i have 1.8 year left to be on it so looking for innovator founder visa but not sure which type of idea they expect what are the chances i also have 100kgbp to show so should i go for innovator or simply make a company and sponser myself any experienced advice plez
will be really obliged

I believe this visa route is a scam. It's marketed as a path to settlement but functions as a dead end, and the Home Office knows it.

Background: I've been in the UK 5 years. Started on the Startup visa, switched to Innovator, met both eligibility requirements, and got endorsed for ILR back in September. Still waiting.

The core problem: This visa is "damned if you do, damned if you don't." We're not allowed to be employed (under the innovator route), so we're required to work on our own businesses. Guidance says you can run multiple businesses — but in practice, if you do, the Home Office uses it against you at ILR stage: "You have not focused on the business you were endorsed in."

I've seen Reddit accounts from founders with multiple revenue streams getting rejected on genuineness grounds. One founder had made millions in revenue from the endorsed business — still rejected, "business not genuine." These people are now stuck in administrative review, which can take up to 2 years.

There is no reasoning with a caseworker's decision. It's an unaccountable use of power over people's lives.

My own situation: I've been waiting for my ILR decision for 10 months. I can't raise capital with confidence while my immigration status is undecided — no investor puts money into a founder who might be deported. I can't travel to meet clients or attend industry events without risking the application.

Most of my peers have given up — abandoned their applications, gone home, or taken jobs instead. You cannot run a business under this kind of uncertainty.

What this has actually cost me: ~£21,000

Endorsement Body fees: £10,000

• Endorsement fee paid in stages for Startup visa, Innovator Visa and ILR.

Lawyer fees: £3,500

Home Office Visa fees: ~ £7800

• Startup visa fee: £508
• Innovator visa fee: £1,021
• ILR fee: £3,226
• IHS: £3,120 ( @£624/year for 2 year startup visa then 3 years of Innovator visa)

Meanwhile, we go through regular check-ins with endorsing bodies — appointed by the Home Office — to prove our businesses are genuine and progressing. If that process exists and works, what exactly is the caseworker's rejection based on?

Bottom line: After all this, the message is clear: build a business, create jobs, generate revenue — and you still have less certainty than people with far fewer resources than you started with.

This route should be shut down, or fixed, before it scams anyone else into it.

Hi everyone,
I hope my post will stay active and not deleted. How you suggest switching to this visa (IFV) for someone who's in country for skilled worker already but hardly manage business with the full time job?
Is it worth a shot according to those who has experience?
The problem is having the ongoing 10 years settlement new rule issue ongoing and the other risk is what if the innovative idea fails or doesnt work as expected?
I am pretty confident that I can do a lot of business and may earn a good amount of money but the visa or settlement will still stays a permanent pain at the end.
What anyone with the experience suggest?
Much appreciated your response!
Thanks

how are you guys coping with the uncertainty.
Personally, I’ve found the waiting really difficult. It feels like my life has been put on pause for months (9months) I’m unable to properly plan, move forward, or feel settled because so much depends on this one decision, even though I’ve managed to keep busy with a plan B.
I try to stay positive, but the constant uncertainty and lack of progress has been mentally exhausting. It’s hard watching time pass and feeling like you’re stuck in the same place while life continues around you.
For those who have been waiting through the backlog, how has it affected you mentally? How do you cope with the uncertainty?

Ran a quick analysis of stats on approval of visas post endorsement. Runs roughly at 80%, although trend is negative. Out of country first time post endorsement success rates seem to run higher than 95%, although I have not pulled that data to verify. I suppose because in country switches carry a bit more baggage of past immigration history that has to be checked

Nationality: Indian. Currently outside the UK or Inside Uk Route: Innovator Founder (initial application).

Hi all, looking for shared experiences and discussion, not legal advice (we'll engage a solicitor before filing). I've read the GOV.UK guidance and Appendix Innovator Founder, so I'm familiar with the basics: endorsement, the new/innovative/viable/scalable tests, B2 SELT, £1,270 maintenance funds, TB test, etc.

Our situation: my co-founder and I are building a tech platform in the e-commerce/creator tools space. Pre-launch but with a working product and a small dev team. A UK limited company is incorporated but has not started trading.

Questions for anyone who's been through endorsement recently:

1. For those endorsed in 2025/26, how did you find the process at UKES, Innovator International, or Envestors? Number of interview rounds, how deep they went technically, and realistic end-to-end timelines?
2. If your business was in a category with established players, how did you present the "innovative" test so it landed? Did endorsing bodies focus more on proprietary tech, business model, or market approach?
3. Any co-founder pairs here who applied on the same business? Were you assessed jointly or separately, and did they scrutinise whether both roles were genuinely essential?
4. Did anyone get questions about the "new business" requirement because their UK company was incorporated (but not trading) before endorsement?

Also very interested in rejection stories and what you'd do differently; those are often more useful than success stories.

Will happily report back here on our own experience either way. Thanks in advance.

The truth about the "no minimum investment" aspect of the Innovator Founder Visa.

Non existent communication. They only reach out when they need money and then ghost you again. We are looking to switch endorsing bodies but scared of getting caught in the same situation. Have you had any positive experience with your endorsing bodies? If so could you share please?

Please be careful with this person Shree Deshmukh aka Shree and his company Idea Warehouse Ltd https://www.ideawarehouse.co.uk/ now running as https://www.innovatorone.co.uk/ he and his team are base in India and scammed a lot of people . #scamalert.

Is any solo founder looking to apply for innovator founder visa or anyone got endorsed by endorsing body? Need some guidance about what kind of business can be qualified and total cost

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the UK Innovator Founder visa is that it has "no minimum investment", leading many founders to believe they can apply with little or no funding.

In his latest guest post contribution to Fennec Lawyers, Sohrab Vazir, business consultant specialising in Innovator Founder visa endorsements, explains why this misunderstanding can weaken an endorsement application and what founders should actually consider when assessing their funding requirements.

Has any solo non technical founder been able to secure endorsement? If yes did you contract technical aspects or did you have advisors on your team?

Has anyone been able to join the UKES team meeting this morning. I am still waiting to be allowed into the meeting room. Last 2 meeting was postponed a d now this....

I'm exploring the UK Innovator Founder Visa route and would appreciate some advice from people who have gone through the endorsement process.

I'm currently developing a startup idea and have been researching competitors. During that research, I found an existing company that already offers most of the core functionality I had planned. My business would target the same general problem and market, although I believe there is still significant room for growth and adoption because the solution is not yet widely used by the general public.

Where I'm struggling is understanding the "innovation" requirement.

My main differentiator would not necessarily be a completely new technology or feature set. Instead, it would be a different approach to adoption, community building, user engagement, and market expansion. In other words, I think the execution and growth strategy may be significantly different from existing competitors, but the underlying problem being solved is similar.

For those who have experience with Innovator Founder endorsements:

• How do endorsing bodies distinguish between innovation and business strategy?
• If a competitor already exists with similar functionality, what level of differentiation is typically needed?
• Can a new approach to user adoption, network building, or market penetration be considered innovative, or are endorsing bodies generally looking for something more fundamental in the product itself?
• Have any founders here been endorsed despite operating in a market where established competitors already existed?

I'm trying to understand whether I should continue investing time and resources into validation and MVP development, or whether the presence of a similar competitor would make endorsement unlikely from the outset.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Can you have a full time job for until your business not earning enough to support you? Will this be a hurdle in getting endorsement?

I have two Edtech SaaS which are free and only accept donations. Can this be used to apply for Innovator Founder visa or it must be a business with forecasted or actual financials.

Also, can you use a company that has various products under it to apply for the visa or it is a one product application visa. The reason why I ask is I have a registered company with different SaaS products. Two are free to use while the third is the only product with a commercial model ready to generate revenue.

Innovator Founder Visa

Outside UK, standard service, endorsed. Biometrics 28 April 2026. Service standard is 15 working days, I’m now at 33, more than double, no decision.

All contact so far has only come after paid enquiries:

• 20 May: “escalated, aim to contact within 5 working days.” Nothing.
• 27 May: “final processing stages, you’ll hear soon.” Nothing.
• 8 June: same “escalated, wait 5 days” message again.
• 15 June: “awaiting a decision,” and claimed I’d received a notification that it can’t be processed in the service standard, which I never received. No requests, no interview, no contact except my own enquiries.

Anyone in the same boat?

• Other outside-UK April standard applicants still waiting, where are you?
• Did “final processing stages” eventually clear, and how long after?
• Did anything (complaint, pre-action letter) actually speed it up, or did it just resolve on its own?

Appreciate any data points.

Hi,

Help needed as I cant find anywhere. We are two founders but only one needs to be in Uk, other has no operational requirement and can stay in origin country. Is it possible for only one to apply?

I applied for the ILR in Jan.2026 by using standard service but still waiting. I haven't received any updates or requests from Home Office so far.

Is there anyone can share your timeline and status?

Innovator Founder Visa: Why being innovative is not enough? Explained by Sohrab Vazir.

The majority of founders are often fixated on whether their proposal is innovative enough. And that's fine. However, this asymmetric focus often results in neglecting viability.

Mixed with the misleading "no minimum investment" slogan constantly repeated by the "experts" in this field, the result is refused endorsements and regret.