Skilled Worker Visa

To apply for the UK Innovator visa, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• You are at least 18 years old;
• You need to be employed by a UK employer approved by the Home Office;
• Level B1 English language requirement (equal to IELTS 4.0);
• You must have been assigned a certificate of sponsorship by your employer, detailing the UK-based role you have been offered;
• Your job must be within the list of approved occupations;
• You must be paid at least the minimum salary for your work. This is whichever of the following is the highest: £26,200 a year, £10.75 per hour, or the ‘going rate’ for the type of job role.

The time it takes for a decision to be made on your application depends on several factors, including where you made the application from, where any information is outstanding and whether you have purchased a priority service.

Response times vary from a few weeks to months, and since you must first receive endorsement from an endorsing body, the process can take longer. The response time can be sped up by applying for a priority service, which is available to customers in many countries.

• You will have the opportunity to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after 5 years so that you can live and work in the country indefinitely.
• You will have employment and a salary.
• You can bring your dependants to the UK.

Our multi-lingual business consultancy team is highly experienced in helping international businesspersons and entrepreneurs to prepare for a career in the UK.

In addition, our visa consultancy team can help you with all the necessary documentation to apply to a range of suitable endorsing bodies and assist in the process of making a visa application to the UK Home Office.

InvestUK has a 5-step process to help you apply with peace of mind. Our team will support you in areas such as;

• Assessing your needs and evaluating your eligibility against the required criteria;
• Assisting with optimising your business ideas for the UK market;
• Helping you plan and prepare for the later steps of the application process;
• Confirming your successful application and supporting you with the formation and opening of bank accounts;
• Continued support for you and your new business even after you have received your Innovator visa.

InvestUK will support you with more than simply an Innovator visa application: |InvestUK also provides optional business support services for your business once you have obtained a visa.

As well as a business mentoring service, InvestUK can provide you with lifestyle planning services during your time in the UK including wealth, tax management and education consultancy services.