Innovator Founder Visa ILR: The 3-Year Settlement Route
How founders settle in the UK in three years — the fresh settlement endorsement, the seven business criteria you must meet two of, and the path on to British citizenship.
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Free tools that apply the 3-year settlement rules to your dates.
Innovator Founder visa holders can settle in just 3 years — one of the few fast-track routes left — but only if their business clears a demanding settlement test. You need a fresh endorsement confirming the business is trading and you lead it, your venture must meet at least two of seven growth criteria, and you must satisfy the 180-day absence rule and the Life in the UK test. There is no minimum investment to enter the route.
The Innovator Founder route to ILR
The Innovator Founder visa, under Appendix Innovator Founder, replaced the Innovator and Start-up routes in April 2023. It is for founders building a new, innovative, viable and scalable business, endorsed by a Home Office-approved endorsing body — there is no sponsor and, crucially, no fixed minimum investment. The visa is granted for 3 years and leads to settlement at the 3-year point if the business has delivered. Like Global Talent, it is one of the very few protected 3-year routes to ILR against the five years most work routes require. Check your timing with the ILR eligibility calculator.
The three-part settlement test
Settlement is not automatic at 3 years. You must clear three distinct hurdles:
- Continuous residence — 3 years in the UK with no more than 180 days outside in any rolling 12-month period, plus your two mandatory contact-point meetings with the endorsing body at 12 and 24 months.
- A fresh settlement endorsement — confirming the business is trading, you lead it, and you have made significant progress (see below).
- At least two of seven business criteria — the growth, revenue, jobs or investment milestones your venture must hit.
On top of these you must pass the Life in the UK test and meet the English requirement — which, as an Innovator Founder, you will already hold at B2 from the route itself.
The seven business criteria — you must meet at least two
All of the criteria you rely on must come from the single business that earned your endorsement; you cannot mix achievements from different ventures.
| Criterion | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Investment | At least £50,000 invested and spent on developing the business |
| Customer growth | Customers at least doubled in 3 years and above the sector average |
| Innovation & IP | Significant R&D activity plus a UK intellectual property application |
| Revenue | £1 million minimum annual gross revenue |
| Export revenue | £500,000 annual gross revenue, with £100,000 from exports |
| Jobs | At least 10 full-time jobs for settled workers |
| High-value jobs | At least 5 full-time jobs for settled workers, each paying £25,000+ |
Source: UK Immigration Rules, Appendix Innovator Founder. The endorsing body assesses these against your evidence, so meticulous record-keeping from day one is essential.
The settlement endorsement
You cannot settle without a fresh endorsement issued within 3 months of your ILR application — and you may use a different endorsing body from the one that endorsed your original visa. The settlement endorsement must confirm that you have made significant progress against the business plan it assessed, that the business is registered at Companies House with you as a director or member, that it is currently trading and expected to continue for at least the next 12 months, and that you have an active, leading day-to-day role.
Innovator Founder ILR at a glance
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Qualifying period | 3 years continuous residence |
| Endorsement | Fresh settlement endorsement within 3 months |
| Business criteria | At least 2 of the 7 milestones |
| Absences | ≤ 180 days in any rolling 12 months |
| English | Already held at B2 from the route |
| Life in the UK | Test pass required |
| Form & fee | SET(O), £3,226 (no IHS on settlement) |
Source: Appendix Innovator Founder and Appendix Continuous Residence. Time on the former Innovator visa counts towards the 3 years; time on the old Start-up route does not.
Dependants need 5 years
As with Global Talent, the fast track is for the main applicant only. Even where you settle after 3 years, a partner usually needs 5 years of continuous residence as a dependant before they can apply for ILR in their own right, meeting the relationship, absence and Life in the UK requirements. In practice a founder may settle two years ahead of their family, so plan the household timeline together.
The route to citizenship
Once you hold ILR, you can usually apply to naturalise as a British citizen 12 months later, subject to the residence, absence and good-character rules under the British Nationality Act. If you are married to a British citizen and meet the requirements, that 12-month wait is waived. Map the timing with the naturalisation calculator.
Innovator Founder ILR: frequently asked questions
How long until ILR on the Innovator Founder visa?
What business criteria do I need to meet for Innovator Founder ILR?
Do I need a new endorsement to settle?
Is there a minimum investment for the Innovator Founder visa?
Can my dependants settle at the same time as me?
Does my time on the old Innovator visa count?
Our editorial and accuracy standards
ILR Calculator UK is an independent, free settlement-planning resource. The criteria, endorsement and residence rules on this page are taken directly from Appendix Innovator Founder and the Home Office guidance, with the primary source linked at the point it is used. We review the content after each Statement of Changes and record the review date at the top of the page.
This site provides general information, not regulated immigration advice. The settlement endorsement and the business criteria are technical and evidence-heavy, and endorsing-body lists change. For a binding assessment of your own case, contact an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) or a solicitor listed on the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor register.