Starting a Business in the UK as a Foreign National: UK Visa Routes Explained 

If you’re researching how to start a business in the UK as a foreign national, the first thing to know is that the route many guides still mention, The UK Start-up Visa was restricted from 13 April 2023 to applicants who already held a valid Start-up endorsement issued before that date, and it closed to all new applications on 13 July 2023. If you’re basing your plans on older information, that’s the single most important correction to make before you go any further.

The good news is that the UK still offers several genuine, currently active routes for entrepreneurs, business owners and overseas companies. Which one fits you depends on whether you’re launching something entirely new, already run a business, or are expanding an existing overseas company into the UK.

This guide walks through the routes that are actually open in 2026: the Innovator Founder Visa, self-sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, the Global Business Mobility (UK Expansion Worker) route, and the Scale-up Visa. It explains who each one suits, what’s genuinely required, and what to check before you commit time and money to an application.

Key Takeaways

• The UK Start-up Visa Is Closed: From 13 April 2023, only applicants with a valid Start-up endorsement issued before that date could still apply. The route closed to all new applications on 13 July 2023.
  
• Innovator Founder Visa Needs Endorsement, Not a Fixed Investment Sum: There’s no set minimum you must invest to apply. Instead, an approved endorsing body must confirm your business idea is innovative, viable and scalable.
  
• Self-Sponsorship Uses the Existing Skilled Worker Route: There’s no separate “self-sponsorship visa.” It means your own UK company gets a sponsor licence and then sponsors you for a genuine, eligible role.
  
• A Sponsor Licence Is the Gateway for Several Routes: Self-sponsorship and the UK Expansion Worker route both require an appropriately licensed sponsor before the worker’s visa application can proceed.
  
• Overseas Businesses Have a Dedicated Route: Companies not yet trading in the UK typically look at the Global Business Mobility, UK Expansion Worker route, rather than the entrepreneur routes.
  
• Settlement Timelines Differ by Route: Some routes provide a direct pathway to Indefinite Leave to Remain, while temporary routes such as the UK Expansion Worker route do not lead directly to settlement.
  
• Salary and Funds Thresholds Change Frequently: Following the July 2025 Immigration Rules reforms, several thresholds rose. Always confirm the current figure on gov.uk before relying on it.
  
• Getting the Structure Right Early Avoids Expensive Mistakes: A sponsor licence refusal, or a business that doesn’t meet the genuine vacancy test, can set your plans back significantly.
  

Which UK Visa Do You Actually Need to Start a Business?

There’s no single “UK business visa.” The right route depends on your situation, not just your ambition to work for yourself.

Broadly, foreign nationals looking to start or run a business in the UK fall into a few groups: first-time founders with a new idea, established professionals who want to set up their own company and employ themselves in it, and overseas businesses looking to open a UK branch or subsidiary. Each of these is served by a different route, and mixing them up is one of the most common planning mistakes.

The UK Start-up Visa Is Closed. What Replaced It?

From 13 April 2023, the Start-up Visa was restricted to applicants who already held a valid endorsement issued before that date. The route then closed to all new applications on 13 July 2023. It was folded into a single replacement category.

That replacement is the Innovator Founder Visa, which now covers both early-stage founders and more experienced entrepreneurs under one route. If older content, or an outdated web page, still describes the Start-up Visa as available, it’s worth treating that with caution and checking directly with an adviser or gov.uk before proceeding.

If you’re weighing up which entrepreneur route genuinely applies to your situation, West End Consultants’ IAA-regulated advisers can talk through your options before you commit to an endorsing body or a company structure.

Innovator Founder Visa: The Main Route for New Business Founders

The Innovator Founder Visa is the primary route for entrepreneurs who want to set up and run a genuinely new business in the UK. It’s a points-based route, and the core requirement is endorsement, not a fixed pot of investment money.

To apply, you’ll generally need:

• An endorsement letter from a Home Office-approved endorsing body, confirming your business idea is innovative, viable and scalable
  
• English language ability at CEFR level B2 across all four skills
  
• Personal savings of at least £1,270, held for 28 consecutive days, if you’re applying from outside the UK or have been in the UK less than 12 months
  
• To be a genuine part of founding, or significantly contributing to, the business, with a real role in its day-to-day running
  

There’s no longer a set minimum investment figure to qualify for the visa itself, though endorsing bodies will still test whether you have realistic access to the funding your business plan needs. The visa is typically granted for three years. After three years, you may be eligible for Indefinite Leave to Remain if you obtain a settlement endorsement and meet the route’s business-success, continuous-residence and other settlement requirements.

Self-Sponsorship: Using Your Own Company for a Skilled Worker Visa

“Self-sponsorship” isn’t an official Home Office visa category. It’s a widely used shorthand for a specific structure: a genuine UK company, which you own or control, applies for a Skilled Worker sponsor licence and then sponsors you into a real, eligible role within that business.

This route suits a different profile from the Innovator Founder Visa. It tends to work best for experienced professionals or business owners who already have a defined role, client base or service offering, rather than founders still shaping a new idea. It also avoids the endorsement stage entirely.

To go down this route, the business typically needs to:

• Hold a valid Skilled Worker sponsor licence
  
• Offer a genuine, eligible role that meets the current skill level (RQF Level 6 for most new applications) and salary threshold, which sits at £41,700 a year or the going rate for the role, whichever is higher, following the July 2025 reforms
  
• Assign a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) that accurately reflects the job, salary and hours
  

The Home Office scrutinises self-sponsorship arrangements closely to check the role is genuine rather than created purely to support a visa application, so the compliance side matters just as much as the paperwork.

Innovator Founder vs Self-Sponsorship: Quick Comparison

Feature	Innovator Founder Visa	Self-Sponsorship (Skilled Worker)
Who it suits	New or early-stage founders with an original idea	Established professionals with a defined, genuine role
Key requirement	Endorsement from an approved body	Sponsor licence held by your own company
Investment amount	No fixed minimum, viability is assessed	No set figure, but salary must meet the threshold
Typical route length	3 years, extendable	5-year pathway towards settlement, subject to requirements
Endorsement needed?	Yes	No

If you’re trying to work out whether your background and business plan fit the Innovator Founder route or a self-sponsorship structure, this is exactly the kind of decision where a short conversation early on can save weeks of wasted preparation. West End Consultants’ advisers can talk you through both options against your specific plans.

Expanding an Overseas Business Into the UK

If you already run a business outside the UK and want to open a UK branch or subsidiary, the entrepreneur routes above generally aren’t the right fit. Instead, the relevant route sits under Global Business Mobility, specifically the UK Expansion Worker category.

This route is designed for senior managers or specialists being sent by an established overseas employer to set up the company’s first UK presence. Key points to understand:

• The UK entity must not yet be trading, this route is specifically for businesses establishing their first UK footprint
  
• The overseas company needs to obtain a sponsor licence before the employee applies
  
• Salary thresholds are significantly higher than the standard Skilled Worker route following the July 2025 changes, so current gov.uk figures should always be checked before planning
  
• This route does not lead directly to settlement. It’s a temporary, purpose-built visa for getting a UK operation off the ground
  

Applicants can typically apply up to three months before the start date stated on their Certificate of Sponsorship, so timing the sponsor licence application correctly matters.

Scale-up Visa: Bringing Skilled Talent Into a Growing UK Business

The Scale-up Visa isn’t a route for founding a business yourself, it’s worth including here because founders who’ve already established a UK company and are growing quickly often ask about it when they want to bring in skilled staff.

It requires a job offer from a business holding a qualifying scale-up sponsor licence, a role at RQF Level 6 or above, and a salary meeting the applicable threshold or going rate. Sponsorship is only required for the first six months, after which the employee has more flexibility to change roles. Time on this route can also count towards the five-year settlement pathway, subject to meeting the requirements throughout.

Costs to Expect

Every route above involves several separate cost categories, and the total varies significantly depending on your circumstances. As a general guide, expect to budget for:

• The visa application fee itself, which differs by route and by whether you’re applying from inside or outside the UK
  
• The Immigration Health Surcharge, currently in the region of £1,035 per year for adults, payable upfront for the length of your visa
  
• An Innovator Founder endorsement application currently costs £1,000 per person. If the visa application is successful, you must also attend at least two mandatory contact-point meetings with the endorsing body, currently charged at £500 per meeting.
  
• A sponsor licence fee if your route depends on your company holding one, this varies by the size of the business
  
• Professional fees if you instruct an adviser to help prepare and submit the application
  

Because these figures are reviewed periodically, always confirm the current amounts on gov.uk before finalising a budget for your application.

Costs like these are exactly where a clear breakdown before you apply makes a real difference, particularly if you’re also budgeting for company formation and early operating costs. If you’d like a realistic picture of what your specific route is likely to cost, get in touch with our team and we can talk it through.

What West End Consultants Handles For You

Whichever route applies to your situation, the practical work tends to fall into similar stages: checking your eligibility honestly against the current rules, helping you prepare a business plan or CoS that stands up to scrutiny, gathering the right supporting documents the first time, and managing correspondence with the Home Office so you’re not left guessing where things stand.

For sponsor licence-dependent routes, that also includes making sure the licence application itself, and the compliance systems behind it, meet Home Office expectations before you rely on it for a visa.

Why West End Consultants

West End Consultants UK Ltd. is regulated by the IAA (Immigration Advice Authority) at the highest level, Registration No. F200700162, and has advised individuals and businesses on UK immigration matters for over 15 years. The team works from a Harrow office but conducts consultations remotely with clients across the UK and worldwide, and typically responds to new enquiries within 24 to 48 hours.

For business and entrepreneur routes specifically, that includes direct experience with endorsement-based applications, sponsor licence applications for self-sponsorship and Global Business Mobility routes, and handling Home Office correspondence on a client’s behalf throughout the process.

Getting Your Route Right From the Start

Choosing between the Innovator Founder Visa, self-sponsorship and the Global Business Mobility route isn’t just a paperwork decision, it shapes how your business is structured, how much flexibility you have, and how your long-term settlement options look. Getting it wrong at the outset, particularly with a sponsor licence application, can be costly to unpick later.

If you’re ready to talk through which route fits your plans to start or expand a business in the UK, book a consultation with West End Consultants. Our advisers can talk through your business plan, your current immigration status, and which route genuinely applies before you commit to an application.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the UK Start-up Visa still open to new applicants?

No. From 13 April 2023, only applicants who already held a valid Start-up endorsement issued before that date could apply. The route closed to all new applications on 13 July 2023. Entrepreneurs who would previously have used this route should look at the Innovator Founder Visa instead.

2. What is the Innovator Founder Visa and who is it for?

It’s the main UK route for entrepreneurs setting up a new, innovative, viable and scalable business. It requires endorsement from an approved body rather than a fixed minimum investment and can lead to settlement after three years.

3. Can I sponsor myself for a UK visa through my own company?

There’s no official “self-sponsorship visa,” but it is possible for a genuine UK company you own to hold a sponsor licence and sponsor you for a real, eligible role under the Skilled Worker route. The role and salary must meet the standard Skilled Worker requirements.

4. Do I need a sponsor licence to bring my own business to the UK?

If you’re using self-sponsorship or the UK Expansion Worker route, yes, the UK business needs a valid Home Office sponsor licence before an individual visa application can proceed. The Innovator Founder route works differently and relies on endorsement instead.

5. Can a UK Expansion Worker visa lead to settlement?

No, this route does not lead directly to Indefinite Leave to Remain. It’s designed as a temporary route to help an overseas business establish its first UK presence, after which other routes may become relevant.

6. Do I need a solicitor for a business visa application, or can a regulated adviser handle it?

Business and entrepreneur visa applications can be handled by an IAA-regulated immigration adviser; you don’t need to instruct a solicitor specifically. West End Consultants is regulated by the IAA rather than the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and its advisers handle applications and Home Office correspondence directly on clients’ behalf.

Read More:

• How to Write a Business Plan for a UK Visa Application: A Complete Guide for Business Immigration
• UK Self-Sponsorship Compliance: How to Avoid Sponsor Licence Revocation
• 5 Common UK Sponsor Licence Compliance Failures and How to Avoid Them
• Sponsor Licence Suspended? What to Do in the First 48 Hours: A Step-by-Step Employer Guide