Tristar Immigration
Want to work in UK while having your own business?
The UK Start up visa is for entrepreneurs who are looking to establish a new business for the first time. To apply for a start up visa you will require an endorsement letter from one of the home office approved endorsing bodies.
Why to choose UK Startup Visa?
The UK Start up visa is for entrepreneurs who are looking to establish a new business for the first time. To apply for a start up visa you will require an endorsement letter from one of the home office approved endorsing bodies. A Start up visa is valid for 2 years and the category does not lead directly to settlement in the UK. However, you can switch to an innovator visa to apply for settlement.
You do not need to be the sole founder of your business and maybe a member of a Start-up team. This means that you may share the same business idea and plan as another Start-up team member. However, each applicant must receive their own individual endorsement from an approved endorsing body.
As a start-up visa applicant, you do not need any funds to invest in your business. However, the requirement to have a ‘viable’ and ‘scalable’ business idea means that, in practice, you may need to have funds available to invest. Some endorsing bodies require a certain level of funding as a condition of endorsement.
About Us
In Tristar Immigration,
We Help Entrepreneurs Build Their Dreams.
We are able to offer assistance to the UK start up visa applicants for business plan assessment, writing, endorsement and visa application. We have experienced business immigration solicitors, who provide prompt and cost-effective advice to any individual applying for a start up Visa from overseas or within the UK.
By making an appointment with one of our business immigration solicitors, you can be assured of receiving some of the best legal advice available in the UK today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. You can bring your family members, such as your spouse or unmarried partner and dependent children under the age of 18. Your family members will be issued a visa for the same duration as your visa. They will then need to switch with you if you are switching to an Innovator visa after two years on a start-up visa. They can make this application from inside the UK with you.
The endorsement is not the end of the process, but effectively the start. The Home Office will of course consider your endorsement, but they will also look at other factors such as:
- Is the evidence you submitted genuine and credible;
- Your previous educational, work and immigration history; and
- Any other relevant information
The Home Office can also contact the endorsing body to request further information or evidence and even call you for an interview.
Unfortunately not. Start-up visas are one-off visas, meaning that they do not lead to settlement and in turn, British nationality. The initial start-up visa will be valid for 2 years. Prior to the expiry of the initial visa, start-up visa holders may extend their stay in the UK by switching to the Innovator visa category if they continue to hold endorsement from an endorsing body. The Innovator category can lead to settlement after a further 3 years. One year after obtaining a settlement, you can apply to become British.
The Home Office will only normally allocate 25 places to a new endorsing body. However, this number can be increased if the endorsing body provides an explanation as to why they need more. The endorsing body may tell you how many they have already issued upon request.
Whilst each endorsing body will have its own slightly different criteria, the Immigration Rules do provide a general definition of each word. Innovation looks at whether the business idea is genuine and original, meeting current or future market needs. Viability is concerned with the skills and knowledge of the applicant and scalability addresses whether there is any evidence of structured and logical planning including consideration for job creation and business growth.
