From 25 November 2025, international students holding a Student or Graduate visa will be able to apply inside the UK for the Innovator Founder route, the Home Office has confirmed. Previously, would-be entrepreneurs had to leave the country and lodge an out-of-country application—an expensive deterrent that saw many graduates take their ideas (and investors) elsewhere.
The Innovator Founder visa requires endorsement of a business plan that is innovative, viable and scalable. Financial-investment thresholds have been relaxed to focus on traction and growth potential rather than fixed capital outlay, aligning the scheme with competitor programmes in Canada and France. Successful applicants receive a three-year grant with a fast-track to indefinite leave after another three; dependent family members may accompany them.
![International students can switch to Innovator Founder visa without leaving the UK]()
Universities and tech incubators welcomed the switch-in-country option. The Russell Group estimates that 1,500 overseas graduates a year leave the UK specifically because they cannot bridge the gap between study and the Innovator route. Being able to remain legally while fundraising should improve the UK start-up ecosystem’s retention of high-potential talent.
Employers who sponsor Student visa interns should review contractual IP clauses: if a graduate spins out a venture and moves to an Innovator Founder visa, they will lose the right to work for the former sponsor except in limited secondary-employment circumstances.
The Innovator Founder visa requires endorsement of a business plan that is innovative, viable and scalable. Financial-investment thresholds have been relaxed to focus on traction and growth potential rather than fixed capital outlay, aligning the scheme with competitor programmes in Canada and France. Successful applicants receive a three-year grant with a fast-track to indefinite leave after another three; dependent family members may accompany them.
Universities and tech incubators welcomed the switch-in-country option. The Russell Group estimates that 1,500 overseas graduates a year leave the UK specifically because they cannot bridge the gap between study and the Innovator route. Being able to remain legally while fundraising should improve the UK start-up ecosystem’s retention of high-potential talent.
Employers who sponsor Student visa interns should review contractual IP clauses: if a graduate spins out a venture and moves to an Innovator Founder visa, they will lose the right to work for the former sponsor except in limited secondary-employment circumstances.
