UK Innovator Founder Forum

Extension applications — what evidence of progress is actually needed?

You can extend the Innovator Founder visa for a further 3 years, and there is no limit on the number of times you can extend. That makes extension a genuine alternative to settlement if your business is progressing but does not yet meet the settlement criteria.

The two conditions

GOV.UK frames it simply: you must meet the eligibility requirements, and you must still be running a business in the UK or want to set up a new one. That second limb matters — the route does allow you to be endorsed for a different business at extension, which is not true of most other routes.

Endorsement again

Your business or business idea has to be assessed by an endorsing body again at extension. If your contact point meetings have gone well and your body has stayed engaged, this is largely a continuation of an existing relationship. If you have drifted out of contact with them, start early.

Practical points

  • Apply before your current visa expires — you can remain in the UK on 3C leave while it is decided
  • Decisions usually come within 8 weeks
  • The in-country fee is £1,693 per person, plus the health surcharge
  • Maintenance funds of £1,270 for 28 days apply if you have been in the UK less than 12 months
  • Dependants do not extend automatically — each needs their own application

Where extensions get difficult

  • The endorsed business is dormant or was never really trading
  • You have taken so much secondary employment that the business is no longer your primary activity
  • You cannot show day-to-day involvement in management — passive shareholding is not enough
  • A missed or unsatisfactory contact point meeting sitting in your record

Have you extended? What did your endorsing body ask for, how long did re-endorsement take, and what did the whole thing cost? Please date your answer.

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