GOV.UK publishes service standards. This page tracks what members are actually experiencing, with dates attached. Post your own timeline in the comments and it gets added.
The official service standards
| Stage | Published standard |
|---|---|
| Visa decision, applying outside the UK | 3 weeks |
| Visa decision, applying inside the UK | 8 weeks |
| Endorsement decision | None — each body quotes its own |
| ILR | None for this route |
Note what is missing there. Endorsement has no service standard at all, which is exactly where most of the waiting happens.
Endorsement — reported timelines
UKES — quoted 21 business days
Applied 14 January, still open at day 15, applying from outside the UK.
UKES review — 15 business days in
UKES — quoted 4–8 weeks
Applied 3 March, still waiting in mid-April, with an FLR application running out of time.
UKES endorsement — applied 3 March
UKES — no quote given
Assessment meetings postponed twice; applicant still in the waiting room.
UKES team meeting postponed twice
Envestors — no quote given
Rejection, with the assessment points disputed in detail.
Rejection experience with Envestors
Visa decisions — reported timelines
Outside the UK · standard service
Biometrics 28 April, standard quoted at 15 working days, still no decision at day 33.
Outside UK April applicants — 33 working days and counting
Outside the UK · priority service
Documents supplied the same day they were requested; week 12 and still under consideration.
Priority, week 12 after a document request
Standard service · location not stated
Applied June 2025, seven months with no decision; a complaint and an MP letter produced nothing.
Waiting since June 2025
Post-endorsement · clarification request
The Home Office came back asking co-founders separately about the business and their involvement.
Clarification request — bad sign?
ILR — reported timelines
Innovator → ILR · standard service
Applied January 2026; no decision and no document request by April.
Applied January, still waiting
Innovator and Innovator Founder · mixed
An ongoing collection thread — post your milestones there.
ILR processing timeline thread
Approval rates
One member has posted rough figures of around 80% approval for in-country switches after endorsement, against 95%+ for first-time applications made from outside the UK. These are member estimates, not Home Office statistics — see the in-country switch stats thread for the working.
Add your timeline
Post a comment with: the stage (endorsement, visa, extension or ILR), the body or application type, in or out of country, the service level, your application date, any document request date, and your decision date. Approximate dates are fine — the month is what matters.
Every entry here is a member’s own account and is not verified. Delays are not evidence of a problem with your application, and nothing on this page is legal advice. Last updated 14 August 2026 — service standards checked against GOV.UK.
UK Innovator Founder Forum 
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