UK Innovator Founder Forum

Settlement after 3 years — the business criteria and how people are meeting them

You can apply for indefinite leave to remain after 3 years on the Innovator Founder route — one of its main attractions, since most work routes require 5. The trade-off is that the business itself has to clear a bar, not just you.

The business criteria

Under Appendix Innovator Founder, the business must meet at least two of the following, confirmed by your endorsing body:

  • At least £50,000 has been invested into the business and actively spent furthering the business plan
  • The number of customers has at least doubled in the last 3 years and is higher than the mean for comparable UK businesses
  • The business has engaged in significant research and development and applied for intellectual property protection in the UK
  • The business generated a minimum annual gross revenue of £1 million in the last full year of accounts
  • The business is generating £500,000 annual gross revenue, with at least £100,000 from exports
  • The business has created the equivalent of at least 10 full-time jobs for settled workers
  • The business has created the equivalent of at least 5 full-time jobs for settled workers with an average salary of at least £25,000

Check the current wording in Appendix Innovator Founder before relying on any of these — thresholds and definitions have been amended since the route launched.

The personal requirements

  • Continuous residence — no more than 180 days absent from the UK in any rolling 12-month period across the qualifying 3 years
  • Life in the UK test — passed
  • English language — the knowledge of language requirement for settlement
  • No unspent criminal convictions or other suitability issues

If you do not meet two criteria

Extend for another 3 years instead. Extensions are unlimited on this route, so falling short at year 3 is a delay rather than a dead end. Some founders deliberately plan for extension and target ILR at year 6 with a stronger evidence base.

Dependants

Partners on this route generally need to complete 5 years before qualifying for settlement in their own right, even where the main applicant settles at 3. Plan for the gap.

Which two criteria are you targeting, and how are you evidencing them? The jobs and investment routes seem to come up most — interested to hear from anyone who has used the R&D and IP criterion.

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