A detailed overview of UK Start Up visa by the top consultant in India

The SmartMove2UK has a team of UK Start-Up visa experts and lawyers and is a UK Immigration law firm, established in 2009.

We were announced as the winners of IAE Corporate Immigration Law (India) award, in 2016. Our firm is recognized by Who’s Who Legal (WWL) as 2016 Corporate Immigration firm. We take pride in being the members of prominent institutions like, The Law Society and Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa.

Our head office is based in Mumbai. Along with PAN India presence in Delhi, Bengaluru. And our clientele is based in 26+ countries.

Our UK-qualified solicitors have an expertise of over 2 decades in providing Legal Advice for all UK immigration related assistance. We also offer Full Representation service and Filing Appeals for Refused applications.

You can get in touch with our Immigration Expert to book a consultation with our UK-qualified solicitor. Email on info@smartmove2uk.com OR Call +91 98191 27002.

The UK Start-Up Visa is a replacement for the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa. This immigration route focuses on new entrepreneurs who strive to start a business in the UK for the first time, and the business idea must turn out to be useful to the overall economy.

UK Start-Up Visa permits:

• Foreign entrepreneurs to start a business in the UK with ZERO Investments
• You to run the business as a Partnership Firm or as Sole Proprietor
• Entrepreneurs to avail Tax Benefits
• Two UK government-backed schemes in particular offer tax reliefs – The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)
• Bring Your Family with you (unmarried partner/spouse/child) to the UK
• This route gives you exposure to International Markets

However, you must apply for an endorsement from the Home Office approved endorsing body.

• Applicant must be least 18 years old
• Must prove that the business idea/business is viable, innovative and scalable
• Applicants can do it by having it assessed first and then endorsed by a relevant body. Here is a list of these endorsing bodies.
• Proficiency of English language up to B2 Level
• Ability to maintain yourself and dependants (if any)

UK Start-Up Visa applicants do not need any funds to invest in their 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.

However, you must apply for an endorsement from the Home Office approved endorsing body.

To get your business endorsed from an approved endorsing body, they will need to run a thorough check that your business idea/business meets all the following criteria:

You have an innovative, original business plan that meets new or existing market needs and/or creates a competitive advantage

You have, or are actively developing, the necessary skills and knowledge, experience and market awareness to run the business successfully

Your business plan has potential to create employments (jobs) the citizens of UK and a and development edge for the country

The endorsing body will also need to be satisfied that you will spend the majority of your working time in the UK on developing business ventures.

Applicants do not need to be the sole proprietor of the business. Applicants can be a member of a Start-up team as well. This means that you may share the same business idea and plan as another Start-up team member(s). However, each applicant must receive his or her own individual endorsement from an approved endorsing body.

Your initial Start-up visa will be valid for 2 years. Unless the applicant was previously granted leave as a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur, in which case you will be granted leave for a period that will take you to the maximum 2-year limit.

Applicants can apply for a UK Start-Up Visa from outside the UK and from within the UK too. To apply from within the UK, applicants have to switch into the Start-Up Visa category from his or her existing visa category. Only if the applicant was not granted permission in the past as a Visitor, Short-term Student, and Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker, and Domestic Worker in a Private Household or outside the Immigration Rules.

It is not possible to extend a UK Start-Up Visa, and Start-Up Visa holders are not eligible for settlement. However, at the end of 2 years, the applicant is eligible to apply for further Leave-to-Remain in the UK Innovator Visa category to continue developing the business. The UK Innovator Visa category will lead to ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) or Settlement after more than 3 years.

A UK Start-Up Visa permits the applicant to bring his/her family members into the UK on a UK Dependent Visa. A family member can be the applicant’s:

• Husband
• Wife
• Unmarried Partner
• Child (under the age of 18 years)

Applicants can apply for an Administrative Review (AR) if your application for switching into a UK Start-Up visa got refused by the Home Office (UKVI). You can apply for an Administrative Review Online. There is a fee of £ 80 for applying for an Administrative Review (AR).