11/18/2025
🚨 BREAKING NEWS FROM UKVI 🇬🇧:▪︎ Starting November 25, 2025, international students on a valid Student visa, including those from Ghana and other countries, can apply to switch directly to the Innovator Founder visa from within the UK 🇬🇧, without needing to leave the country and reapply from abroad.
▪︎ This change eliminates a major previous barrier that often forced graduates to return home, disrupting their plans and incurring extra costs.
▪︎ The policy aims to retain entrepreneurial talent who have studied in the UK, allowing them to launch innovative businesses and contribute to the economy.
▪︎ For Ghanaian students, who form one of the largest groups of international enrollees (over 50,000 annually), this opens a practical pathway to stay, build startups, and potentially settle long-term.
📍What is the Innovator Founder Visa?
▪︎ The Innovator Founder visa replaced the Start-up visa in 2023 and is designed for experienced entrepreneurs to set up and run an innovative business in the UK.
▪︎ Unlike the old routes, it no longer requires a minimum £50,000 investment; instead, it focuses on the quality of your business idea.
📍Key Takeaways:
▪︎ Path to Settlement (ILR): The visa offers a direct path to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) after just three years of demonstrated business success (e.g., job creation or revenue growth).
▪︎ Duration & Work Rights: An initial grant of up to 3 years (renewable), providing full freedom to work in the endorsed business.
▪︎ Endorsement is Crucial: Applicants must secure an endorsement letter from an approved UK body, verifying that the business idea is Innovative, Viable, and Scalable. This process can take weeks and has a fee (~£1,000).
▪︎ Student Switching Condition: Applicants must hold a valid Student Visa, have completed their course, and meet financial proof (£1,270 in savings).
▪︎ New Benefit: Students can now legally start self-employment/business setup immediately after submitting their endorsed application, even while the Student Visa is still valid and the application is being processed.
▪︎ Costs: The total initial cost for a single applicant (application fee, endorsement fee, and 3 years of Immigration Health Surcharge) is typically over £4,000.
▪︎ Significance: This is considered a "game-changer" for entrepreneurial students, offering a stable post-study route amid tightening UK immigration rules.
Richmond K.