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Hasan Fehmi Erdoğmuş is an immigration and business lawyer with dual qualifications in Turkey and the UK. With over 15 years of experience, he helps professionals, entrepreneurs, and companies build successful futures in the UK. As Head of UK Operations at Grape Law in London, he advises on Skilled Worker, Innovator Founder, and Global Talent visas, guiding clients through complex immigration processes, business setup, and compliance.
You can find more information here.
Key Takeaways
- After the Ankara Agreement, founders looking to start or expand a business in the UK should consider alternative visa routes aligned with the UK’s current immigration priorities.
- Setting up a UK business usually starts with incorporating a private limited company through Companies House, followed by identity verification, banking, and tax registration.
- The Innovator Founder Visa is suitable for entrepreneurs with innovative, viable, and scalable business ideas endorsed by an approved body.
- The Global Talent Visa offers flexibility for leaders and promising individuals in tech, science, the arts, and innovation without requiring a job offer or employer sponsorship.
- The Skilled Worker Visa can support overseas businesses expanding into the UK, provided sponsor licence duties, salary thresholds, eligible roles, and compliance requirements are met.
In the current economic landscape, the United Kingdom's immigration system increasingly prioritizes high-earning professionals and those with technical expertise. In 2026, this is more evident than ever. Launching a venture in the UK today is less about meeting simple capital quotas and more about aligning with the UK’s national focus on digital growth, green energy, and advanced technology.
In this brief overview, I look at how the UK immigration system works today. I start with the necessary steps for setting up a business, then explore the visa options that offer the most fertile ground for consistent growth.
Setting Up Your Business in the UK
Before applying for a visa, it is important to understand the steps for forming a company, as the UK provides a transparent business setup process.
Incorporating Your Company
Most founders choose to incorporate a private limited company (Ltd) through Companies House, a process that is completed within 24 hours. This creates a separate legal identity for your business, protecting your personal assets and making it easier to manage contracts or intellectual property.
New Identity Verification Rules
From February 2026, new rules under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act require identity verification for anyone running or owning a company. The changes also come with higher filing fees to support stronger data checks.
Banking, Tax, and Next Steps
Once the company is registered, you can set up a business bank account and register for taxes. Having this legal setup in place is a common first step, since it shows you have a base to handle your operations and hire staff. Once the business is formed, the next step is choosing a visa to manage the company’s operations.
The Innovator Founder Visa
Who Qualifies
The Innovator Founder visa is one of the work visas for entrepreneurs who want to launch a new company in the UK. It focuses on the quality of the business idea rather than a set investment amount. To qualify, an approved body must endorse your business plan based on its innovation, viability, and growth potential. In 2026, this visa is a go-to choice for founders in fields like AI, green energy, or life sciences who want to build a scalable company.
Growth Targets and the Path to ILR
If your business thrives and meets growth targets, such as creating two full-time jobs for settled workers or generating at least £500,000 in revenue, this visa can lead to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), also known as permanent residence, in as little as three years. While this path is ideal for those starting fresh, other professionals might prefer a visa that offers more personal freedom without being limited to one business plan.
The Global Talent Visa
Why Founders Choose This Route
Leaders and promising individuals in tech, science, or the arts often choose the Global Talent visa because it does not require a job offer or an employer sponsor. This independence allows you to run your own company, work on multiple projects, or change your business plans as the market evolves. Many researchers and innovators prefer the Global Talent visa to work in the UK, as it offers the flexibility to explore different work opportunities simultaneously.
Timeline to Settlement
The visa also paves the path to ILR after only three or five years. However, if you already lead an established business outside the UK and wish to expand beyond its borders, a more traditional sponsorship model might be a better fit.
The Skilled Worker Visa
Bringing In Key Team Members
If you have an operational business in your country or elsewhere and want to open a branch in the UK, the Skilled Worker visa is your option to go global. The UK has raised the minimum salary requirement to £41,700 for this visa, and most roles now need substantially higher pay to qualify. Even so, it still allows you to bring in key team members, provided your UK entity is set up to sponsor them.
Role and Salary Requirements
You must ensure the roles meet the RQF 6 degree-level requirement and pay the updated market rates for that job. The Skilled Worker visa provides an initial stay of up to five years and can lead to ILR as well.
Sponsor Licence Compliance
For many organizations, this visa is used to maintain corporate operational consistency by transferring talented and experienced staff to manage the new UK operations. To ensure stability, employers must conduct due diligence on their sponsor licence duties, since any compliance failure can result in the loss of their team's legal status.
Final Thoughts
In short, while the UK immigration system today favors those with high-level expertise, the country continues to offer professional opportunities for founders who can prove their ventures meet the required skill and salary benchmarks. By focusing on these updated requirements and ensuring a corporate structure that aligns with the new data verifications, you can successfully set up your business in the UK. And remember, taking a long-term view of your immigration strategy, rather than looking for a quick fix, will always help you handle the complexities of the system and protect your future growth in the UK.
If you would like professional guidance tailored to your career plans in the UK and assistance with preparing a Skilled Worker Visa application, you can contact us anytime at info@grapelaw.com.
