Innovators and entrepreneurs

Whether a client is seeking to make a significant investment, or they are looking to open or expand their business venture in the UK, our team provides strategic advice from the outset on the best options to meet their long-term immigration aims. Our team has extensive experience and intricate knowledge of the complex rules relating to these categories and are ideally placed to advise those wishing to live in the UK on the basis of business and investment.

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Innovator

Innovator is a new route (replacing Tier 1 (Entrepreneur)) enabling experienced overseas entrepreneurs to establish a business in the UK.

Start-up

Start-up is a new route (essentially replacing Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)) to enable entrepreneurs to establish their first business in the UK.

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur)

Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) enables overseas nationals to establish, join or takeover a business in the UK, with a minimum investment of £200,000 (or £50,000 in certain circumstances).

Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur)

Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) enables graduates who have been officially endorsed by an authorised UK higher education institution to set up their business in the UK

Latest Insights

14 October 2026

Christi Hufford Jackson quoted in Global Mobility Lawyer on judge freezing Department for Homeland Security’s move to replace duration-of-status visa admissions

Partner Christi Hufford Jackson has been quoted in an article by Global Mobility Lawyer on a significant ruling in US immigration law.

14 October 2026

Natasha Chell and Christi Hufford Jackson join the Counsel Without Borders podcast to discuss changes in US and UK immigration

LDI partners Natasha Chell and Christi Hufford Jackson recently joined the Counsel Without Borders podcast to discuss the increasingly complex and…

9 October 2026

Natasha Chell writes for The Law Society Gazette on extended liability for illegal working

Natasha Chell has written for The Law Society Gazette on the significant expansion of the UK’s right to work regime from 1 October 2026, extending…