Overview: How Has the UK Immigration System Changed Over the Past Decade?
Over the past decade, the UK Government has closed or restructured several immigration routes for entrepreneurs, investors, representatives of overseas businesses and highly skilled individuals. However, the closure of an immigration route does not always mean that all applications under that route have ceased. Some routes have closed to new applicants while retaining limited provisions for existing visa holders to apply for further permission or settlement. Others have been replaced by revised immigration categories.
The Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route closed to new applicants on 29 March 2019. Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) was replaced by the Global Talent route on 20 February 2020. The Tier 1 (Investor) route closed to new applicants on 17 February 2022, followed by the closure of the Sole Representative route to new applicants in April 2022. In 2023, the Start-up and Innovator routes were restructured around the new Innovator Founder route.
These changes have not all been driven by the same policy objectives. The closure of the Investor route reflected concerns about the source of applicants’ wealth, corruption and national security. Changes to the Entrepreneur route sought to place greater emphasis on the quality of businesses and their contribution to the UK economy. By contrast, the introduction of Global Talent was intended to strengthen the UK’s ability to attract leading and emerging talent. The Innovator Founder reforms consolidated the business start-up routes and removed certain barriers to entry.
For individuals planning to work, establish a business or settle in the UK, it is therefore no longer sufficient to rely on a familiar visa name or a particular investment amount. Applicants must consider the nature of their business, the genuineness of any proposed employment, sponsorship requirements, their professional achievements and whether their chosen route leads to settlement. Permission to enter and work in the UK does not necessarily provide a route to indefinite leave to remain.
1. Why Did the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) Route Close, and What Applications Remain Possible?
The Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route enabled overseas nationals to establish or join a business in the UK. However, the Government considered that some businesses established under the route did not deliver sufficient economic benefit. The subsequent reforms shifted the focus towards business innovation, viability and scalability. The route closed to new applicants on 29 March 2019.
Transitional arrangements allowed existing visa holders to apply for extensions and settlement within specified deadlines. As at October 2026, the ordinary extension and settlement deadlines have already passed for applicants who had never held permission under the Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) route. Such applicants were required to submit extension applications before 6 April 2023 and settlement applications before 6 April 2025.
Different transitional deadlines apply to certain applicants who previously held Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) permission before moving into Tier 1 (Entrepreneur). Although their extension application deadline passed on 6 July 2025, qualifying applicants may still submit settlement applications before 6 July 2027. Establishing whether these provisions apply requires a careful review of the applicant’s immigration history.
It would therefore be inaccurate to suggest that all existing Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa holders can continue to extend their permission or apply for settlement. Any remaining entitlement depends on the applicable transitional provisions and the individual’s circumstances. Applications by dependent family members must also be considered separately under the relevant requirements.
2. What Are the Alternatives to Tier 1 (Entrepreneur): Innovator Founder or Self-Sponsorship?
The Innovator Founder route is an option for individuals seeking to establish and run an innovative business in the UK. Its correct name is “Innovator Founder”, rather than “Tier 1 Innovator Founder”. Applicants must obtain endorsement from an authorised endorsing body, which assesses whether the business is innovative, viable and scalable. The applicant must also have a substantive role in founding and developing the business.
The former Innovator route’s fixed minimum investment requirement of £50,000 was removed when Innovator Founder was introduced. This does not mean that an applicant can proceed without adequate business funding. The proposed business must remain credible and capable of implementation, and not every conventional business or acquisition of an existing company will meet the endorsement criteria.
The Innovator Founder route can lead to settlement after three years, provided the applicant satisfies the relevant requirements. Settlement is not granted simply because the applicant has held the visa for three years. Further endorsement, prescribed business achievement criteria and the applicable residence and other requirements must also be met. Settlement planning should therefore form part of the business strategy from the outset.
“Self-sponsorship”, by contrast, is not a separate immigration route or an official visa category. The expression is commonly used to describe an arrangement in which a UK company owned or partly owned by the applicant obtains a sponsor licence and sponsors that individual for a qualifying role under the Skilled Worker route.
Incorporating a company or holding shares does not, in itself, establish eligibility. The company must meet the sponsor licensing requirements, and the proposed employment must be genuine. The role must satisfy the applicable occupation, skill and salary requirements, while the company must be able to discharge its sponsorship duties. The Home Office may examine whether the role is credible in light of the nature and scale of the business.
The distinction is important. Innovator Founder focuses on the proposed business and the applicant’s role as its founder, whereas a self-sponsorship arrangement relies on the company’s eligibility to sponsor workers and the individual’s employment in a qualifying role. The appropriate approach depends on the business model, the applicant’s responsibilities and their longer-term immigration objectives.
3. Why Did the Start-up Route Close, and What Happened to Extension and Settlement Options?
The Start-up route was designed to allow early-stage entrepreneurs to develop a business in the UK. When Innovator Founder was introduced in 2023, the removal of the former Innovator route’s £50,000 minimum investment requirement reduced the need for separate routes for early-stage and more established business founders. The reforms therefore brought these categories together within a single founder-focused route.
From 13 April 2023, the Start-up route was restricted to applicants relying on endorsements issued before that date. A limited transitional application period followed, and the route closed to all new applications on 13 July 2023.
Start-up permission was normally granted for two years. The route was not designed to allow ongoing extensions or to lead directly to settlement. Applicants wishing to remain in the UK beyond their permitted period therefore needed to qualify under another immigration route, such as Innovator Founder or Skilled Worker.
Time spent in the UK under the Start-up route does not count towards the three-year qualifying period for settlement under Innovator Founder. Applicants pursuing long-term residence must therefore consider not only whether they can switch routes, but also the qualifying residence period and business requirements that will apply after switching.
4. What Did the Closure of the Innovator Route Mean, and Can Existing Holders Move to Innovator Founder?
The former Innovator route was replaced by Innovator Founder on 13 April 2023. Rather than removing the opportunity for innovative entrepreneurs to establish businesses in the UK, the reforms revised the structure and conditions of the route. Key changes included removing the fixed minimum investment requirement and allowing employment outside the applicant’s own business, subject to the applicable skill-level requirement.
Existing Innovator visa holders may be able to continue their stay within the Innovator Founder framework, provided they satisfy the relevant requirements. The endorsement and evidence required may differ depending on whether the applicant is continuing an existing business or proposing a new one. It is also necessary to establish which endorsing body is authorised to support the application. A previous endorsement does not automatically secure approval of a subsequent immigration application.
For settlement purposes, there is an important distinction between the former Innovator route and Start-up. Time spent with permission under Innovator and Innovator Founder can count towards the three-year qualifying period for settlement under Innovator Founder. Moving into the revised framework does not therefore necessarily restart the applicant’s settlement qualifying period. The relevant business achievement and other settlement requirements must nevertheless be met.
5. Why Did the Tier 1 (Investor) Route Close, and Could It Reopen?
The Government closed the Tier 1 (Investor) route to new applicants at 4 pm on 17 February 2022. Its stated concerns included unlawfully acquired wealth, links to corruption and national security risks. The decision represented a fundamental reassessment of the relationship between passive financial investment and permission to reside in the UK.
Transitional arrangements were introduced for existing visa holders, but these were subject to deadlines. Applications for further permission under the route had to be submitted before 17 February 2026, and that deadline has now passed. Qualifying settlement applications must be submitted before 17 February 2028. Applicants must also satisfy the investment, residence and other requirements applicable to their circumstances.
Any suggestion that the route may reopen must be treated cautiously. The possible introduction of a new investment-related immigration category is a separate issue from the reopening of Tier 1 (Investor). The official materials reviewed for this article do not provide a basis for planning on the assumption that the former route will return. Media reports or market speculation should not be treated as an available immigration option.
Innovator Founder is not a direct replacement for an investor visa. It requires the applicant to establish and actively develop an innovative business, rather than simply invest funds and retain a passive financial interest.
6. What Replaced Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent), and How Does Global Talent Differ from High Potential Individual?
Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) was replaced by the Global Talent route on 20 February 2020. This was not a withdrawal of opportunities for highly talented individuals. The reforms were intended to strengthen the UK’s offer to international talent, including through the removal of the annual cap and the expansion of endorsement arrangements for researchers.
Global Talent is aimed at established leaders and potential leaders in specified fields, including science and research, digital technology, and arts and culture. A strong academic background or professional experience alone does not necessarily establish eligibility. The assessment focuses on the applicant’s achievements, recognition and standing, or potential, within the relevant field.
The High Potential Individual route, commonly referred to as HPI, applies a different test. It is principally based on the award of an eligible qualification from a qualifying overseas university within the preceding five years. Eligibility depends on the university appearing on the relevant list for the period in which the qualification was awarded, together with satisfaction of the other applicable requirements.
HPI permission is normally granted for two years, or three years for applicants with a PhD or another qualifying doctoral-level qualification. It cannot be extended and does not lead directly to settlement. Applicants wishing to remain in the UK longer must qualify to switch into another appropriate immigration category.
The central distinction is therefore the basis of eligibility. Global Talent assesses achievement and potential within a specified professional field, while HPI primarily provides an opportunity for recent graduates of eligible overseas universities. They are not interchangeable routes.
7. What Options Are Available to Overseas Businesses Following the Closure of the Sole Representative Route?
The Sole Representative route allowed an overseas business to send a senior employee to establish its first UK branch or subsidiary. It closed to new Sole Representative applicants on 11 April 2022. The UK Expansion Worker route, within the Global Business Mobility framework, is now a principal option for overseas businesses establishing a UK presence.
It is important not to describe the entire Representative of an Overseas Business category as having been abolished. The closure of new Sole Representative applications must be distinguished from the position of existing visa holders, who may remain eligible to extend their permission or apply for settlement under the applicable requirements.
The UK Expansion Worker route is intended for an overseas business that has not yet started trading in the UK and wishes to send a senior manager or specialist employee to establish a UK branch or subsidiary. Both the business and the individual must satisfy the relevant requirements, including sponsorship, the overseas employment relationship, the proposed role and the applicable salary requirements. Permission is granted for up to one year initially, with a maximum total stay of two years under the route.
Once the UK business has started trading, the company may be able to use the Senior or Specialist Worker route for qualifying intra-group assignments. An existing employee may also be able to apply to switch, where eligible. This is not an automatic progression: the UK business must have the appropriate sponsor authorisation, and the proposed assignment must satisfy the requirements of the new route, including the relationship between the overseas and UK businesses, the role and the salary.
The settlement implications are particularly significant. The former Sole Representative route was a route to settlement, whereas UK Expansion Worker and Senior or Specialist Worker do not lead directly to settlement. A business should therefore distinguish between its operational need to establish a UK presence and the employee’s personal objective of obtaining indefinite leave to remain.
Where long-term settlement is important, a later move into a settlement route, such as Skilled Worker, may need to be considered once the business and the proposed employment meet the relevant requirements. Time spent as a UK Expansion Worker should not be assumed to count towards the qualifying period for settlement under Skilled Worker.
Conclusion: Focus on the Available Route and the Long-Term Objective
The closure of several established visa categories does not mean that all opportunities to work, establish a business or develop a long-term future in the UK have disappeared. However, the available routes now place different demands on applicants, including genuine employment, business innovation, professional achievement and ongoing compliance.
Existing visa holders should first establish whether any transitional provisions remain available and whether a deadline affects their next application. New applicants and overseas businesses should consider the full immigration journey, from initial entry through extensions and changes of immigration category to settlement, where available. Business endorsement, sponsor licensing, commercial operations and an individual’s immigration permission are related matters, but each carries its own requirements.
The most effective strategy is therefore not simply to identify a visa that resembles a closed route. It is to select a lawful and sustainable immigration route that reflects the applicant’s actual circumstances and long-term plans.
How Can ARIS International Lawyers Help?
UK immigration policy has undergone significant change in recent years. As economic and security priorities have evolved, several established routes have closed or been restructured, with different rules applying to new applicants and existing visa holders.
At ARIS International Lawyers, our Immigration Team provides professional advice to help clients understand the immigration options most appropriate to their circumstances. We consider business establishment, investment objectives, overseas expansion, employment and long-term residence plans together, providing advice tailored to the individual or business concerned.
For professional advice on the UK visa options available to you, please contact ARIS International Lawyers on 020 3865 6219 or leave us a message. Our Immigration Team can assess your circumstances and guide you through the relevant requirements and next steps.
This article provides general information based on the government materials reviewed as at 25 October 2026. It does not constitute legal advice on an individual case. The Immigration Rules, relevant transitional provisions and the applicant’s immigration history should be checked before any application is made.