Hello Nairalanders. Recently I got an endorsement for the UK startup visa and I am still amazed how easy the process from start to finish without the help of an agent or anyone. I am here to share with you guys the whole process. Kindly indicate your interest before I begin. If you ve got Japa plans, jump in here and gain some insights on how to get the UK Startup Visa

buster:
Hello Nairalanders. Recently I got an endorsement for the UK startup visa and I am still amazed how easy the process from start to finish without the help of an agent or anyone. I am here to share with you guys the whole process. Kindly indicate your interest before I begin. If you ve got Japa plans, jump in here and gain some insights on how to get the UK Startup Visa

Hold your story right there !

Says who?

doggedfighter:


Hold your story right there !

I refuse to be bullied by you

doggedfighter:


Hold your story right there !

buster:
I refuse to be bullied by you

Can you go ahead with the story, please.

Carry on.

Seated here...

Interested

Two more people signify your interest and I start. My reason for doing this is because of some of the challenges I faced when putting together my application. When I started I checked on nairaland to see if there is a topic or probably any successful applicant who had at some point discussed it on this forum, but was so surprised to find none. So I am doing this for those who might need help or need more information on getting a UK startup visa. I'm not an agent neither am I an immigration consultant and I am giving this info free of charge

Drop the story and quit all these signify interest o

ednut1:
Drop the story and quit all these signify interest o

U wey don japa...
U still wan go UK..??
Abi you are here as an FBI agent??

advanceDNA:


U wey don japa...
U still wan go UK..??
Abi you are here as an FBI agent??

so i no fit send am to friends wey wan japa ni

The United Kingdom introduced the Startup and Innovator Visa in 2020 for international entrepreneurs to come to the UK to start a business.
While the startup visa is for a new business, the Innovator visa is for experienced businesspersons seeking to establish a new business in the UK.

What Kind of Business Can You Start In The UK To Qualify For This Visa Category
For Startups: All that's required is a business idea that must be Innovative, Scalable, and Viable. So I'm gonna break down what these 3 key criteria mean.

For your business idea to be innovative, it must be a new and original business idea that proffers a solution to a problem. This business idea/plan must be new to the UK market or either create a competitive advantage. And if such business already exists in the UK market, your idea must be an improvement with a unique value proposition.

Viable: A business idea/plan is considered viable if you have or actively developing the skills and knowledge required to run the business.

Scalable: Your business idea/plan must show that it has the potential to grow and create new jobs.
It's not necessary for your startup to be a tech one. It's just any business that meets the 3 listed criteria.

For Innovators: Same criteria applies except that the innovators must be experienced who must show evidence and demonstrate significant achievements of their business. Also, they are required to invest an initial fund of £50,000 to qualify

Kindly ask questions if you have any before I continue. And in the absence of none, I will continue

ednut1:
so i no fit send am to friends wey wan japa ni

No vex.....I get your point


I’m just waiting to see how this “easy” translate to not spending crazy money...

So what’s the catch? Why the UK StartUp or Innovator Visa

Let me highlight some of its perks and flaws

For the StartUp Visa: It's valid for just 2 years and has no option of renewal which it's not a path to settlement (though there’s an option to either switch to an Innovator visa if you can show evidence of £50,000 or other visa categories such as skilled worker, global talent visa, student visa, etc)
You are allowed to bring your partner/spouse and up to 4 children who are below 18 years. You can work full time while developing your business for you to raise funds for your startup which means it’s not a prerequisite to have readily available funds for your business. Although an initial proof of funds of £1270 is required to show you can sustain yourself upon arrival to the UK. You can travel out and back into the UK but must not spend up to 180 days outside of the UK in a year
Also, you must not have previously established a business in the UK, and in the case where you have registered a company, such business must not have traded

For Innovators: As mentioned earlier, must show the significant success of an existing business. The Innovator visa is valid for 3 years and it’s a path to settlement. This means an innovator can apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain after running a business successfully after 3 years and then a year later apply for UK citizenship. Allowed to bring spouse/partner and 4 children. An innovator cannot take up a job and most only focus and work for their business. Can travel and out and back into the UK but must not spend up to 180 days outside of the UK in a year

I'm open to taking questions and providing answers. And in the absence of none, I will proceed with the step by step process of my application and how I got the visa (including the financial implication)

Need to retire to my bed. I will continue in the morning

Sincere apologies for starting late. So we would continue from where we stopped last night

My Application Process, Which Got Me The Startup Visa (Including The Financial Implications)

I would only discuss the startup visa process because that’s what I applied for, and I have no idea of the process for innovators.
I forgot to mention one crucial thing: the essential criterion before you can be issued a visa is getting an endorsement letter from one of the UK Home Office approved endorsement bodies. To ease the process of getting a startup visa, the UK assigned the task of endorsing applicants to business development agencies (endorsing bodies) to access startup and innovator applicants’ business plans to see if they are innovative, scalable, and viable.

The Beginning
It’s always been my dream to be globally recognized as a tech talent. Early last year, I stumbled upon a piece of information online about a UK visa category called the Technation Global Talent Visa. After going thru the requirements, I knew this visa wasn’t for me because of what they expect of you as a globally talented techie is outrageous. Then on LinkedIn, some Indian travel agents wrote an article about the same Global Talent Visa. I connected with him, and we had a Zoom meeting where he accessed all of my qualifications. After this assessment, he advised that I try another UK startup visa category. He told me I didn’t need all the requirements Global Talent was asking for, that all I needed was a business idea, and he would help me get the visa if I could pay him £15,000. He was persuasive and wanted me to pay the money fast, and that’s when I suspected he could be a fraudster. So, I took my time researching the UK startup visa, and that’s how the journey started.

Following

The Process
As mentioned earlier, an endorsement letter is the main requirement for a UK startup visa, so I visited the UK Home Office website for information on the approved endorsing bodies. About 52 business development agencies and about 110 universities in the UK endorse applicants. 80% of the universities that offer endorsements are restricted to just their students. Some universities will endorse any individual on a student visa regardless of their school. The Business development agencies have their requirements on applicants they endorse. Some would only endorse applicants who are in tech; some would endorse all kinds of applicants irrespective of their business idea sector. But almost all business development agencies require that you enroll in their startup accelerator program at a fee before they can endorse you.
After going thru the list of endorsements and their requirements, I started by visiting their websites one after the other, reaching for the contact email address, and I sent an email to each of them inquiring about getting an endorsement. I sent an email to about 17 endorsement bodies, and I got responses from 8 of them. They all asked that I send a pitch deck (a summary of your idea in slides). Three out of the eight endorsement bodies I sent my pitch deck to, 3 of them said they could only endorse me as an innovator, even when I explained I had no £50k to invest. They insisted that either I take it and invest 50k or leave it. Of the remaining 5, 4 loved my business idea (a tech solution for diagnosing in hospitals). The last endorsement body said they only endorse a whole team of entrepreneurs (a founder, product manager, UI designer, etc.).
So, I was left to choose from 4 endorsement bodies, and I took my time to look at their requirements for enrolling in their accelerator program. One of them insists I pay an upfront fee for the program, which is £6000. Two of them require an initial deposit of £2000 and allow me to pay monthly once I get to the UK.
So, the last one charges £2,500 for their program and only requires a down payment of £500 and spreads the balance in monthly installments to start payment on the 5th month after arriving in the UK. So far, that was the best. To proceed, I was asked to submit a detailed business plan (my biz plan was about 47 pages long). They emailed a template of the way they want the business plans and explained in detail in the project how my business is Innovative, Viable, and Scalable

Writing the Business Plan:
This is the most tedious part of the application. I’ve never written a comprehensive business plan in my life. The business plan I’m used to is the lean canvas they teach you at startup school, just a single page. I checked online to look for business plan writers, and those I got in contact with charged outrageous fees of like 150k to 250k, and they still didn’t understand my business idea. They declined because they claimed they couldn’t do UK market research for my business idea because it’s not common and also because it’s a new market. I checked on Fiverr (a freelance marketplace), and it was hell. Crazy fees with no assurance on the time of completion. I took my time and looked up business plan writing software. Most of this software charges a license fee of about $20 per month, so I subscribed to a one-month plan. Initially, it was going smoothly until I got to where I had to do a market analysis, and I gave up. I looked up another software and subscribed (this cost me $32). In summary, I used three different business plan software packages and completed the business plan in 3 months after sleepless nights.
I submitted the business plan to the endorsing body by mail and acknowledged receipt. The endorsement body accessed my business plan in four working days, and they sent an email about some concerns they had about the plan, which was my financial projection. I had to visit a polytechnic close to me and pay a final year accounting student (4000 naira) to correct the error. I submitted, and in about 3 hours, I got a response with an invitation link to a Zoom meeting scheduled to be held in 1 hour. I attended the Zoom meeting. They asked about the plan and drafted a contract to enroll in their accelerator program. I reviewed and gladly accepted the £500 initial deposit. I got an invoice for £500 to make payment, and I got my endorsement letter sent to my email 24 hours after payment.

Awesome

Application Process:
After I got my endorsement, I reactivated an old dormant bank account.
I deposited the equivalent of £1270 (proof of funds) and waited for 30 days before making a visa application.
I sent a copy of my BSC certificate and transcript to a credential evaluation agency called NARIC to access my credential as proof that I can communicate in English to waive IELTS-£55

Fees required for the Visa (That I paid)
- Application Fee - £363
- Health Surcharge Fee for two years of the visa duration: - £1248
- Police Report (I didn't pay the embassy for this) – N10,000
- Tuberculosis test - $150

I applied online and then got an appointment for biometrics.

I used a value-added service (Its optional) where I paid N11,700 to help with arranging and uploading my documents
Got notified in approximately 2 weeks for passport pickup

OYA MAKE WE CALCULATE

£55 (Nari) - N31,072

£363- N205,000

£1248(Health Surcharge) - 705,061.53 - Na dis wan really choke me

Police Report - N10,000

TB test ($150) - N62,125

Value Added Service - N11,700

Account student service - N4,000

First Biz Plan Software ($20*2) - N16,572

2nd Biz Plan Software - N13,257

3rd Biz Plan Software - N12,000

Endorsement Fee (£500) - N282,537

Total - N1,353,324.53

Conclusion
Is it worth it? We are going to have lots of differences of opinion. But if you ask me, I think it's worth knowing the value of my business.

To everyone reading, is this the pathway you would consider to immigrate to the UK? There are several factors to consider. Remember this Visa category allows you to bring your spouse and kids to the UK. Tuition is free for children before their university education. Healthcare is free. Good infrastructure and working governing system

Lol. I would say congratulations brother. Although, I would say this is psw in another format. Uk is not plain black and white as you think. Of course I wish you well in raising the fund to pay your accerelator programme and grow your start up. You should also expect competition, high taxes, some hidden t and c and so on. It is a huge risk. Thats why people go through routes with minimal risk. I wish you the best.

buster:
To everyone reading, is this the pathway you would consider to immigrate to the UK? There are several factors to consider. Remember this Visa category allows you to bring your spouse and kids to the UK. Tuition is free for children before their university education. Healthcare is free. Good infrastructure and working governing system

I was thinking of using education path but this is a lot cheaper. My education path budget is between N10m-N15m but with this N2m is enough to get into the UK.

Where will you be in the UK, can you choose where you want to settle or they choose it for you?

Is the visa 100% guaranteed after receiving endorsement?

Paying a business development consultant is way better than stressing to write business plan on your own.

I wish you the best.

Congratulations bro

We would be pleased if you can help us in totality by revealing the softwares used, the endorsing company and other helpful tips .

Appreciate!

quote author=buster post=109477127]To everyone reading, is this the pathway you would consider to immigrate to the UK? There are several factors to consider. Remember this Visa category allows you to bring your spouse and kids to the UK. Tuition is free for children before their university education. Healthcare is free. Good infrastructure and working governing system[/quote]

I'm here with you

To start with your first question, you can live anywhere in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, I do not believe that there is any visa that is 100% guaranteed. What I can say is you have a very high chance when you get an endorsement. In almost all cases endorsement leads to visa. There are cases where the UK embassy would require more clarification in your business plan or if they believe that your business idea does not meet the criteria of Innovation, viability and scalability. In that case you might be in invited for an interview. Such case is so rare since the endorsing bodies have handled that part already
I kinda agree that it's cheaper compared to studying but it all depends on your plan and what you hope to achieve. You can pay a business development consultant but before an endorsing body issue you the endorsement letter, you guys would have a zoom meeting and they would ask you questions about the business. So if you are so sure that after the consultant write the plan and you can study it so well to answer any question, then you are fine. I choose to write the plan my self because this business is my baby. It took months to develop the program, researched the market available for the product in the UK. I applied for the start up visa with the aim to build my business. Some people might use it as a way to enter the UK and then switch to another visa category

SocialJustice:
I was thinking of using education path but this is a lot cheaper. My education path budget is between N10m-N15m but with this N2m is enough to get into the UK.

Where will you be in the UK, can you choose where you want to settle or they choose it for you?

Is the visa 100% guaranteed after receiving endorsement?

Paying a business development consultant is way better than stressing to write business plan on your own.

I wish you the best.