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Visas: Business

Asked by Daisy CooperLiberal DemocratHome OfficeTabled Answered 2 September 2026UIN 21801

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether postgraduate students already in the UK on a Student Visa can be exempted for the requirement to apply for an Innovator Founder Visa from outside the country.

Answered by Home Office

Student visa holders do not need to leave the UK to apply for an Innovator Founder visa, provided they have completed the course they were sponsored to study or, if they are studying for a PhD full-time, they must have been studying for at least 24 months.

Applicants must also meet all relevant eligibility requirements to apply for an Innovator Founder visa (https://www.gov.uk/innovator-founder-visa/eligibility).

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