How to move to the UK as a European founder

Amber Perng is the founder of Salmo Visa, a legaltech platform that simplifies UK immigration rules for migrant founders and reduces billing hours from lawyers. Why is this the problem she’s decided to try and solve? “I hate the Home Office,” she says. After spending countless hours applying for visas, not to mention the anxiety, stress and financial strains that she’s experienced, I can sympathise. Amber, who is of Taiwanese origin, is on her sixth visa in the UK and is preparing for her settlement application next year. Here she shares her top tips for European founders thinking of moving to the UK.

Make a pros and cons list

Ensure you know why you’re making the move. What benefits do you gain from building a company in the UK versus where you’re currently based? How does regulation in the market you want to build compare? What about overhead costs, access to talent, funding opportunities, market readiness, government support and access to global markets?

Figure out what visa you need

There are two main options for entrepreneurs:

Global Talent visa: If you have an impressive past, this is the visa for you. It can last anywhere between one and five years but there’s no limit to how long you can stay in the UK — you just have to keep renewing. Your status can be that of an employee, self-employed or a director of a company.
Innovator Founder visa: Apply for this if you can prove that you will have an impressive future and want the Home Office to take a chance on your potential. This visa lasts three years. It’s the more expensive visa.

Get your admin in order

And be aware this is time consuming. For both visas, you will need an up-to-date CV.

For the Global Talent visa you’ll also need to provide a personal statement (like you have to for university applications), three reference letters from people who’ve worked with you in a professional capacity (and, ideally, are recognisable names) and a portfolio of up to 10 career achievements like any press you’ve received, awards, recognition… anything that has your name on it. Everything needs to connect to build a cohesive picture of who you are. Make the point with your personal statement, provide evidence with your portfolio and have it all backed up and explained by your references.
The Innovator Founder visa is more like a pitch to a VC. You need to be able to showcase your company’s innovation, scalability potential and viability. At a minimum, you’ll need to provide a pitch deck and a business plan, including detailed financial models.

Find an endorsement body

These types of visas have a two-step process: getting endorsed and getting a visa. The endorsement is a business process, whereas the visa application is a legal one. To get endorsed, you need one of the approved endorsement bodies to write you a letter. You can check gov.uk for the updated list of approved bodies. If you’re applying for the Global Talent visa, you do not need to apply for an endorsement if you’ve won an eligible award.

Think about your budget carefully

The costs add up quickly. Both visas have an endorsement fee, which are not the same as the visa fee. This fee isn’t refundable even if you don’t get approved. This is important to note, especially if you’re applying for the Innovator Founder visa and are thinking of spreading the risk by applying to multiple endorsement bodies, as you’ll have to pay the £1,000+ fee to each one. You’ll also have to pay:

A visa fee;
The immigration health surcharge. If you’re applying for the Innovator Founder visa you have to pay for three years upfront;
Legal fees;
Visas for your dependents.

To give you an example, for the Innovator Founder visa, you’ll be looking at paying £5,791 total for a three-year visa, which doesn’t include lawyer fees. If you’re looking to bring a partner or kids with you, then that’s how much it will cost per person.

You don’t have to do it alone

You can do it without a lawyer. But if you have a complicated situation — like dependents or a complex immigration status — or you want someone to take on some of the admin or hold your hand through the process, then hire a lawyer. You could be looking at costs upward of £4,000.

The same applies for visa coaches who know the processes inside out. If you have time to research, do everything and have a tight budget — do it yourself. Otherwise, consider getting a coach — ensure they come highly recommended.

Be careful of the “self-sponsorship visa”

This is just a nickname given to the process of setting up a UK company, applying for a sponsor licence from the Home Office and then sponsoring yourself as a skilled worker joining the company.

Technically it’s not allowed — even if lawyers are advertising it as a service. If the Home Office thinks that’s what you’re doing, they’ll decline your application and you’ll have it on your record that you tried to game the system.

Don’t apply too late

You need to expect to wait a minimum of three months. And that doesn’t take into consideration the time it takes to get your references, portfolio, finances, etc. in order.