The UK Government has long sought to balance two competing goals: attracting global talent and controlling net migration. While some visa routes such as the Skilled Worker Visa and Global Talent Visa have been widely adopted, others designed to encourage entrepreneurship and business growth remain underused and misunderstood.

At Fard Solicitors, we regularly advise entrepreneurs, investors, and companies who are exploring UK immigration options. In this article, we outline the key challenges facing some of the lesser-utilised economic migration routes — and why many applicants ultimately choose alternatives.

The Innovator Founder Visa

The Innovator Founder Visa replaced the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route and is aimed at entrepreneurs with innovative, viable, and scalable business ideas.

However, success rates remain low. The need for endorsement from approved bodies, subjective assessments of “innovation,” and expectations of significant available funds (often around £250,000) deter many. Applicants also face duplication at the visa stage, ongoing oversight by endorsing bodies, and settlement rules that require business growth within three years — a timeline many founders find unrealistic.

The Scale-up Worker Visa

Introduced in 2022, this route was intended to help fast-growing UK businesses recruit top talent. In practice, very few companies hold the required Scale-up sponsor licence, and many employers prefer the Skilled Worker route for certainty in retaining staff. Licences also last only four years, making the process less attractive compared with indefinite Skilled Worker licences.

Global Business Mobility (GBM) Routes

Several GBM subcategories exist, but most see limited uptake:

Service Supplier Visa – limited to contracts under international trade agreements, with high administrative demands.

Secondment Worker Visa – applies only to very high-value contracts (minimum £10m per year), excluding most businesses.

Expansion Worker Visa – requires a UK sponsor licence even before the branch is established, creating a catch-22 for companies entering the UK market. It also does not lead to settlement, reducing its appeal.

Recommendations for Improvement

Experts suggest several reforms to make these routes more practical and attractive:

Simplify application processes and reduce duplication.

Extend the Innovator Founder visa to five years, giving founders realistic time to scale their businesses.

Reform Scale-up licences so they are easier to obtain and can last longer.

Relax Expansion Worker requirements to make it more viable for overseas companies to enter the UK market.

Reintroduce an Investor visa to attract capital into strategically important UK sectors.

How We Can Help

Choosing the right visa route is not just about eligibility — it’s about strategy. At Fard Solicitors, our immigration team helps entrepreneurs, professionals, and businesses identify the most suitable pathway, prepare strong applications, and plan for long-term settlement options.

Contact us today for tailored advice on business and work visas in the UK.

This article draws on research originally published by the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA). We have adapted the insights for our readers. The views and guidance expressed here are provided by Fard Solicitors.