Start-up

Start-up

The Start-up route was introduced into the Immigration Rules on 29 March 2019. Together with the Innovator route, it replaced the Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) categories. Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) applications were still accepted until 6 July 2019, so there was a brief period of overlap between the Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) and Start-up routes. The Innovator Founder route replaced the Innovator route from 13 April 2023.

The

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Latest Immigration News

eVisa passenger support helpline reduces opening hours

The Home Office guidance page covering eVisas and travel has been updated to reduce the opening hours of the passenger support line that is available for persons who are having difficulty demonstrating their permission to travel to their carrier. This helpline was previously open 24/7, but will now only be open from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm UK time. The UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub, which is only accessible to carriers, remains open 24/7.

Home Office publishes new series of support videos on eVisas and other matters

The Home Office has published two series of ‘how-to’ videos to assist users in accessing and using various aspects of immigration services. These are eVisa support videos (as regards accessing and using an eVisa), viewing and confirming a person’s right to work and rent, and applying for settled status from pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

the3million reports on ‘large-scale’ incident with eVisa ID document details

The advocacy organisation the3million has issued a news report on what it terms ‘an alarming increase’ in technical failures identified in the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) digital status platform, affecting both EU and non-EU citizens, further to numerous reports made to it on 5 and 6 March 2025. These reports confirmed that the system was erroneously assigning incorrect nationalities to UKVI account holders, listing countries such as Eritrea, Ghana, or Nigeria, or stating ‘invalid country’ whilst also displaying non-existent Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or Biometric Residence Card (BRC) numbers for individuals who had never possessed these documents (while their correct identity documents were missing from their account). The situation was further exacerbated when the ‘Update your details’ function became inaccessible on 6 March 2025, with no formal communication from the Home Office regarding these issues. In a letter addressed to the Home Office, the3million has asked numerous questions about what has caused the incident, and raised concerns about data privacy implications. It is also calling for a public inquiry into the system's reliability.

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