As an entrepreneur, you will know that nothing is certain. Sometimes things change beyond your control, and that can cause a significant change to your business direction. This is what we term a "pivot" and there are two types – minor and major. The Home Office has recently announced that major pivots to a granted visa will now trigger a full re-application, and that re-application will come with the standard assessment fee attached.
For anyone who has built their business, adapted to the market, or simply evolved their offering since being granted their visa, this naturally raises a lot of questions. And rightly so.
Change has always been part and parcel of running a real business. Markets shift. Products change. Competition appears. Founders learn what works and adjust course. Under the previous approach, this kind of evolution was generally expected and accepted as normal business practice.
The questions we are all asking
This is where things get genuinely tricky, and where we know many of you will have concerns. We have raised a number of questions with the Home office to provide further clarity, and are awaiting answers.
Some of the biggest unknowns include:
- What actually counts as a major pivot, as opposed to a to smaller, minor pivot which can be the natural path of evolution for a business
- Whether a full re-application effectively means (or allows apply for) applying for a brand new 3 year visa, and what that means for continuity.
- If the major pivot assessment is performed solely by the endorsing body, will the Home office need to reassess the innovation at any point?
... and there's more. These are not small details - they go to the heart of how founders plan their next steps, and we know they matter enormously to anyone currently building a business on this route.
We are already on the case
The team are currently in direct conversation with the Home Office to get clarity on exactly these points. We want to be upfront with you: we cannot promise we will have every answer nailed down by September. Policy clarifications like this often take time to settle.
What we can promise is that we will bring you as much detail as we possibly can, straight from the source, and we will be honest about what is still uncertain.
Wednesday 26th August
We will be hosting a live Zoom session dedicated entirely to this topic from 10am on Wednesday 26th August. Expect a clear breakdown of what we know so far, the latest from our conversations with the Home Office, and space for an open discussion.
This one is a must for immigration specialists and current visa holders alike. If a pivot might be on your horizon, or if you simply want to understand how this could affect your journey, this is the session to have in your diary.
Bring your questions. We may not have every answer yet, but we will make sure your voice is heard as this policy continues to take shape. Book your space below:
Innovator International
