Migration Advisory Committee Reviews the Global Talent and Innovator Founder Routes - Have Your Say

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) wants to know what needs to change for the UK to be competitive about attracting Global Talent.
 

The MAC has launched a call for evidence on the Global Talent and Innovator Founder visa routes. The deadline is 11:59pm on 1 May 2026. Here's why this matters - and why you should respond.

A Timely Review of Routes That Aren't Working
 

The MAC is currently reviewing how the UK's immigration system could best be used to attract international talent. As part of that work, it has launched a call for evidence specifically focused on two visa routes aimed at unsponsored, highly skilled individuals: the Global Talent visa and the Innovator Founder visa.

On the face of it, this is welcome news. These routes were designed to bring the world's brightest entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders to the UK. The problem? Many immigration specialists will tell you, bluntly, that there are issues.

The Uncomfortable Question
 

Over the past several years, both routes have been subject to amendments. The cumulative effect of those changes has, in most practitioners' experience, been to make these visas harder to obtain — not easier.

Which raises an uncomfortable question: is this deliberate?

Are we witnessing a quiet but calculated policy of reducing high-skilled migration, while politicians continue to publicly champion the "brightest and best" rhetoric that plays well in the press? Or is it something less sinister but equally frustrating - well-intentioned policy-making that has simply missed the mark through poor design and inadequate consultation with those who actually use these routes?

Either way, the outcome is the same: talented individuals who could be building businesses, creating jobs, and driving innovation in the UK are going elsewhere.

What Needs to Change: The Global Talent Visa
 

There are multiple different areas of expertise covered by the Global Talent route, from architecture to the arts to academics, and the consultation is asking for feedback on any or all of the areas covered by Global Talent, however this article is focused just on the tech subset.

The Global Talent visa is, at its core, a genuinely excellent option - when it works. The endorsement-based model, which allows individuals to demonstrate exceptional talent or promise in their field without needing a sponsor, is the right approach in principle and has already brought some incredible talent to the UK- just check out Tech Nation’s various reports on the impact of visa holders on the UK tech sector for the impressive stats.

But the eligibility criteria for endorsement need to evolve to mirror the needs of the UK ecosystems. One area that stands out is the treatment of talent in the investor and accelerator ecosystem. Currently, many individuals operating at the highest levels of venture capital, start-up acceleration, and early-stage investment find themselves excluded due to the "product-led limitation" - a requirement that effectively sidelines those whose expertise lies in funding, scaling, and enabling innovation rather than working in a product-led digital tech company and directly building a product themselves.

This is a significant gap. The UK's start-up ecosystem does not thrive on founders alone; it depends equally on the investors, accelerators, and ecosystem builders who back them. Limiting the access of this cohort is a missed opportunity, and it is one that could be addressed with relatively modest but targeted changes to the endorsement criteria.

The MAC's review is the right moment to make that case.

What Needs to Change: The Innovator Founder Visa
 

The Innovator Founder visa presents a more fundamental challenge. While the Global Talent visa needs refinement, the Innovator Founder visa arguably needs rethinking from the ground up.

Applicants on this route encounter many painful issues along the way, including excessive delays where they end stuck in limo (many seeing delays of a year, which is frankly unworkable for dynamic and fast-paced start-ups). There are also issues with Home Office caseworkers second guessing decisions made by the endorsing bodies, which significantly undermines integrity and efficacy of the route and the quality of decisions being made.

Crucially the criteria for settlement under the Innovator Founder route are fundamentally out of step with the realistic life cycle of a start-up.

Building a business is not a linear process. Start-ups pivot. They fail and rebuild. They take longer than expected to reach the milestones that look neat on a government form. The settlement requirements, as currently structured, appear to have been designed with an idealised version of entrepreneurship in mind - one that bears little resemblance to the messy, uncertain, and often chaotic reality of founding and scaling a company.

The result is a route that does not meaningfully facilitate the establishment of businesses in the UK, and that fails to send a credible signal to international founders that the UK is genuinely open for business.

The MAC needs to hear this clearly and directly from those with first-hand experience of advising on, or applying under, this route.

Why You Should Respond - Even With Only 300 Words
 

The online survey form limits individual text box responses to 300 words. That is not a lot of space to make a detailed argument, and it can feel discouraging.

But here is the important thing: engagement matters. Responding to the call for evidence - even briefly - signals that these issues are live concerns for a significant number of practitioners, businesses, and individuals. It also creates the opportunity to be included in further discussions as the MAC's review progresses, where there will be more scope to make detailed representations.

If you work in immigration, if you advise start-ups or investors, if you have personal experience of these visa routes, or if you simply care about whether the UK remains a genuinely competitive destination for global talent - this is your opportunity to say so.

The Deadline Is Close

The call for evidence closes at 11:59pm on 1 May 2026. That is very soon.

If you have views on the Global Talent visa, the Innovator Founder visa, or the broader question of how the UK's immigration system should be serving its stated ambition to attract the world's best talent, please take the time to respond via the MAC's online form.

The UK has a real opportunity here - but only if the right voices are heard.

If you would like guidance on how to structure your response to the MAC's call for evidence, or if you have questions about either visa route, please do get in touch.

About the author

Elli joined Kingsley Napley in August 2018 and is an associate in the immigration team. Elli works in the private client immigration team where she advises a broad range of clients across both immigration and nationality matters.